I was abandoned by my parents, and don't have an ID or proof of birth documents. How can I apply for an ID on my own?

The long answer

If you were born in a hospital, you can go to that hospital and apply for a duplicate clinic card. You would need to make a certified affidavit saying that you don’t know where the clinic card is, as you have been abandoned by your parents. You would have to give your mother’s first name and surname and your own first name and surname that would have been on the card. (The new version of the clinic card is now called The Road-to-Health card and is a 48-page booklet.) 

You can ask the clinic to find your folder and issue a new clinic card or booklet. They will transfer the information from your folder into a new booklet, clearly marked as a duplicate.

If your birth was registered by your parents, under the Births and Deaths Registration Act, you would be able to get a copy of your birth certificate from Home Affairs. You need a birth certificate to get your ID.

But if your birth was not registered, you would need to go through a process called Late Registration of Birth (LRB). This is a long and often difficult process involving an interview with Home Affairs (DHA). After the interview with the screening committee, your application will be forwarded to the Head Office of Home Affairs for approval. 

It can take a long time to get your appointment for the LRB interview, as Home Affairs has a huge backlog of LRB applications. You would need to provide the following documents (all the forms are available at Home Affairs (DHA) offices):

• Application for an ID (Form B1-9);

• DHA 24/LRB (notice of birth);

• Children born at health facilities: DHA 24/PB (Proof of birth) 

• Supporting documentation like your clinic card. If you have a baptismal certificate and school records (school reports and registers), that will also help support your application.

• DHA 288

• Your biometrics (ID-size photo and fingerprints);

• Fingerprints of parent/s;

• Certified copy of ID/Passport/asylum permit of parent/s.

• Certified copy of ID of next of kin

Even though you may not be able to provide all these documents, your application must still be accepted and considered by Home Affairs in terms of the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act of 2000 (PAJA). The Constitution says that all administrative action by the state must be procedurally fair, just and reasonable. The PAJA is the law that gives effect to this constitutional right. This means that Home Affairs has a constitutional responsibility to treat you in a fair, just and reasonable way. 

So, if you can’t get a copy of your birth certificate because your birth was not registered, you should start by getting a copy of the clinic card and collecting all the documents you have to support your LRB application.  

If you find that Home Affairs is unwilling to help you, you are entitled to request written reasons for the refusal and to submit a written complaint to the manager of the relevant local office or to the Head Office.

You could also approach the Black Sash, which gives free paralegal advice and has a lot of experience with Home Affairs. Here are their contact details:

• The Black Sash 

Email: help@blacksash.org.za and info@blacksash.org.za

Tel (national office): 021 686 6952

Helpline: 072 66 33 73 or 072 633 3739 or 063 610 1865.

Wishing you the best,
Athalie