The Visitor Visa for South Africa will allow you to visit one of the top holiday destinations in the world. South Africa receives visitors from all over who revels in the natural beauty that the country has to offer. South Africa is also one of the cheapest visitor destinations in the world. Many of the foreign currencies compare very favourably against the South African Rand.
Who needs to apply for a Visitor Visa?
Whether you need to apply for a visitor visa for South Africa will depend on whether you are visa-exempt or not.
If your country is not visa-exempt, you will need to apply for a visitor visa before travelling. Breytenbachs has a team of SA Immigration experts who will be able to assist you with your visa. You can sit back and plan your itinerary.
If you are a national of one of the countries that are visa-exempt, you do need to apply for a visitor visa before travelling to SA. Please see the list of countries below.
Countries visa-exempt for up to 90 days
If you are from one of the following countries, you are visa-exempt for up to 90 days. You need not apply for a visitor visa for South Africa, if you plan to visit for up to 90 days.
Angola, Andorra, Anguilla, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bermuda, Botswana, Brazil, British Antarctic Territory, British Indian Ocean Territory, Britsh Virgin Island, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ducie, and Oeno Islands, Ecuador, Falkland Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guernsey, Henderson, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malta, Monaco, Monserrat, Namibia, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Pitcairn Islands, Portugal, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, Gough Island, Saint Vincent and Grenadines, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Singapore, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, United States of America, Uruguay, Venezuela, Virgin Islands, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Countries visa-exempt for up to 30 days
If you are from one of the following countries, you are visa-exempt for up to 30 days. You do not need to apply for a visitor visa for South Africa, if you plan to visit for up to 30 days.
Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Gabon, Guyana, Hong Kong, Hungary, Jordan, Swaziland, Lesotho, Macau, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Peru, Poland, Korea, Thailand, Turkey.
Please note that the lists of countries above were correct at the time of publication. Please check with your Breytenbachs consultant to ensure that you are indeed visa-exempt.
What you can do on a Visitor Visa for South Africa
Kindly note that in many instances, if the visa is not only for tourism purposes, you have to lodge a formal application before travelling to SA.
- To visit South Africa for tourism purposes.
- Visit your family or friends.
- Business purposes and conferences.
- Join your spouse who is in South Africa on a study or work permit.
- A child joining parents who are in South Africa on study or work permits.
- Fiancée or fiancé joining the partner with the intention of marrying within 90 days.
- For study purposes, with a maximum stay of three months.
- Charitable or voluntary activities.
- Research.
- Work in the production of a show or movie.
- Attend sports events.
Length of stay on the Visitor Visa for South Africa
The visitor visa can be issued for up to ninety (90) days at a time. It is crucial that you follow the conditions of the visitor visa. Breytenbachs often have cases where people overstay on their SA visitor visa and then face a ban on their passports. Such a ban on your passport may also jeopardise visa applications to other countries.
Please note that you will also have to check the conditions of your stay if you are visa-exempt. In most cases, you will also only be allowed to be in South Africa for thirty or ninety days. In some cases, you can apply to extend the visa and allow the person to remain for a maximum period of six months. Please speak to one of our SA immigration consultants for more information.
How Breytenbachs can help you
Breytenbachs have a dedicated SA Immigration team who will be able to assist you with all your SA Immigration queries and applications. For more information, or to proceed with your visitor visa application, please contact Breytenbachs or fill out our online assessment form.