IMPORTANT NOTE:

Passports are not renewable. If your passport is due to expire you have to apply for a new passport.
The processing of passports is done by the Department of Home Affairs in South Africa. However, all applications must still be submitted or forwarded to your nearest South African Mission.
To ensure that applicants receive their passports on time, they are advised to apply at least six months prior to their intended date of departure or date of expiry of passports. It takes 6 months to process a new South African passport. The High Commission does not have any influence on expediting of the processing of passport applications. . South Africans are required to keep their passports valid at all times even if not travelling.
Adult South African citizens holding dual citizenship must enter or depart South Africa making use of a South African passport only.

Regular South African Passports
Regular South African passports are issued to South African applicants who are 16 years old and older. They are valid for 10 years and are not renewable. When South African passports expire, new passport applications will have to be filed.

Requirements:

BI 73 – Passport Application form; with signature and left thumb print. Section B to be certified by an official who will take your left thumbprint. You have to sign section 'signature of the applicant' in the middle of the signature box.
BI 9 form – Full set of fingerprints. This form must be submitted by applicants 16 years old and above. Fingerprints can be taken at the nearest police station, fingerprints taking centers This form is not downloadable. Please send a self-addressed stamped envelope with a request for BI-9 to receive this form. Please note that BI-9 is A-4 (30x21cms) size form, which may not be folded. Your stamped envelope should be the same size. Requests submittted with no envelope or a wrong size envelope will be unattended. BI-9 is used as a fingerprinting form for a full set of fingerprints as part of your passport application. If you need to apply for an ID book you have to complete another BI-9 (please see the requirements for ID book, which are listed below).
BI 529 – Determination of citizenship;
Divorce decree. To be submitted by divorced female applicants who wish to assume new surnames;
Certified copy of marriage certificate. To be submitted by married women irrespective of whether they will or will not change their surname;
Written request to change surname. To be submitted by recently married female applicants who would like:

1) their surnames to be changed accordingly,
2) to retain their maiden surnames, or
3) wish to use double–barrel surnames;

Certified copy of South African ID book or birth certificate;
Certified copy of exemption certificate in terms of section 6(2) of the South African Citizenship Act, 1995. To be submitted by applicants with dual citizenship;
Notarized certificate of naturalization. To be submitted by applicants who are naturalized South Africans.
Loss of Passport Report and Police Report for Loss of Passport. To be submitted by applicants who lost their passports and are applying for a new passport; Please note that in this case passport fee is double
Three passport size photos which must comply with the description below
Current passport or a certified copy of its front page
Money order for C $ 32 made payable to the South African High Commission
Express post/ Priority Canada Post self-addressed envelope (other courier services cannot be used)

Photographs

See this poster (Click here)

The photographs must be:

three identical colour photos for passports
two identical colour or black and white photos for IDs
not more than one (1) month old
35mm in width and 45mm in height
a close-up of your head and top of your shoulders so that your face takes up 70 � 80% of the photograph
of high quality with no ink marks or creases and not damaged
show you looking directly at the camera
have appropriate brightness and contrast
be printed on high-quality photo paper
show your natural colour
show your eyes open and clearly visible - no hair across your face
show you facing square onto the camera, not looking over one shoulder (portrait style) or tilted
show both edges of your face clearly
be taken with a light grey or plain cream-coloured background
be taken with uniform lighting and not show shadows or flash reflections on your face and no red-eye
show you alone (no chair backs, toys or other people visible)

The Director-General may reject the copies of the photographs if they do not, in his or her judgment, comply with the requirements mentioned above, or if he or she deem them unsuitable in other respects, in which case the person concerned shall provide two new copies at his or her own cost.

Maxi Passports

Maxi passports are issued to applicants who are 16 years old and above. Maxi passports are 48-page documents meant for frequent travelers. They are the same as regular passports (valid for 10 years) except that they contain double number of pages to provide for more visa pages.

Requirements for MAXI passports (see the requirements for regular passports). Fee for a MAXI passport is C $ 64.

Temporary Passports

Temporary passports, valid for one year, are issued to applicants who need to travel urgently while their permanent passports are being processed. Applicants for temporary passports must also apply for permanent passports. Temporary passport may not be issued without application for a regular passport.

Please be advised that temporary passports are not accepted by some countries even if you travel in transit (UK, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Holland and Canada). It is the responsibility of the traveller to inquire with the countries to be visited before applying for a temporary passport. The Embassy/Consulate accepts no liability in this regard.

Requirements

BI 73 Form – passport application form
See Photographs above. Two (2) photos are required.
Money order for C $ 19 (adults)/ C $ 16 (children)
Express post Canada Post self-addressed envelope

Child passports

Child passports are issued to children who are fifteen years and below. These passports are not renewable. On their expiry, new passport applications will have to be filed.

Requirements

BI 73 Passport Application Form. The passport application form has to be signed by the parents of the child concerned.
BI 529 – Determination of citizenship;
Notarized Copy of South African Birth certificate;
Current child’s passport or a certified copy of its front page
Letter of permission to issue a passport. To be submitted in cases when parents of the child concerned are divorced and only one has physical custody. The parent not having custody but allowed by the court to have access to the child can provide the requested letter of permission. In terms of South African passport regulations, the parent who has sole custody and guardianship can sign passport applications of their children on their own.
See Photographs above. Two (2) photos are required.
Money order for C $ 24 payable to the South African High Commission
Express post Canada Post self-addressed envelope

IDENTITY DOCUMENT

Requirements:

Form BI-9, Application for ID document with a full set of fingerprints on the reverse side (This form must be submitted by applicants 16 years old and above. Fingerprints can be taken at the nearest police station, fingerprints taking centers; The form is not downloadable. Please send a self-addressed stamped envelope A-4 size with a request for BI-9 to receive this form.)
BI 529 – Determination of citizenship
See Photographs above. Two (2) photos are required. .
Certified copy of applicant's old ID Book or birth certificate
Copy of Marriage Certificate, Divorce Decree or Spouse's Death Certificate, if applicable.
Money order for C $ 3 (not applicable in case of a first application)
Express post Canada Post self-addressed envelope

YOU SHOULD SUBMIT YOUR COMPLETED APPLICATION FORMS TO

South African High Commission

15 Sussex Drive

Ottawa, ON

K1M 1M8