South Africa
South Africa · Africa · updated 09.09.2026
South Africa builds its intake around scarce occupations: the Critical Skills Work Visa is issued for up to 5 years, but the occupation must be on the current list and the qualification must be assessed by SAQA with an NQF level stated. The constraints are the time limits and family: the processing standard for a spousal visa is 120 working days, work on it without a separate permit is not allowed, and citizenship comes after 10 years.
Some descriptions for this country are still Russian only: 93% translated. Numbers, prices and timelines are complete.
Entry
Entry rules depend on citizenship. Choose a passport to see the requirement for that one.
Work and visas
- Visa speed
- DHA turnaround times are counted in working days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, and apply only to applications submitted inside South Africa and processed at head office. Critical Skills Visa and General Work Visa — 4 weeks; Business Visa — 8 weeks. Visitor's visa under s. 11(6) and relative's visa under s. 18 — 120 days. Permanent residence: worker under s. 26(a) — 8 months; spouse and dependants under s. 26(b, c, d) — 240 days; critical skills under s. 27(b) and business under s. 27(c) — 8 months; financial independence 27(f) and relative 27(g) — 240 days. Appeals: under s. 8(4) — 180 days; under s. 8(6) — 240 days.
- Changing employer
- Only the intra-company transfer visa is directly tied to an employer: its holder may work solely for the employer that transferred them (Immigration Act 13 of 2002 (version published on the DHA site), art. 19(6)). For the General Work Visa the tie arises through the employer's undertakings: the employer undertakes in writing to notify the Director-General if the employee has ceased to work for them or has taken a different position, and to pay for the deportation of the employee and their dependants. The Critical Skills Work Visa is tied to an occupation on the critical skills list, but the application requires a job offer or an employment contract signed by both parties.
Visa types: General Work Visa (art. 19(2)) — up to 5 years or for the term of the employment contract; a SAQA qualification assessment and written undertakings from the employer are required · Critical Skills Work Visa (art. 19(4)) — up to 5 years; the occupation must be on the current Critical Skills List, the qualification assessed by SAQA with an NQF level stated, and where necessary registration with a professional body · Intra-company Transfer Work Visa (art. 19(5)) — up to 4 years, without extension; work only for the employer that made the transfer · Corporate Visa — up to 3 years; the company receives a quota of jobs, and confirmation from the Department of Labour that suitable citizens cannot be found is required · Business Visa (art. 15) — establishing or running a business; an investment of an amount set by the minister is required, as is a staff of at least 60% citizens or permanent residents · Retired Person Visa (art. 20) — up to 4 years with extension; a minimum pension or annuity of ZAR 37,000 per month or a minimum net worth of ZAR 37,000; work is allowed with the permission of the Director-General · Relative's Visa (art. 18) — up to 2 years; work is not allowed · A visitor's visa under s. 11(6) — for the spouse of a citizen or permanent resident; on separate application, the activities covered by visas under s. 13-22, including work, may be authorised
A diploma as such is not named in the law, but both the General Work Visa and the Critical Skills Work Visa require a qualification assessment carried out by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) and translated by a sworn translator into one of the official languages; for critical skills, the assessment must state the NQF level. Whether this amounts to a requirement for higher education specifically does not follow from the wording, so the "is a diploma required" field is left blank. If the profession is regulated, registration with a professional body recognised by SAQA is additionally required. The application is submitted in person no later than 60 days before the current visa expires. A police clearance certificate is required from every country where the applicant has lived for more than 12 months over the past 5 years, and must be no older than 6 months, as must the medical report. There is no separate visa for remote work in the list of visa types on the DHA website, and it was not possible to confirm its parameters from an official source. The Trusted Employer Scheme and the Trusted Tour Operator Scheme (TTOS) are in effect — these are not separate visas but pre-accreditation schemes: an approved employer gets a simplified application process for the General Work Visa and the Critical Skills Visa (the turnaround-time table explicitly marks these two visas "incl. TES"), while an accredited tour operator gets an expedited visa for a tourist group through the port of entry. They do not create a separate basis for entry, so they are not included in the list. The Zimbabwean Exemption Permit and the Lesotho Exemption Permit are special dispensation permits for citizens of Zimbabwe and Lesotho; the DHA pages on them are an archive of notices and gazette notifications extending the validity of permits ALREADY issued (the latest — November 2024), not a procedure for new applications: applications for the LEP were accepted only from existing holders of the Lesotho Special Permit between 18.11.2019 and 31.03.2020 (fee 1,090 rand, validity 4 years), and no new applicants have been accepted under either scheme since then. They are not included in the list of bases, as they are closed to new applicants. Refugee Status & Asylum — a separate DHA page describes the temporary asylum seeker permit (Section 22, 6 months) and refugee status (Section 24, 2 years), both free of charge and giving the right to work and study; they have been added as separate bases. Source for timeframes and requirements: Department of Home Affairs, the "Types of Visas" and "Turnaround times for Visas and Permits" sections.
