Went to get my passport renewed. I got there at 04:30 and was number 57 in the queue. I only left at 16:00. Having said that, this was, unfortunately, to be expected and Im giving 4 stars because the staff are genuinely decent. From what I saw and how I was handled, they did the best they could despite an atrocious system that went down often and was just slow in general. Im also very impressed that a staff member (Im not sure who) had gone out of his way to hand out tickets at 05:00 in the morning and then explained to everyone who was waiting what was needed and roughly how long we would be there for. The staff handled themselves well despite receiving grief from a lot of the people there. Big thanks to them for making this trashy experience a bit more bearable.

First time at this branch and it was… pleasant, believe it or not.Came here to reprint a birth certificate and the queues were categorised by service.Our queue moved slow but eventually, I was assisted.The security personnel were well-informed and helpful. They even assisted a woman who’d been in the queue for quite a while without the necessary documents for her unique case.Overall, I was pleased with the service I received at this Home Affairs department.If you expect to be in and out within the hour, you will have the worst day ever. So, clear your schedule for the day and practice patience.Most importantly, ask for help as soon as you get there and make sure you’ve been handed a ticket number. Without this, you’ll probably not be assisted.

Very poor system... Ive been waiting over 7 hours...they need to work on a better 1st come 1st serve system.. Not picking out people for whatever they are there for and then making others wait even though they had arrived 1st... I am extremely disappointed with the service.

What a great office is Wynberg. The Head of the Office listened to my concern and acted positively and decisively. What a pleasure. Well done DHA.

Slightly chaotic but pleasant staff who are helpful. Expect to wait a loooong time. Arrive at 05h00 to be one of the first in queue. They prioritize first time ID for learners so youll wait for them before you can apply for passports or other services. Office opens 08h30 but staff start getting you ready around 06h30.

If youre thinking about renewing a passport here, rather try a different branch. Queuing up from 4am does absolutely nothing for you as they prioritise other people/certain applications first.

We got there around 08:30, to apply for a replacement ID. There was a queue of probably about 300 people. My wife went to the back of the queue, and I went to the front to go and make sure that we were in the right queue. At the front there was a security guard, who I asked if she knew if this was the right queue for foreign nationals with permanent residence, to apply for new IDs. She then told me that they were already full, and that no more tickets would be issued today. She told me that we should come back tomorrow at 06:00 in the morning to start queueing. Is this seriously the 21st century? Is this what we pay tax for? Can they not have an on-line booking system that can give people an estimated time to arrive and be expected to be served within a reasonable time?

The staff simply dont have common sense. For one example, I was asked where I was born, to which I replied here in Capetown and she said that I need to be born in South Africa 😐

It is currently impossible to renew your passport here unless you arrive at 4 am. No I am not joking, this is a fact. 2 years ago I would have given them a 4. Good Luck!

Have a look at the system..why can only a certain amount of ppl be help. Or is it per department. This is unacceptable. Look at ways to improve the system as it clearly isnt working.

The lines are way too long and you wait in the lines whole day

10:30am and theyve given out all of their tickets. They called number 50 when I arrived, was maybe another 50 people in the various queues.Can Home Affairs Head Office really only serve 100 people per day?If they have a ticketing system, why cant they publish that online to check how busy a branch is?

Pretty much dysfunctional unless youre disabled (see other reviews). If you arrive after 7am they say you wont get in at all, they suggest no later than 6am. So dont go there. Rather live without a ID and dont travel anywhere else.

To my surprise the security and staff were extremely polite and friendly, they offered prompt assistance to the elderly and disabled as well as offered additional assistance with completing of forms on behalf of the customer. The staff at the birth certificate and information desk really Impressed me with their customer service. All this while a few staff members was reported to be sitting in the back room not wanting to work those who were on the floor working was doing all they could to make the time spent at the office as short as possible.. Cant believe all the nigative reviews as it gave a bad impression of the office but a pleasent surprise to find this office was exceptional. +5 starts for birth certificate and information desk staff this morning.

What an efficient, quick and professional DOH!

When is the best day to go to Home Affairs Wynberg for a reprint of birth certificate?

0530 and about 50th in the queue. Street lights are out and so all standing in the pitch black. Lights not HA fault but crazy you need to be here this early to get served.

