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Home Affairs Launches Portal to Reinstate Citizenship After Court Ruling

The new online tool implements a Constitutional Court decision restoring citizenship to people stripped of it since 1995.

Overview

  • Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber announced the live Citizenship Reinstatement Portal on 24 November 2025.
  • The system operationalizes the May 6 Constitutional Court judgment that struck down Section 6(1)(a) and deems affected individuals never to have lost citizenship.
  • Users, especially those abroad, can register at myhomeaffairsonline.dha.gov.za to check status by ID number and complete any required reinstatement steps.
  • The platform integrates with the National Population Register and uses secure authentication, advanced document checks, and biometric verification including facial recognition and machine learning.
  • The department says the technology foundation may support a future Digital ID and broader digital public services.