Long-term visas and residence permits
General work visa
WorkCritical skills work visa
WorkIntra-company transfer work visa
WorkCorporate visa
WorkBusiness visa
InvestmentStudy visa
StudyExchange visa
OtherTreaty visa
OtherRelative's visa
FamilyRetired person's visa
RetirementMedical treatment visa
OtherVisitor's visa
OtherPermanent residence — direct residence after five years on a work visa
WorkPermanent residence — spouse of a citizen or permanent resident for five years
FamilyPermanent residence — child of a citizen or permanent resident
FamilyPermanent residence on other grounds — permanent work offer
WorkPermanent residence on other grounds — critical skills
TalentPermanent residence on other grounds — business
InvestmentPermanent residence on other grounds — refugees
OtherPermanent residence on other grounds — retired person
RetirementPermanent residence on other grounds — financially independent
InvestmentPermanent residence on other grounds — relative of a citizen or permanent resident
FamilyAsylum seeker permit (section 22 of the Refugees Act)
OtherRefugee status (section 24 permit)
OtherProgramme terms change, and the final decision rests with the consulate or the country migration service. The data is collected from official sources on the date shown and is not legal advice.
Residence and citizenship
- Permanent residence after
- 5 years
- Citizenship after
- 10 years
- Language
- any of the official languages of South Africa — the ability to communicate to the satisfaction of the minister (Citizenship Act 88 of 1995, s. 5(1)(f)); adequate knowledge of the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship is separately required (s. 5(1)(g))
- Dual citizenship
- allowed
Absence limits: Permanent residence may be withdrawn if the holder has been absent from South Africa for more than 3 years (Immigration Act 13 of 2002 (version published on the DHA site), art. 28(c)). The count of absence can be interrupted only by entering and staying in the country. On a prior application with justification, the Director-General may extend this period. Periods of life abroad in the service of the state, as a representative or employee of a person or association registered in South Africa, or in the service of an international organisation of which South Africa is a member, as well as time during which the spouse or dependent child of such a person — or the spouse or dependent child of a South African citizen — lived with them, are not counted. A separate ground for withdrawal: the holder did not settle in South Africa within 1 year of the date the permit was issued (art. 28(d)).
10 years is the sum of two separate periods for a person who arrives on a work visa, not a single rule. First permanent residence: under s. 26(a) of the Immigration Act 13 of 2002 (version published on the DHA site) it is granted to a person who has held a work visa for 5 years and has confirmed an offer of permanent employment. Then naturalisation: under s. 5(1) of the Citizenship Act 88 of 1995 the applicant must have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence, must ordinarily have resided in South Africa continuously for at least 1 year immediately preceding the application and for a further period of at least 4 years during the 8 years preceding the application — that is, roughly another 5 years after permanent residence. Other conditions in the same section: majority age, good character, the intention to continue residing in South Africa, the ability to communicate in one of the official languages and adequate knowledge of the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship. Caveat: the text is cited from the 1995 gazetted version — no consolidated amended version is published on the DHA or gov.za sites, and amendments affecting s. 5 could not be verified. Some routes to permanent residence are shorter and do not require 5 years on a work visa: s. 27(b) — critical skills, 27(c) — business, 27(e) — retired person, 27(f) — financial independence, 27(g) — relative of a citizen or permanent resident within the first degree of kinship.
Documents
- Document certification
- apostille
The country is party to the 1961 Hague Convention: a degree or certificate is authenticated with a single apostille in the country that issued it.
Family
Partner
- Timeline
- A visitor's visa under s. 11(6) of the Immigration Act 13 of 2002 (version published on the DHA site) — for the spouse of a citizen or permanent resident who does not qualify for any of the visas under s. 13-22. The turnaround time is 120 working days. The visa is valid for as long as the good-faith spousal union subsists; an application for permanent residence under s. 26(b) must be filed within 3 months of the right arising. The spouse of a work or study visa holder arrives on an ordinary visitor's visa.