Queuing for hours for an unabridged certificate. New birth registrations and Temporary IDs take preference even if you make the effort to queue early, the aforementioned will be pulled out of the queue first to be attended to.

Worst place to phone, they dont answer there phones

Would have given 0 stars however that is not an option .Worst service ever

Efficient, fast and extremely pleasant staff. Passport application took 30 minutes, including the waiting period. Unbelievably positive experience - wow

It doesnt make sense to have the ability to apply and pay online and then to have to sit in a queue.You have to do better than this. I am still sitting here and havent even made it to he door. I have my 3 year old son with and this is becoming a nightmare of tears and frustration. We entered the Wynberg Mall at 08:00am and we left the home affairs office at 16:40. Is this the best you can do?

I am thinking of going to this branch.But something tells me I had better pack lunch and super for the great wait

Great help and assistance especially for my elderly parents. Mr Andrews provides excellent service too! Spent under an hour there. Great efficient service!

Very poor service .the waiting on birth marriage and death certificate you , up to 2 hours for a print out .where the queue in the parking area goes quick

All good considering. The staff are helpful and cheerful which makes a horrible task easier

Suppose to be open till 3.30 pm but they only renew ids until 12 or 1 pm i think. Dont answer the phones cause i tried phoning first so it was a waste of time and petrol

Would prefer to have even rated one *.Already been here for 6 hours. It is embarrassing how badly this department is run. Since they opened only 3 counters have been occupied. I would imagine that if Gigaba wasnt in bed with zuma, home affairs could afford to employ more people.To renew a UK passport you do online and it gets posted to you. Big difference in a 1st world country.

Best service ever. Went to get an unabridged birthday certificate. Got it in less than 20 minutes.

Wish there was an option to put 0 stars. How can the minister of home affairs visit places like this and think that he is doing a Good Job. Staff don’t even know much and they all on lunch. Then they say that there are no more numbers for the day and that no more people can wait in the QUE when it is only 12 o’clock .... EXTREMELY USELESS. what is the point of home affairs when nothing gets done !!!!

The worst service. Fails to a answer calls.

The absolute WORST branch EVER!!

Cant say its the worst,all of them are bad so I wont blab about the horrible experience I had today, all I will say is, Home Affairs should be privatized and i will guarantee you well get better service.

We had to wait very long +-4 hours in the parking lot with no chairs to get an ID photo taken.Update: 1 month later I came to pick the Smart card up at 10 am. Its now 2:14 pm and I just got to the office where they give the ID after waiting in the line. The chairs are slippery and there are holes in the roof. Also the place is clearly understaffed with little social distancing

Absolutely worst experience. Came in the other day and the security said they only give out 40 tickets for newborn birth certificates per day. Arrived early this morning, waited in the queue for hours. Then the security hands out tickets and then to be sent away. Were is the compassion and sympathy for mothers with their newborn babies waiting in long queues early in the morning. Preference should be given to mothers and babies. Totally unacceptable during the pandemic. There should be a much simpler way in which parents can get the birth certificate for their newborns, like the online smart ID cards.

Taking in account the masses of people that comes to Wynberg Home Affairs daily I would like to compliment the staff, from the security, counter staff, ladies taking photos as well as management for being efficient, friendly and patient whilst they are short staffed to be dealing with so many people! I salute you for doing the best you can under tremendous pressure.

Incredibly incompetent place that only processes 100 IDs or passports a day

The staff is very friendly and helpfull but the lines take for ever. It took us 4 hours of waiting in line for 20min of applications. If you are thhere before 6 you wait outside at kfc. After 6 you have to wait in the level 2 parking befor they come to fetch you. Weird systems but it is very effective if you are early. Calls are pointless. Just show up early. There was a line of people 05:20. So be early

Ive been phoning every day for the past few weeks but nobody ever answers the phone. It ringsfor hours and hours!!!

