Important Information on Applying for South African Visas
Applicants for visas will be required to apply in person at the South African mission. No appointment is necessary.
Applicants for visas will be required to apply in person at the South African mission. No appointment is necessary.
IN ORDER TO COMPLY WITH REGULATION 2(1) (A) OF THE IMMIGRATION ACT OF 2014, ONLY MACHINE READABLE TRAVEL DOCUMENTS (MRTDs) WILL BE ACCEPTED ON SUBMISSION OF VISA APPLICATIONS AND AT PORT OF ENTRY. THEREFORE, NO EXTENDED PASSPORTS WILL BE ACCEPTED.
Note: For foreigners who intend to conduct short term or urgent work in the Republic of South Africa, see Requirements for Section 11(2)
U.S. citizens (U.S. passport holders) visiting the Republic of South Africa for ninety (90) days or less for tourism / business purposes do not need visas.
U.S. green card holders (non-US passport holders) and nationals of other countries must check the list of visa-exempt countries to see if they need to apply for visas. If the names of their countries are not listed, it means they need to apply for visas. There are also countries that are visa-exempt if the applicant is traveling to South Africa for a period of 30 days or less.
There are countries that are required to apply for visas but are exempt from visa fees, e.g. India, Colombia, Mexico, etc. Please refer to the list of countries that pay for visa and if your country is not listed it means you do not need to pay for visa.
Note: If your visit would exceed ninety days or if you want to travel to South Africa to study or to work, you will need to apply for a temporary residence visa instead of a visitor’s visa. Requirements for a temporary residence visa are not the same with a visitor’s visa.
Yellow fever certificate is required only if the applicant is passing through the yellow fever belt area before entering South Africa.
Foreigners who wish to visit South Africa must have passports/travel documents valid for thirty (30) more days after the intended return date from South Africa. The passport must contain at least two (2) unused (blank) pages labeled Visa when presented at the Embassy or Consulate; One page is for affixing the visa or permits at the Embassy/Consulate and the other page is for endorsement of entry/departure stamp by the South African Immigration Services. Note: Visa pages referred to above do not include pages reserved for Endorsements, Amendments or Observations.