Loss of South African Citizenship
Section 6 of the South African Citizenship Act 88 of 1995 deals with the loss of South African Citizenship status and provides that if a South African Citizen, whilst not being a minor, by a voluntary and formal act acquires the citizenship or nationality of a country other than South Africa, they will automatically lose their South African Citizenship status.
The South African Citizenship Act has been amended on a number of occasions, the most recent being December 2010 and it is important to take note that the date of coming into operation of the various amendments may affect advice given in individual cases. It is always a good idea to rather obtain a proper assessment from our office directly. To obtain an assessment, please either complete our assessment questionnaire or send an e-mail providing as much detail as possible to enquiries@immigration.org.za.
There are a few categories that need to be explained in order to determine what the process is that you would or must follow as a result of your acquisition, as a South African Citizen, of a foreign citizenship of future acquisition of a foreign citizenship. These categories are as follows:
- South African citizens who wish to acquire the citizenship of another country and retain their South African citizenship;
- South African citizens who have already acquired their citizenship of another country and wish to resume their South African citizenship – foreign citizenship acquired before October 1995;
- South African citizens who have already acquired their citizenship of another country and wish to resume their South African citizenship – foreign citizenship acquired after October 1995