The que system is better now compared to the old wynberg home affairs. however you will find out of 4 application desks there are only 2 agents doing applications. and of 4 collection desks only 1 agent . this is on a normal working day.I am currently sitting for collection and out of 4 collection desks theres 0 persons to hand in my passport.after applications you can expect to receive your new id card in 8 days . for passport I waited 10 days to receive sms to collect. so this is a plus!conclusion:applications:expect to wait 4 to 5 hours ... even though the que system is better the problem lies in the available consultants. do come before offices open to get your ticket to skip line.collection: well there is no one at collection desks to hand in a handful of peoples passports and ids.. update: 2 hours wait. staff are friendly.though

This Wynberg branch has really improved its, system from a couple of years ago.We have been twice in the last month : once for registering a birth/unabridged cert application and once to renew our sons passport.Both times they had a systematic queue system, which is clearly sign posted for the different services so that you are at least not lumped into the same queue!Staff were very helpful and friendly both times! For the passport we arrived at 1pm and were out-all done in 30 mins!For the birth cert we were there for 3 hrs, but it was more to do with the big amount of paperwork related to the application which a staff member diligently checked for us-so a very good service compared to what it used to be!!!!

While my times at Home Affairs Wynberg have not always been the best, I must take a moment to commend Mr. Nazeem Andrews. He has been the most helpful and efficient Home Affairs officer I have ever had the pleasure of dealing with. When this lockdown is over I must say, please, somebody buy this man a Bells!

I found the Wynberg Home Affairs staff professional and friendly. My husband,my daughter and myself were all applying for our Smart ID cards and we were done in just under 3 hours and the cards were ready in 2 weeks!!!!! Amazing. Thanks to the staff for the good work.

Its the worst, we got there with my wife at 05:30 am and left at past 4pm, I guess for you to leave early you have to get there at 01:00 am.

Couldnt be worse. 6 hours of waiting and still not inside to be served :-(

I applied online for an ID and a passport. I went in on a Wednesday afternoon at 2 to complete the biometrics. The staff were friendly and efficient. We were done in an hour. I received and email and a SMS after 1 week starting that both documents were ready. I went in on a Wednesday afternoon at 2:30 pm. We only spent 20 minutes at the offices on the day of collection. Well done on the excellent and speedy service rendered by your office!

What an absolute joke! Three days of standing in a queue, three days of the system is down. This is the result of BEE tenders for government IT contracts, completely useless. A stark reminder of how far below mediocrity South Africa has fallen.

NEGATIVE 5NO ONE EVEN ANSWERS THE TELEPHPNE

Tried calling the office from the time they open to 2h45 and every time I call the number just rings. I thought let me contact the office manager as I surely would get assisted with my question and his number also just rings. How can a person get help when nobody at the wynberg office can pick up the phone. I just needed some basic information before going to Home Affairs offices and waiting valuable time.

Excellent service received from the Wynberg office. I applied for both a Maxi Passport and a Smart I.D. and was in and out within two hours. Great service! Thank you! My passport and I.D. was ready for collection after 2 short weeks, I went straight to the door where I was issued with a number and was served and handed my document within 5 minutes. It was an absolute pleasure, Wynberg. Keep up the good work! :D

Good Service clean and cool

Okay there was a long almost 5 hr wait because their system was slow then down for approximately 2 hrs today, but once up and running again the service was fast and excellent. I must commend the efficiency of the new ticket system (new since I was there 10 years ago) as well as the friendly staff at this branch. Much better than Dept. of Labour Cape Town! They should take a leaf out of this govt departments book! 😊👍 They even worked after hours to assist those who managed to get inside before 15h30.I just want to add, dont bother with the online registration process unless you are planning to do the biometrics etc at your bank, as offered by Standard and FNB... not sure of other banks. If you go to Home Affairs, expect a similar wait as there is no fast-track queue for those whove pre-applied online. Though you do miss the quick queue for the cashier.

Western Cape can include banks aswell to help with Id and passport , rows to long , chaos. Please improve

The quality of service here has improved massively over the years. I used to joke about Home Affairs and how terrible the service was.I was pleasantly surprised recently, when I went to renew my ID and Passport.I applied for both on the 3rd of December. The process was very efficient. It is all paperless now and you don’t have to bring photos anymore as they take them there.The ID was ready on the 10th and the Passport on the 18th. To me that is excellent service!

I was at home affairs today and had to wait in the basement parking before finally being allowed to go into the actual home affairs. Had to wait for about 7 hours - I got there at 7.30am and only left around 3.30pm.

Non Compliant when it comes to answering calls !!!

