Fingerprinting for South African documents including passports
Fingerprinting for South African documents.
South African fingerprinting services are now offer in Auckland.
The South African Identification Act and the South African Passport and Documents Act, 1994 (Act No. 4 of 1994)clearly describes that in foreign countries, only the South African High Commission staff may take the fingerprints and do the identification and certification of applicants and their photographs.
Tips on getting a quality set of fingerprints
Dry skin, worn down or rough skin (generally due to occupation) sweaty hands and other skin conditions can make it difficult for us to get to the level of quality that is acceptable.
- If your hands are dry or rough we recommend that you use a good quality moisturiser for at least a few days prior to having your prints taken and also minimise your contact with detergents and other chemicals like harsh soaps and cleaning products. Also avoid using hand sanitisers and similar products that contain alcohol.
- We recommend staying well hydrated prior to coming in to have your prints taken this helps to plump out the skin.
- It is recommended that before you come in, you should thoroughly clean your hands by washing them using a mild detergent and patting them dry or air drying them. If you have dry or rough hands apply a moisturiser. If you have sweaty hands use an alcohol based hand sanitiser.
- For eczema, psoriasis or other skin conditions it is likely that you will have recommendations from your health care professional. Use your prescribed treatment as directed.
Fingerprinting for South Africa documents
- We can provide fingerprinting services for South Africa enabling documents e.g. passports (permanent or temporary), identity documents.
- We can provide fingerprinting services for South African documents that are non-enabling documents such as: police checks, visa applications, work permits and extensions to stay.
Why are we required to perform the fingerprinting for your South African documents?
These documents are usually issued specifically to the applicant from South Africa and typically have a unique barcode. This is because South Africa legislation dictates that in foreign countries, only the South African High Commission staff do the identification of applicants and the certification on applications and accompanying photographs.
Please note that your application can be rejected for reasons other than non-compliant fingerprinting. We take no responsibility for these rejections.
The BI-9 Fingerprint Form will be available at the High Commission in Wellington when fingerprints are taken for passport documents. This is the only place available in New Zealand for such a service.
Whilst we have continually offered to provide this fingerprinting service in Auckland, a decision has not been made on this matter.
If you would like to be informed should this change in the near future, please leave us your name and email address in the form below. We will keep you updated as soon as this information is available.