- Right to work
- no
A key distinction. The spouse of a work or study visa holder arrives on an ordinary visitor's visa, and its holder may not work (Immigration Act 13 of 2002 (version published on the DHA site), s. 11(2)); to work, that spouse needs their own visa on their own grounds. The spouse of a citizen or permanent resident receives a visitor's visa under s. 11(6) and, on separate application, may be authorised to conduct the activities covered by visas under s. 13-22, including work. Permanent residence under s. 26(b) follows after 5 years of marriage to a citizen or permanent resident, and the permit is withdrawn if the marriage ceases to exist within the first 2 years after issue, except where the spouse dies. An unregistered union is recognised: a notarial agreement with an apostille is required, confirming that the permanent relationship — same-sex or opposite-sex — has existed for at least 2 years before the application, continues, and excludes third parties, and that neither party is in another marriage or union.
Children
- Can be brought
- yes
A discrepancy within official sources: the text of the Immigration Act 13 of 2002 (version published on the DHA site), art. 26(c) grants permanent residence to a child of a citizen or permanent resident under 21, while the DHA page on permanent residence cites the same article but refers to an age under 18. The age threshold for temporary dependant visa categories could not be confirmed from official sources, so the age field has been left empty. Under art. 26(c) the permit is annulled if the child does not apply for its confirmation within 2 years of turning 18. A child of a South African citizen receives permanent residence under art. 26(d) with no age condition. The processing standard for permanent residence for a spouse and dependants under art. 26(b, c, d) is 240 working days. For children, full birth certificates, custody documents and the consent of both parents are required on entry.
Parents
- Route
- Two tracks, and both require the inviting person already to be a South African citizen or permanent resident. Temporary: a relative's visa under s. 18 of the Immigration Act 13 of 2002 (version published on the DHA site) — issued to an immediate family member of a citizen or permanent resident provided that person furnishes the prescribed financial assurance; a maximum of 2 years at a time. Permanent: permanent residence under s. 27(g) — for a relative of a citizen or permanent resident within the first degree of kinship, by blood or by judicial adoption. A work visa holder cannot bring in parents on either track.
- Timeline
- A relative's visa under s. 18 — 120 working days; permanent residence under s. 27(g) — 240 working days (DHA turnaround times). Before that, the inviting person must obtain permanent residence themselves, which on the work-visa route takes 5 years plus 8 months of processing.
- Income threshold
- ZAR 8,500 per month per person — a financial assurance provided by a South African citizen or permanent resident; confirmed by a recent salary certificate or a certified bank statement no more than 3 months old at the time of application. The requirement does not apply to the spouse and the minor dependent child of a citizen or permanent resident. The specific amount is set by the minister by notice in the Government Gazette and may be changed.
- Difficulty
- difficult
The holder of a relative's visa may not work — an express rule in s. 18(2) of the Immigration Act 13 of 2002 (version published on the DHA site). Police clearance certificates are required from every country where the person lived for 12 months or longer after the age of 18, together with a medical and radiological report (pregnant women and children under 12 are exempt), proof of the family relationship and confirmation of the inviting person's citizenship or permanent residence. The difficulty is rated high for one reason: until the person who arrived on a work visa obtains permanent residence themselves, there is no mechanism for parents at all.
Partner's parents
- Difficulty
- difficult
Matters: The sponsor may only be a biological child or a child adopted by court order, and must in addition be a South African citizen or permanent resident. That is, the application for a spouse's parents is filed by the spouse personally, and only after obtaining permanent residence or citizenship.
Pets
- Limit
- no limit
- Quarantine
- 14 days
- Antibody titre test
- not needed
About the limit: The agency does not publish an official limit on the number of animals. The permit covers one consignment, but states no number of head.