I was turned away from Wynberg Home Affairs before 10am as they had reached their quota for the day. What is the point of registering online to apply for a passport if you cant get through the door. Surely they need to employ more staff or the staff need to work more efficiently?

Be prepared to spend approximately three quarters of your day here.Arrived at 06:30am. Got a ticket and stood in line.Did not know the last Wednesday of each month they only open at 9am due to their internal meeting.Got into the inside queue at approx 10am where you are given your final ticket number.Communication from 9am to people in the line was much better.For passports and IDs you take photos first, then do the application then pay.Each process took approximately 1.5 hours.Charge your phone. Bring snacks and water if you have kids.COLLECTION: arrived 2pm the afternoon. Took 15 minutes to collect passports and ID card. Lightning fast compared to the application process. Added a star for that.

We processed an on-line application for the new Smart ID and maxi passports. We arrived at 6.30 processed speedy photos and finger prints and had to wait for everyone in front of us to do the manual electronic applications which at 11.30 it was our turn which we did in 3 minutes as all our detail was already on the system...........now my humble request is.. have a fast track que for all those that have processed on-line applications or insist that all new application be done on line....????

Very badly managed queuing. No signage or explanation of the procedures. Go very early or try another branch

Phoned DHA Wynberg on 11 May 2020to enquire about replacement of ID document.Yes, somebody answered the phone.!! I was told no ID card was being issued during lockdown, but that I could get a temporary ID CertificateThis morning at 06:30 I was in the queue. Number 5. At about 07:45 a consultant appeared and explained services being offered.Guess what? No temporary ID until lockdown level 1.Yet according to DHA Web pages and their Facebook account, these certificates were being issued during level 4!!And now nobody answers the phone.

DHA Wynberg services are the worst ever. Standing outside in the que since 7am this morning,no numbers handed out, Im probably number 15 in the que only for them to tell us 4 Hours later that they offline! Unacceptable!!!

I expected the worst as I read the reviews before actually going. The ID and passport queue were long and by the time I arrived just after 9:15 their quota for the day had been filled which is expected as this branch services a large area so word of advice, arrive VERY early. The births and deaths queue went reasonably quickly considering the amount of people. The home affairs official, Ishmael Bonga is very helpful and knowledgeable and I was pleased with their service even though everyone else was complaining as their systems were intermittently down. I was out by 10:40 with certificate in hand.

Went at 11am to pick up my number in the queue. Returned at 2pm, was sent straight in, and left within an hour and a half. Fairly painless experience. Staff was friendly, seating comfortable, the system seems to operate smoothly. I waited longer in the queue at Table Mountain Cable Way the day before, where I had to stand in the queue... (Curious that no-one complains of gross-incompetence at the Cable Way...)

The guy that assist outside of home Affairs Wynberg ,totally need a attitude adjustment .

The rules change everyday during lockdown,the stuff does not care to explain way so you just have to wake up early and hope for the best

I arrived at Home Affairs, Wynberg, at 10:20 this morning to renew my Passport. I also applied for my Smart ID card, as advised by a very friendly gentleman in the queue. I was not aware that I could apply at the same time. The whole process went very quickly and efficiently and I left exactly ONE HOUR later! All the staff were very friendly and helpful. I specifically chose the 21st of the month, knowing that it was a few days before pay day for most people and this definitely helped to shorten the queue.

This is the worst place to apply for anything!! Constantly offline and experiencing IT problems. Spent 7hours applying for new smart card and 3 hours to collect my smart card. Office manager Nazeem Andrews u are of no assistance to this office.!! The worst service ever

I went to Wynberg Home Affairs on 2nd Jan 2019 and although it took about 6 hours to complete my application, I would like to send a shout out to the staff. They were remarkable! Well done to all - you were professional, helpful and courteous at all times. Thank you .

Impressed with the friendliness, efficiency and helpfulness of the staff. There has been such great improvement, thanks home affairs!

How to:Wait outside KFC main road (5:00)Get taken to the basement parking (6:30)Wait for tickets (7:30)Small groups taken up to offices to get processes (8:00)

We were impressed. We got there at 7:00, 1 hour early. The doors opened promptly at 8:00 and we were out by 10:00. Everyone we dealt with was friendly and helpful. The systems were modern and efficient. Yes the queues are long - it is what it is - just get there early and you will be fine. Now we wait on Pretoria to process the documents...

