General information about South African Visas
Visitors’ visas are for international travellers (citizens of other countries) who have permanent residence outside South Africa and who wish to visit the country on a temporary basis for tourism or business purposes for a period of 90 days or less.
A visa simply indicates that your application has been reviewed at a South African embassy, mission or consulate and that the consular officer has determined you are eligible to enter the country for a specific purpose.
The visa will allow you to travel to a South African port of entry where an immigration official will then determine if you are allowed to enter South Africa and for how long you can stay for that particular visit. Visitors are restricted to the activity or reason for which their visas were issued.
On entry to South Africa, a visa is considered to be a visitor’s permit. The permit’s period of validity is calculated from the date of entry into the country and will be set out under the heading “conditions” on the visa label. You must ensure that you apply for the correct visa/permit. Entry in the country may be refused if the purpose of visit was not correctly stated.
Requirements for visitor’s visas differ from country to country (click here to see which countries are currently exempt), and the requirements are subject to change. As each application is treated as an individual case and you should make enquiries with your nearest South African mission or consulate abroad or any office of the Department of Home Affairs to see whether or not you are required to apply for a visa.
Remember that there is a fee charged for issuing a visa, and you should check the cost with the office as well as this is updated annually. The fee is payable in different currencies in different countries.
Visas are not issued at South African ports of entry, and airline officials are obliged to insist on visas before allowing passengers to board. If you arrive without a visa, immigration officials are obliged to put you onto a flight back to your home country.
Foreigners with long term status (work permits/permit residence) in the neighbouring countries who transit the Republic to return to their employment or residence are not subject to the transit visa, provided they are in possession of proof of their status.
South African visitors’ visas may be granted for:
- visits to family or friends and also for tourism purposes
- business purposes
- spouse to join a spouse who is in South Africa on a work or study permit
- children to join parents who are in South Africa on work or study permits
- fiancée/ fiancé to join his or her partner with the intension of marrying within 90 days
- study purposes (max stay 3-months)
- charitable or voluntary activities
- research
- conferences
- to work in the production of an movie or show (i.e. in the entertainment industry)
- for medical purposes (max stay 3-months)
- sport events
Documents required to apply for a visa
- A passport or travel document valid for no less than 30 days after the expiry of your intended visit
- Your passport must have at least TWO unused page for entry / departure endorsements
- A completed Form BI-84 (application for a visa)
- Payment of the prescribed fee
- A yellow-fever vaccination certificate (if required)
- Statement and/or documentation confirming the purpose and duration of your visit
- Two colour passport photographs
- A return or onward ticket if you are travelling by air
- If you have children (minors) travelling with you or joining in South Africa, you will need to provide the following additional documents
- Proof of guardianship or custody or
- Consent from the guardian in the case of an unaccompanied minor
- Proof of financial means to pay for your living expenses while in South Africa in the form of:
- Bank statements
- Salary advances
- Undertakings by the host(s) in South Africa
- Bursary
- Medical cover or
- Cash available (including credit cards and travellers’ cheques)
Requirements for entering South Africa
You will need the following if you wish to visit South Africa:
- A valid and acceptable passport or travel document for your intended stay
- At least one blank page in your passport for endorsements
- A valid visa, if required
- Sufficient funds to pay for your day-to-day expenses during your stay
- A return or onward ticket
- Yellow fever certificates if your journey starts or entails passing through the yellow fever belt of Africa or South America.
Don’t forget that there are certain goods that you cannot bring into South Africa and other goods on which duties need to be paid.
