Lost your passport in South Africa? Breathe. Here’s the way home.
Where your embassy or consulate is in South Africa, the number to call, and what your government asks you to bring for an emergency passport.
Your mission in South Africa
- US: 4 missions, Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban
- UK: 2 missions, Pretoria, Cape Town
- Canadian: Canadian High Commission in Pretoria.
- Australian: Australian High Commission in Pretoria.
- Indian: 4 missions, Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban
- Mexican: Mexican Embassy in Pretoria.
Your mission in South Africa
US Embassy, Pretoria
US Consulate General, Cape Town
US Consulate General, Durban
US Consulate General, Johannesburg
British High Commission, Pretoria
British Consulate General, Cape Town
Indian High Commission, Pretoria
Indian Consulate General, Cape Town
Indian Consulate General, Durban
Indian Consulate General, Johannesburg
Get the right document, first time
Emergency passport
Report it with Form DS-64, then apply in person at a US embassy or consulate on Form DS-11. If you need to travel before a full passport can arrive, ask for a limited-validity emergency passport, valid for up to a year.
Emergency travel document
Apply online for an emergency travel document if you need to travel within 6 weeks. It costs £125, isn’t refunded, and is usually ready to collect 2 working days after you apply.
Emergency passport
Contact the nearest Government of Canada office as soon as you can; if you urgently need to travel, you can apply for an emergency passport there. Replacing a lost or stolen passport that was still valid costs an extra CAN$45 on top of the passport fee.
Emergency passport
Contact the nearest Australian embassy, high commission or consulate, or the 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on +61 2 6261 3305. With a genuine, urgent need to travel you can apply for an emergency passport, valid for up to 12 months.
Emergency Certificate
Report the loss to the local police and the nearest Indian embassy, high commission or consulate at once. To return to India, the mission usually issues an Emergency Certificate after it verifies your nationality and details.
Emergency passport
File a report (acta) with the local police, then go to the Mexican embassy or consulate with proof of nationality and photo ID. Consulates can issue an emergency passport for travellers who must get home; it costs 30% more than an ordinary passport.
Border rules in South Africa
- Passport validity: the safe standard for South Africa is a passport 1 month beyond the day you leave. Entry rules for your passport.
- South Africa visa and travel authorisation: who needs one and the official fee.
Lost it at the airport?
Each airport page shows the nearest mission for your passport and how far it is.
- JNB · Johannesburg
- CPT · Cape Town
- DUR · Durban
- HLA · Johannesburg
- PLZ · Gqeberha
- BFN · Bloemfontein
- ELS · East London
- GRJ · George
- KIM · Kimberley
- MQP · Mbombela
- PTG · Polokwane
- HDS · Hoedspruit
- MBD · Mafeking
- MGH · Margate
- MZQ · Mkuze
- PHW · Phalaborwa
- PZB · Pietermaritzburg
- RCB · Richards Bay
- SIS · Sishen
- SZK · Skukuza
- UTN · Upington
- UTT · Mthatha
Phone stolen with it? You’ll need data to reach the embassy, your airline and your bank. A travel eSIM for South Africa installs in minutes on a replacement phone.
Questions people ask
Where is the US embassy in South Africa?
US Consulate General in Cape Town; US Consulate General in Durban; US Consulate General in Johannesburg; US Embassy in Pretoria. Check the mission’s own site for hours and appointments.
Where is the British embassy in South Africa?
British Consulate General in Cape Town; British High Commission in Pretoria. Check the mission’s own site for hours and appointments.
Where is the Canadian embassy in South Africa?
Canadian High Commission in Pretoria. Check the mission’s own site for hours and appointments.
What’s the emergency number in South Africa?
We haven’t verified South Africa’s emergency numbers yet, so we won’t print one. 112 reaches emergency services across Europe and much of the world from most mobile phones, often with no SIM.
Can I leave South Africa without a passport?
Not on an international journey. Get an emergency passport or travel document from your own embassy or consulate first, and check the exit rules with it.
Can Num get me a new passport?
No. Only your government issues passports. Num finds your mission, the documents to bring and the fastest way to rearrange your trip.
NUM is not a government agency and does not issue passports or travel documents. Only your government can, and its fees are paid to it directly. Embassy and consulate locations come from the governments’ own office lists where we have them, and from public data (Wikidata, Wikipedia’s lists of diplomatic missions, the UK Foreign Office’s list of posts, and © OpenStreetMap contributors under the ODbL); confirm opening hours and appointments on the mission’s own site. Steps checked on government pages, 6 Nov 2026.