This question is purely out of interest and doesn't apply to me in the present (but may apply to me in the future). I'm not even sure if someone there will be able to answer this.
South Africans need a VISA to visit Canada. Also, South Africans with dual citizenship must leave and enter South Africa on their South African passport. Does this mean that a Canadian with a South African and Canadian passport will need to get a VISA to travel to Canada? The same question can be applied to an American in the same situation as South Africans need a VISA to visit the US.
Does that even make sense?
I would be very upset if I end up with a South African passport in a few years and have to get a VISA just to go home to see my family.
Thanks everyone!!
From what I understand, you will need to use your SA Passport for South Africa but if you have a Canadian passport you do NOT need a visa to enter Canada. The same applies to the US as far as I know. Just make sure you mainain your Canadian Passport and citizenship. From what I recall SA does not just allow you to keep dual citizenship. Canada doesn't mind. IN SA, you used to be able to apply to keep both citizenships but my Dad applied a few years ago and was told that he had to give up his British citizenship.
Can't say anything about Canada, but if you are a US citizen, you enter under your US passport, without a visa. Contrary to rumor, the US does recognize dual citizen ship, but you are required to enter using your US passport.
SA does allow dual citizenship--"a South African citizen, who has dual citizenship or nationality, can freely use his or her foreign passport outside South Africa. However, they must use their South African passport to depart from or enter South Africa." However-- "A South African citizen who by a formal and voluntary act acquires the citizenship of another country, automatically loses his or her South African citizenship.
Retention of South African citizenship may, however, be applied for, but must be done and be approved before acquisition of the other citizenship to prevent automatic loss of the South African citizenship. "
Quotes are taken from South African Citizenship from the SA Dept. of Home Affairs.
I was just reading the above quotes on the Home Affairs Website. It must suck for South Africans to have to apply to keep their citizenship if they wish to have dual citizenship.
I will never ever give up my Canadian citizenship. I'd rather be a perm res forever than give it up anywhere. Canada doesn't have free health care for nothing!!!
Do any Canadians in South Africa have any actual experiences with this?
I visited South Africa for the first time since 1984 this last Dec. When I left in 1977 I gave up my Citizenship. Because of these new rules as #2 mentions, I decided to re-apply for citizenship and a passport. Except for the long wait (Almost 9 months) there were no problems. I left the USA showing my USA passport. When I arrived in SA I went thru the citizens lane with my new SA passport, no one even gave me a second glance. When we checked in to leave the SAA clerk wanted to see my American passport to make sure I would not be denied entry into the US. Then at Passport control in JHB I showed them my SA passport. Again no one looked at it for more than 20 seconds. On the plane I put it away and entered the US on my US passport. I'm sure that as a Canadian it would be the same, once you are out of Canada it is your business what passport you use.
No RianSA it doesn't really suck that much to apply to retain SA citizenship, husband had to do it - it is just a case that you are supposed to do this before you submit a naturalisation application with a different country..... you know what these systems are like!!
and yes husband left uk with his uk passport and entered with his SA passport - see in britain you don't get stamped in and out but in sa you do.
one of our friends is portuguese south african and he first had a portuguese passport before an SA one - he was once told by SA home affairs that he was only allowed to travel in portugal on that passport - yeah right !!!! what a loada crap
don't worry 'bout it now - it takes 2 years to process Permanent Residence from the date of the interview and the another 2 years on that permit before you can apply for citizenship (last time i looked) and by then they will have probably change the law again
in fact my aunt in law never bothered getting SA citizenship and has only her mauritian passport and has been here for 40 years.
If you become a permanent resident in South Africa you can have a South African ID book but you will keep your original passport.
The downside is if you are a permanent resident not a citizen you can’t vote.
My guess is the ANC will be in power until I am 140 years old whether I vote or not, so I am quite happy to be a resident not a citizen.
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I've been thinking about the whole perm res thing rather than citizenship - as voting doesn't really phase me. It should phase me, but it doesn't. I'm still too concerned with having the ability to vote out Stephen Harper in the next election back home.
I thought about this subject some more and your all right, I can probably enter Canada on my Canadian passport and leave SA on my hypothetical SA one.
But MissAlaska has a valid point. By the time this really becomes an issue for me, all the rules will have probably changed anyway!!!! (I'm here on a temp res - study permit - and don't plan on applying for perm res until 2008 sometime....so really were talking after the world cup before this becomes a real issue for me!)
Thanks so much for everyones input. Thanks for indulging in my hypothetical crisis!!!
still be interesting to hear from any Canadians in this situation tho!? (those same canadians - is the consulate doing anything here on Canada Day? They didn't two years ago when I was here...)
If you want permanent residence by 2011 apply now, mine took 3 years to obtain.
Home Affairs offices are awful places there were many times when I wondered if it was worth the bother and perhaps I should just go home.
Very glad I did decide to stay.
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