Another passport thread...

[ScottulusMaximus]

I'm leaving for Kazakhstan tomorrow morning and lost my passport, plse halp!?!?!?!?!

Actually no, it's not one of those threads.

My issue is, I came into South Africa on a British passport on a Temporary Residence Permit(study), in this British passport I have a permanent residence stamp for Zimbabwe. Since I came here I have acquired South African Citizenship(by descent) so now have a brand new SA passport as well.

The study visa in my British passport is set to expire, once it has that passport will be flagged as an overstay(which is a world of issues these days that I'd rather not go through again) as the system says I'm still in SA. Once I'm flagged as an overstay I'll effectively be barred from entering SA ever again on a British passport, while that's not an issue now it may become one 20 years down the line.

I'm flying to zim next week and ideally what I need to do is:

Leave SA on the Brit passport so the system says I'm out
Enter and exit Zim on the Brit passport
Then come back into SA on the SA passport

Is this possible, or a bad idea?

I applied for and collected my passport here in PTA, I'm worried that when I get to immigration at OR Tambo they're gonna ask wtf is going on and we've seen what happens when an SA citizen is caught using a foreign passport to leave the country.

 

[Foxhound5366]

Yeah that's a tricky one ... no doubt Zimbabwe won't care, but you might get grief from the South African authorities if you try enter the country on a passport that has no exit stamp already in it. I'd check with a professional beforehand to be on the safe side, but my gut feeling is that it'd be ok just so long as you have both passports on you so that you can at least show the stamp trail if questioned.

 

[cr@zydude]

Crappy situation, but legally you need to enter and exit SA on your SA passport. Not sure what would be best for you now.

 

[ScottulusMaximus]

but you might get grief from the South African authorities if you try enter the country on a passport that has no exit stamp already in it.

That's what I'm worried about...

Crappy situation, but legally you need to enter and exit SA on your SA passport. Not sure what would be best for you now.

Ya I know and it's kinda backing me into a corner, I really really don't want my British passports banned from SA.

Anyone know an immigration lawyer?

 

[bwana]

Is there a home affairs office nearby that you could ask? I'm sure they can just cancel the study visa in your UK passport.

 

[xrapidx]

How you going to explain leaving SA without a stamp in your SA Passport saying you left?

 

[ISP cash cow]

Really tricky situation.

Legally if you have a South African passport you have to leave and enter the country on that passport. Illegal if you don't. If you leave on the Brit passport when you get back, they will pick up that your passport was not scanned "out" for exit from the country.

Rather get a lawyer for this.

When you received your South African passport would it not have made your study visa invalid anyway? As you then become a resident of the country with dual citizenship?

 

[HavocXphere]

Leave SA on the Brit passport so the system says I'm out
Enter and exit Zim on the Brit passport
Then come back into SA on the SA passport

Is this possible, or a bad idea?

It is:
1) Illegal (the leave SA part) and
2) Likely your best way forward

In practice its not really enforced...but obviously frowned upon & I'd not make a habit of it.

Is there a home affairs office nearby that you could ask? I'm sure they can just cancel the study visa in your UK passport.

Cancel the Visa while in the country? Seems unlikely that there is a procedure for that as they'd technically have to deport people on the spot.

How you going to explain leaving SA without a stamp in your SA Passport saying you left?

They don't check at all.

 

[bwana]

Cancel the Visa while in the country? Seems unlikely that there is a procedure for that as they'd technically have to deport people on the spot.

Why would they have to deport him? He's applied for, and received, SA citizenship so his residency status has clearly changed.

 

[ISP cash cow]

They don't check at all.

Why do you say they don't check?

 

[pinball wizard]

@ OP, leave SA on SA passport, enter and exit Zim on Brit passport, re-enter SA on SA passport?

 

[ScottulusMaximus]

When you received your South African passport would it not have made your study visa invalid anyway? As you then become a resident of the country with dual citizenship?

They don't check at all.

They're gonna notice, the passport will be completely blank

@ OP, leave SA on SA passport, enter and exit Zim on Brit passport, re-enter SA on SA passport?

That's the usual way to do it but I need to get on the system as leaving SA on my study Visa before it expires, otherwise the Brit passport will be flagged as an overstay

 

[HavocXphere]

They're gonna notice, the passport will be completely blank

And? Maybe it got issued overseas?

Countries don't check the passports of their own citizen in that much detail.

 

[bwana]

That's the usual way to do it but I need to get on the system as leaving SA on my study Visa before it expires, otherwise the Brit passport will be flagged as an overstay

It may be or may not be, and whether or not they can link previous passport numbers with new ones is also a question that could be asked, but at the end of the day it's going to be something you can easily explain should the need arise 20 years down the line.

Either ask Home affairs at the nearest branch or on departure or just leave with your UK. They can't refuse to let you back in to SA seeing as you're a citizen.

Anyway - let us know what happens - I might decide to get citizenship one of these days.

 

[ScottulusMaximus]

Gave the call centre a ring and I have to go into an office to ask what's what cos they didn't have a clue... Will "pop" in next week

 

[ISP cash cow]

They're gonna notice, the passport will be completely blank

Lol that picture made me smile.

I don't think it has much to do with the stamps in your passport, when they run it through their scanner machine at the airport customs is whether it will tell them about the entry and exit of the passport. That is why I say that it may flag it as not being used to leave he country.

I have a british passport of which I have used about ten times already and I don't even have one stamp in it. The stamping is becoming more irrelevant in passports nowadays.

 

[dillinger]

Leave on the SA passport and come back on the SA passport.

I entered SA on a foreign passport, 16 years ago, applied for a SA passport as I had a SA ID. The foreign passport has expired in the meantime and I have not renewed it. No one has ever come to look for me or been stopped at passport control, I go through passport control at least 4 times a year.

 

[Devinity]

@ OP, leave SA on SA passport, enter and exit Zim on Brit passport, re-enter SA on SA passport?

I think that is what most people do who have 2 passports.

Also, don't you have to now apply for dual citizenship now?

 

[ScottulusMaximus]

Goodness, comprehension skills are a rare commodity on this forum it seems...

Anyway, was at HA this morning, I just have to take both passports, tell the immigration guy and he'll log me as leaving on both the study visa and the SA passport. So no issues with an overstay of the visa when it expires and no issues getting back into the country as there will be a record of me leaving an the SA passport.

 

[ScottulusMaximus]

Took both passports, spoke to the lady, she let me out on the Brit and said come back in on the SA.

Man looked a bit bemused that there was nothing in the SA passport, shrugged and stamped me.