Terrible! Absolute worst

A pleasant, if long, affair today! I find if you approach the staff politely, they reciprocate. As I joked to the lady in the queue behind me, we are all in this together. Premises clean and airy. All counters open. Will see how long it takes for my smart ID to be made. Keep it up, Wynberg staff! I appreciate your assistance and professionalism.Update: Since I posted this, I received notification four working days after my application for my ID card that it was ready for collection! Wow, Wynberg, you guys rock! Cheerful staff again and painless collection process. Thank you Wynberg Home Affairs!

Its not amazing, but it works smooth if you come prepared. Many people dont like Home Affairs not because of the services but because they cannot comprehend that they have to wait sometimes. There are 50 million people in SA and sometimes you just have to wait because other people are there getting stuff too.

Was at Home Affairs, Wynberg on 7 May 2019. One hour, 20 minutes and all was done. I went there at 17h00 in the afternoon, as they stay open until 19h00 to accommodate the public prior to the elections. Friendly staff, very helpful and well organised. Thank you.

Pleasantly surprised at the cleanliness and efficient service I received.I was expecting to be at Home Affairs for hours, and ended up being a total of an hour and 15 minutes. Got there at 7:45am before opening at 8. Someone explained clearly the procedure to us, and although the line was long, it moved quickly. I was out by 9!Instructions were clear and staff were friendly. I did apply online for my passport, but decided to do my card ID application too when I was there. If I had paid online for that as well I couldve been even quicker by skipping the queue to pay. So seriously, do the online application and payment to save more time if its possible.My only gripe is that my new passport photo still looks terrible. That may just be a problem with my face, however...

I stood in the queue from 07h30 this morning, along with about 250 others. I was told that pensioners were only prioritised on Tuesdays, so I was not able to sit down, except on the floor! At 08h30 we were told that the offices were only opening at 09h00, instead of 08h00, as it was the last Wednesday of the month. It appeared that the staff were all in a meeting!!! Where does this appear on the website? I see the Home Affairs motto is We care! - thats not the impression I got today

Firstly understand that seems like only people with google accounts can review.Took 4 hours waiting for passport and ID renewal, BUT, I don’t mind too much IF it is organized and you know what is going on and not just sitting there with your thumb up your preverbial.Once I the door you get a number and this number is called out( strangely in an American accent) and put up on a TV screen that tells you where or what station to go too. Follows this process all the way through to paying.Took one hour when I collected and about two weeks for the whole process. MUCH better than anticipated.Take some water snacks and a full charge on your phone. Clean bathrooms available in the office.Staff where polite and friendly. Well done Home Affairs!!

Be prepared to spend some time there for passport/ID application, that said, staff were organized with the queuing system and helpful once you get served. You do need to arrive early, from 5.30am to be near the front of the queue. Popped in just before they closed on Friday afternoon to pick up Smart ID and passport and I was out within 30mins

What a painless experience. I applied for a passport online, visited the branch for bio-metrics, and was out of there before I knew it! This branch has capable staff who try their best to make the process as quick and easy as possible for everyone.

The queuing was a bit if a shock to the system, as the wait was long, alas hours, but the staff did their best to work through all the processes and fit, all of those inside the office to finish. A glitch with the shut down of systems at closing time meant cash payments were quicker. The staff worked overtime to help. A cash machine was nearby too. Not a delightful experience but it was made better by all the applicants and the staff keeping humour and being kindly. I trust the process time and collection will be better. A day amongst people, great patience and definite endurance but done and dusted. Might be a good idea to queue in shifts, alternating with a family member, do some shopping, have a coffee or a snack etc. For those that have never been, parking is available in the mall parking and there is easy access to the offices. That did cost an extra R27 but was definitely a plus.

