Pretoria: Home Affairs Minister Dr. Leon Schreiber announced the launch of the new Home Affairs Citizenship Reinstatement Portal, marking a significant advancement in the department's digital transformation efforts to benefit all South Africans.

According to South African Government News Agency, the announcement follows a Constitutional Court judgment from May 6, 2025, in the case of Democratic Alliance v Minister of Home Affairs. The court declared Section 6(1)(a) of the South African Citizenship Act, 1995, unconstitutional. This section previously led to the automatic loss of South African citizenship for individuals acquiring another nationality without prior ministerial consent.

The judgment, effective immediately, confirmed an earlier Supreme Court of Appeal decision, reinstating citizenship to those affected since October 6, 1995. The Court found it unconstitutional to strip citizens of their nationality without sufficient cause, affirming that affected individuals are now deemed never to have lost their citizenship.

To implement the court ruling, the Department of Home Affairs created the Citizenship Reinstatement Portal, assisting affected South Africans, especially those abroad, in verifying and confirming their status. The portal facilitates necessary steps for the department to administratively process their citizenship.

The process involves no queues or paperwork, utilizing facial recognition and machine learning to verify identity and update records on the population register from anywhere in the world. This compliance with the Constitutional Court order places Home Affairs at the forefront of biometric verification and machine learning technology globally.

The portal offers secure digital authentication, advanced document and biometric verification, integration with the National Population Register, and a user-friendly interface for tracking application progress.

South Africans abroad can access the portal by visiting myhomeaffairsonline.dha.gov.za. After profile creation and email confirmation, users can verify their citizenship status using their ID number, complete biometric verification, and, if necessary, proceed with a reinstatement application. Valid citizenship is confirmed immediately, and those affected by the invalidated Section 6(1)(a) are guided through a process to confirm details and submit their reinstatement.

Dr. Schreiber emphasized that Home Affairs is pioneering a digital service delivery revolution, transforming South Africa into a leader in smart government to enhance dignity for all citizens.