South African Visa & Passports

South African Visa & Passports

Visa & Passports for South Africa

Here is some useful information about the South African visa and passport, to help you get an idea of what to expect and how to prepare before you travel.

Most tourists are allowed to stay for a 30 to 90 days in South Africa, without requiring a visa, but make sure to check the links provided and contact the relevant department, just to make sure. Otherwise, come and enjoy our world class food, wine, accommodations and my photo tours and walks

Requirements for entering 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.
  • While not required, it is highly recommended get comprehensive medical insurance to make sure you get treated in a private medical facility. 

Passports for South Africa

Check the expiration date. A passport or travel document must be valid for no less than 30 days after the expiry of your intended visit, if not, you need to renew it in advance, as South Africa won’t let you enter with a soon-to-expire passport.

One blank Passport page is required for entry to South Africa.
Make a backup of your passports in case of your original getting lost. Keep a printed copy in a separate bag or give it to a friend who you are traveling with. Also email yourself a digital version or upload it to the cloud, so that you can access it at anytime with an internet connection. 

Remember to also record your credit card numbers and details in case they are stolen or lost

U.S. PASSPORT INFORMATION
U.S. Department of State (877/487–2778. travel.state.gov.)

Visas for South Africa

USA, UK, Germany, Italy Australian and many other citizens with ordinary passports, visiting the Republic of South Africa for 90 days or less for tourism / business purposes do not need visas.

Other countries such as Cyprus, Turkey, Seychelles and others can visit South Africa, without a visa for up to 30 days

You can visit the official Home Affairs Visa page to see if your country is exempt from requiring a South African visa, to see if you qualify to visit South Africa without requiring a visa and for how long

Work Visa 

Work visas are issued only to foreigners where South African citizens with the relevant skills are not available. 
General work Visas are valid for the duration of the contract of employment or a period not exceeding 5 years.
 
Visas for people in the entertainment industry 
If you are from a country that is not exempt from South African visa requirements and do not intend to work for longer than six months, then:
  • 
You must submit an application for a visa with the relevant documentation as listed on the application form, pay the prescribed fee and you must also request for authorization to work on the visitor’s visa at your nearest South African embassy or mission.
  • If approved, your visa will be endorsed to allow you to stay and work for a period of between 30 and 
90 days. 

You can find more information from the official Department of Home Affairs website and how to apply for a South African Visa

South African 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

Yellow Fervor Certificate

Yellow fever certificate is required only if the applicant is passing through yellow fever belt area before entering South Africa, which includes areas such as Angola, Kenya, Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda and others.

Vaccination should be approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) and administered at least 10 days before departure for South Africa at any yellow fever approved vaccination centers as the vaccine offers protection 10 days after administration. If vaccination is administered less than 10 days before departure, traveler may be refused entry.