Been waiting since 0730 this morning ... thought i would get here early. This place is a joke. Be prepared to wait and wait and wait... been 4 hours and we still not even in the home affairs building . What a disgrace

This morning I parked safely in the Mall and joined the queue outside the Wynberg Home Affairs offices at about 06:40 hours. I was here to apply for a Passport renewal and there were about 40 people ahead of me in the Smart card and Passport application queue. The queue for collection of Smart cards and Passports was slightly shorter.Some HA Staff we’re already on duty and herding us in the the right queues- there seemed to be another queue for stolen ID replacements, Unabridged Birth certificates etc. We were each handed a piece of paper with a number (39 in my case) and on opening at 08:00 hours, 10 or so people were told to queue at the Helpdesk - alternating with the 10 or so persons collecting... and any elderly persons, pregnant women and physically disabled persons were given priority.When I got to the Help desk at about 08:45 hours, a very friendly lady at one of the computers asked my purpose of visit and then stuck a sticker on my piece of paper with number (116 in my case) and I expected a long wait.... but it wasn’t and within half an hour I was called to the photo booth manned by a friendly efficient young man, then I was sent by him to wait to be called for the actual application to be logged on the system and again, was called within 10 minutes- another friendly lady- and then waited about 10 minutes to pay the sweet Cashier. Done and dusted by 09:50 hours!I was dreading the visit especially after reading some reviews but I came out smiling: the Staff here deal with masses of people every day, yet they were friendly and helpful. The Office site was clean, there were enough seats and the loud speaker system works well (miles better than Clicks Pharmacies 😉) Well done Wynberg Home Affairs!

Very friendly and helpful staff. Efficient queuing system. In and out in half an hour after applying online for a new passport.

Pathetic service. They just dont answer the phone. What are we to do now. Where do I get information

In and out to get a passport in 3 hours. No problems. Teller 3 Constance was amazing. Well done.

In a long queue for over 5hrs only to be told, they offline we can hang around if we want..... I tried to apply online earlier this week but there were problems with their server, called their Call Centre but had no success. Forced to come to Home affairs to sort out........so in the end I queued for almost 9 hours. The staff are very friendly and helpful, once you helped. OMW, to collect, a few days later, I again queued, this time it took 5hours...

I cant even believe how amazing this experience was! I was only there for 2hrs after opening on a Tuesday and my passport was ready the following Tuesday! I was expecting to wait months but honestly, this surpassed my expectations! The staff was also super super friendly so Im really just happy with Wynberg Home Affairs! Well done to everyone who works there! :)

Went there on 28/1/19 to apply for an unabridged birth certificate for my daughter. Information official gave the form BUT said I had to get a letter of permission from my daughter to apply on her behalf and a certified copy of her ID. Being overseas, she then had had to go to all the trouble fulfilling the requests and emailed it to me, I printed everything and returned to Wynberg office again on 5/2/19 only to be told birth certificate applications queue CLOSES...at about lunch time.Decided to go to Paarl today, mid morning 6/2/19....walked right in, got a number for cashier, waited about half an hour and voila, its DONE...NO OTHER DOCUMENTS REQUIRED...!!!???Time wasted going back and forth with INCORRECT INFORMATION ...??

Applied for passport and ID 12/02 ready for collection 17/02!!! Wow, excited, this died very quickly. Then the actual collection....well this is an adventure. 3 visits later my ID and passport is still held captive at the Home office...cant apply for my VISA without it, but I have been told it will remain their fro 6 months....seriously.

Wait for applications is painful. 4 hours at best. But the staff are competent and largely efficient and cant fault individuals. They do explain system and process. At least collection fast.

Why dont they bother to answer calls

This place is very slow and service is real bad I have been standing on the same spot for nearly 3 hours ,and I am only collecting a ID so you can imagine how bad other people in the line has it because they have to make a ID.

Better than I expected. Got there at 6am, by 7 I had a ticket number, once they officially opened at 8 it took about 30 minutes to get photographed, and have my details checked. I did the application and payment online, so that helped a little, but theres no fast-track queue for online applicants.

The staff and security were very accommodating.

Awful service, rude staff who have no regard for anyone. Public servants who couldn’t careless about providing an efficient service to the paying public.Makes you despondent about this country and the party that runs it.

1 person behind the desk working at collections today and a queue of 80 people. What is going on????

What bad service.stinky attitudes! The staff wont allow you to ask a question without shooo ing you away.. They treat you like cattle.no one is allowed to ask questions and the securities stationed at the doors are ill informed.what a waist of time!!!!! Ive been back and forth many times and still no help.always off-line.very rude and disgusting attitudes!

The receptionist must be on an extended holiday as nobody answers. Appalling customer service and no point listing a contact number if nobody answers the damn phone!