Cats are not subject to quarantine at all; the 14 days apply to dogs. A dog is quarantined for approximately 14 days if the country of export is not on the list of exempt countries. The list comprises Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Botswana, the British Channel Islands (Guernsey, Jersey, the Isle of Man), Bulgaria, Canada, the Comoros, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Eswatini, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lesotho, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malta, Mauritius, Namibia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Ireland, Réunion, Romania, the Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States and Zimbabwe. Russia is not on the list — a dog exported from Russia is subject to quarantine. The document itself says “approximately 14 days” and sets no exact figure. A Veterinary Import Permit is mandatory and takes 5-10 working days to issue; for dogs subject to quarantine, a booking at a quarantine station and a signed indemnity waiver are required BEFORE the permit application is filed. There are two stations: Kempton Park near Johannesburg and Milnerton near Cape Town. Dogs subject to quarantine may enter only through the airports of Johannesburg (O. R. Tambo) and Cape Town; dogs from exempt countries and all cats may also enter through Durban (King Shaka). Entry through other airports, seaports and land border posts is prohibited. A microchip to ISO 11784 or ISO 11785 is mandatory; tattoos are not accepted. The animal must travel as manifested cargo; travel in the cabin is possible only if the airline allows it and if on boarding the staff take the animal from the owner for delivery to the cargo terminal for inspection. Rabies: the primary vaccination must be given at least 30 days and no more than 12 months before entry, and a booster no more than 12 months before, and it counts as a booster only if it was given before the previous vaccination expired. South Africa does not require a rabies antibody titre test — nowhere in the document is there a rabies serology test or a minimum level in IU/ml. For dogs, blood tests for five diseases are mandatory: Babesia gibsoni, Brucella canis, Dirofilaria immitis, Trypanosoma evansi and Leishmania; blood is drawn within 30 days before entry and the laboratory must be a state laboratory or one accredited for these tests. Since October 2017 certificates of a country's disease-free status are no longer accepted in place of the tests. The test for Dirofilaria immitis requires microfilaria filtration; the Knott test is not accepted. Dogs also require tick treatment and a repellent against blood-sucking flies, applied from the time the blood is drawn until departure, and heartworm prophylaxis from the date of the negative result; a six-month supply of the product should be brought along, since these products are barely registered in South Africa. Treatment against echinococcus and tapeworms is not required — the document contains no deworming window. The veterinary certificate is signed by a state veterinarian of the country of export within 10 days before departure. Dogs in quarantine are re-tested for all five diseases at the owner's expense regardless of the results obtained before export; if the result for Brucella canis, Leishmania, Trypanosoma evansi or Babesia gibsoni is positive, the animal is returned or euthanised. The import rules contain no breed ban — in the whole document breed is mentioned once, as a field on a form; municipal rules on keeping dangerous dogs are a separate matter and have nothing to do with import. The authority publishes no consolidated preparation time, so the field has been left empty; the hard windows are 30 days for the rabies vaccination, 30 days for the blood draw, 5-10 working days for the permit and 10 days for the veterinary certificate. The cost of the permit is revised annually from 1 April and should be confirmed with the permit office. IMPORTANT CAVEAT ON THE SOURCE: the sites dalrrd.gov.za and daff.gov.za did not respond at the time of collection (the domains resolve, but the connection is refused). Everything set out here has been checked word for word against the DALRRD information document “Importation of Dogs and Cats into the Republic of South Africa”, version of 08.06.2022, obtained from an archived copy of the official file dated 5 October 2024. Changes after that date cannot be verified; the rules should be confirmed by writing to VetPermits@Dalrrd.gov.za.
Safety
Climate
Quality of life
Cities
Johannesburg
tech hubThe country's economic centre (4,803,262 people within the metropolitan boundary, 2022 census), on a plateau at around 1,750 m; the stock exchange, the banks and the head offices are here.
One of the highest rates of street crime among large cities, and safety differs sharply by district. Rolling power cuts. The city stands far from any river; its water arrives by pipeline from Lesotho.
Cape Town
tech hubThe legislative capital and second economic centre (4,772,846 people, 2022 census) between Table Mountain and the ocean; a tourism hub and a growing tech cluster.
The drought of 2015–2018 brought the city to Day Zero, the date the taps were to be shut off; the risk of a repeat remains. Fires on the slopes of Table Mountain in summer. A strong south-easterly wind. A sharp contrast in safety between districts.
Durban
Africa's largest port and the centre of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality (4,239,901 people, 2022 census) on the Indian Ocean coast.
The floods of April 2022 killed more than 400 people — one of the most destructive in the country's history. Humid subtropical heat. The July 2021 unrest hit this province hardest of all.
Pretoria
The administrative capital, part of the City of Tshwane metropolitan municipality (4,040,315 people, 2022 census): the government, the ministries and the embassies, plus universities and research institutes.
Hotter summers than Johannesburg, with heavy hailstorms. Rolling power cuts. Crime is lower than in Johannesburg but still means choosing your district.
