NRI services in South Africa: Indian embassy, consulates, passports and OCI

1,800,000 overseas Indians live in South Africa: 77,400 Non-Resident Indians (Indian citizens living there) and 1,722,600 Persons of Indian Origin (people of Indian descent who are citizens of South Africa or another country), according to the Ministry of External Affairs (as of January 2026). For Indian food, festivals and entertainment, see Indian life in South Africa.

Indian embassy and consulates in South Africa

Each mission's website gives its address, phone numbers, opening hours and the application centre for passports, OCI cards and visas.

Most of South Africa's Indian community are South African citizens descended from indentured labourers and traders who arrived from 1860, the largest number in KwaZulu-Natal; the OCI card is the main Indian service for them.

Services from the Government of India

Passports: Passport Seva: apply to renew or replace an Indian passport, or report a lost one; the Indian missions abroad take applications through the same system.
Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI): OCI services: the OCI card for foreign citizens of Indian origin and their spouses, a lifelong visa to visit, live and work in India.
Visas for family and friends: Indian Visa Online: e-Visas and regular visas for visitors to India who are not Indian citizens or OCI cardholders.
Consular help and complaints: MADAD: the Ministry of External Affairs' portal for consular grievances, such as a stranded relative, unpaid wages or a death abroad.
Help in an emergency: The Indian Community Welfare Fund helps Indian nationals in distress abroad: emergency stay, air tickets home, legal aid and bringing home the body of someone who has died.
Voting in India: Indian citizens living abroad can register as overseas electors with Form 6A on the Election Commission's Voters' Service Portal, and vote in person at their constituency in India.
Bank accounts and tax: The Reserve Bank of India's FAQs explain NRE, NRO and FCNR accounts and sending money home; the Income Tax Department's NRI page explains tax on income in India.
Young people and students: The Ministry of External Affairs' Know India Programme brings young people of Indian origin to India for a few weeks, and its Scholarship Programme for Diaspora Children helps them study in India; Study in India lists courses and admissions.
Meeting the diaspora: The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, held every two years, is the Government of India's gathering of overseas Indians.

Links checked November 2026.