For Customs requirements, click here: http://www.sars.gov.za/ClientSegments/Customs-Excise/Travellers/Pages/Arrival-in-SA.aspx
For Agricultural requirements, click here: http://www.daff.gov.za/daffweb3/Services/Imports
ORDINARY PASSPORT / TRAVEL DOCUMENT HOLDERS WHO ARE SUBJECT TO SOUTH AFRICAN VISA FEES
SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE
Fees for the issuance of a visitor’s visa in terms of section 11(1) of the Immigration Act shall be collected in respect of passport / travel document holders of the following foreign countries when travelling on an ordinary passport (visa fees are not levied for diplomatic and official/service passport holders). Please note that countries marked with an asterisk are only subject to visa fees if the intended visit exceeds thirty (30) days:
Aden
Afghanistan (Transitional Islamic State of)
Akrotiri and Dhekelia in Cyprus (Sovereign base area of)
Albania (Republic of)
American Samoa
Andorra (Principality of)
Angola (Republic of)
Anguilla
Armenia (Republic of)
Aruba
Ascension
Azerbaijan (Republic of)
Australia
Austria (Republic of)
Bahamas (The Commonwealth of the)
Bahrain (The Kingdom of)
Belarus (Republic of)
Belau (Palau) Republic of)
Belgium
Belize*
Byelorussia
Benin (Dahomey) (Republic of)*
Bhutan (Kingdom of)
Bosnia/Herzegovina
Bouvet Islands
British Antarctic Territory
British Indian Ocean Territory
Brunei Darassalam
Bulgaria (Republic of)
Burkina Faso (Republic of)
Burma (Myanmar)
Burundi (Republic of)
Cambodia (Kampuchea) (Kingdom of)
Cameroon (Republic)
Cayman Islands
Canada
Central African Republic
Chad
China (People’s Republic of)
Comoros (Union of)
Congo (Democratic Republic of)
Cote D’lvoire (Republic of)
Croatia (Republic of)
Cuba (Republic of)
Denmark (Kingdom of)
Dahomey (Benin) (Republic of Benin)
Diego Garcia
Djibouti (Republic of)
Dominican Republic
Ducie & Oeno Islands
Eastern Caribbean
El Salvador (Republic of)
Ellice Island (Tuvalu)
Equatorial Guinea*
Eritrea (State of)
Estonia (Republic of)
Ethiopia (The Federal Democratic Republic of)
Falkland Islands
Fiji Islands (Republic of the)
Finland (Republic of)
France (Republic of)
French Guiana
French Polynesia
Gabon (Republic of)*
Gambia (The)
Georgia (Republic of)
Germany (Federal Republic of)
Ghana (Republic of)
Gibraltar
Gilbert Island (Kiribati)
Greece (Hellenic Republic of)
Greenland
Grenada
Guadeloupe
Guam
Guatemala (Republic of)
Guinea (Republic of)
Guinea-Bissau (Republic of)
Haiti (Republic of)
Henderson
Holy See
Honduras (Republic of)
Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region)*
Iceland (Republic of)
Indonesia (Republic of)
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Iraq (Republic of)
Italy (Republic of)
Ivory Coast (Republic of Còte D’Ivoire)
Jamaica
Japan
Kampuchea (Cambodia) (Kingdom of)
Kazakhstan (Republic of)
Kenya (Republic of)*
Kyrgyzstan
Kiribati (Gilbert Island)
Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of/North)
Korea (|Republic of/South)*
Kyrgyz Republic
Laos (People’s Democratic Republic)
Latvia (Republic of)
Lebanon (Republic of)
Liberia
Libya (Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya)
Lithuania (Republic of)
Luxemburg (Grand Duchy of)
Macedonia (The former Yugoslav Republic of)
Madagascar (Republic of)
Malaysia (Federation of)*
Mali (Republic of)
Martinique
Marshall Islands (Republic of)
Mauritania (Islamic Republic of)
Micronesia (Federated States of)
Moldova (Republic of)
Monaco (Principality of)
Mongolia
Montserrat
Morocco (Kingdom of)
Mozambique (Republic of)
Myanmar (Burma) (The Union of)
Naura (Republic of)
Nepal (Kingdom of)
Netherlands (The Royal)
Netherlands Antilles
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria (Republic of)
Northern Marianas
Norway
Oman (Sultanate of)
Pakistan (Islamic Republic of)
Palau (Belau) (Republic of)
Panama (Republic of)
Papua New Guinea
Philippines (Republic of the)*
Pitcairn Islands
Poland (Republic of)
Portugal (Republic of)
Puerto Rico
Qatar (State of)
Reunion
Romania
Russian Federation (except private guests of Embassy or Consular staff)
Rwanda (Republic of)
Samoa (The Independent State of)
San Marino (Republic of)
Sao Tome & Principe (Democratic Republic of)
Saudi Arabia (Kingdom of)
Serbia & Montenegro
Sierra Leone (Republic of)
Singapore (Republic of)
Slovenia (Republic of)
Somalia
Spain (Kingdom of)
Sri Lanka (Democratic Socialist Republic of)
St Kitts and Nevis
St Lucia
Sudan (Republic of the)
Suriname (Republic of)
Syrian (Arab Republic)
Tajikistan (Republic of)
Tanzania (United Republic of)
Thailand (Kingdom of)*
Togo (Republic of)
Trinidad and Tobago (Republic of)
Tristan da Cunha
Tunisia (Republic of)
Turkey (Republic of)*
Turkmenistan (Republic of)
Turks & Caicos Islands
Tuvalu (Ellice Islands)
Uganda (Republic of)
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States of America
Uzbekistan (Republic of)
Vanuatu (Republic of)
Vatican City (Holy S ee)
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)
Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)
Western Sahara
Yemen (Republic of)