Gqeberha
A port city in the south, called Port Elizabeth until 2021; the centre of the Nelson Mandela Bay metropolitan municipality (1,190,496 people, 2022 census) and of the country's car industry.
The drought of 2019–2022 brought the reservoirs to critical levels. Constant strong wind. Unemployment above the national average.
Grocery basket
- Bread, 500 g
- $ 1,12
- Milk, 1 l
- $ 1,27
- Eggs, 12
- $ 2,60
- Chicken breast, 1 kg
- $ 5,69
- Cheese, 1 kg
- $ 8,53
- Rice, 1 kg
- $ 1,81
- Potatoes, 1 kg
- $ 1,55
- Apples, 1 kg
- $ 1,94
- Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 l
- $ 1,52
- Total
- $ 26,0
The same set for every country, so the comparison is fair.
Cost of living across the country
- Rent, 1 bedroom
- $ 579 a month
- Rent, 3 bedrooms
- $ 1 059 a month
- Utility bills
- $ 147 a month
- Home internet
- $ 39,7 a month
- Monthly transport pass
- $ 60,8 a month
- Single transport ticket
- $ 1,91
- Petrol, litre
- $ 1,34
- Cold medicine
- $ 5,56 for a week
Country averages. City prices, where collected, are shown above and are more precise.
Indicators
- Life expectancy
- 66,3 years2024
- Homicides
- 39,7 per 100k2024
- Road deaths
- 24,5 per 100k2021
- Unemployment
- 32,4 %2025
- Unemployment, ages 15–24
- 59,9 %2025
- Inequality (Gini)
- 54,12022
- Health spending per person
- $ 537 a year
- Air pollution, PM2.5
- 27,7 µg/m³2023
- Access to clean water
- 90,2 %2024
- Internet, fixed line
- 50 Mbit/s2026
- Internet, mobile
- 70,5 Mbit/s2026
Governance
- Political stability
- below average · -0,6
- Control of corruption
- below average · -0,2
- Rule of law
- above average · 0
- Government effectiveness
- below average · -0,2
World Bank estimates on a −2.5 to +2.5 scale, higher is better.
Natural hazards
- Earthquakes
- 1,5 out of 10
- River floods
- 3,2 out of 10
- Coastal floods
- 2,9 out of 10
- Tropical cyclones
- 1,3 out of 10
- Droughts
- 8,6 out of 10
- Tsunamis
- 1,1 out of 10
Policy towards newcomers
- Migrant integration, overall score
- 49 out of 100 · 2019
- Family reunification
- 57 out of 100 · 2019
- Permanent residence
- 81 out of 100 · 2019
- Access to citizenship
- 36 out of 100 · 2019
- Access to the labour market
- 57 out of 100 · 2019
Measures how favourable the law is towards newcomers, not one person's chances of getting a visa.
Each value carries the year it refers to. “Data lags behind” means this country's figure was collected noticeably earlier than the rest. Natural hazards use one 0–10 scale and are meant to be compared against each other.
Pros and cons
Compare with other countries in the region
Algeria · Angola · Benin · Botswana · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cameroon · Chad · Cote d'Ivoire · Democratic Republic of the Congo · Djibouti · Egypt · Equatorial Guinea · Eritrea · Eswatini · Ethiopia · Gabon · Ghana · Guinea · Guinea-Bissau · Kenya · Lesotho · Liberia · Libya · Madagascar · Malawi · Mali · Mauritania · Morocco · Mozambique · Namibia · Niger · Nigeria · Republic of the Congo · Rwanda · Senegal · Sierra Leone · Somalia · South Sudan · Sudan · Tanzania · The Gambia · Togo · Tunisia · Uganda · Zambia · Zimbabwe
Other countries in the region: Africa
Algeria · Angola · Benin · Botswana · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cameroon · Central African Republic · Chad · Cote d'Ivoire · Democratic Republic of the Congo · Djibouti · Egypt · Equatorial Guinea · Eritrea · Eswatini · Ethiopia · Gabon · Ghana · Guinea · Guinea-Bissau · Kenya · Lesotho · Liberia · Libya · Madagascar · Malawi · Mali · Mauritania · Morocco · Mozambique · Namibia · Niger · Nigeria · Republic of the Congo · Rwanda · Senegal · Sierra Leone · Somalia · South Sudan · Sudan · Tanzania · The Gambia · Togo · Tunisia · Uganda · Zambia · Zimbabwe