MOVING TO SA

Before you travel, make sure you have the following:

• An acceptable passport or travel document which is valid for the length of your stay
• At least two blank pages in your passport for endorsements
• A valid visa (see Visa requirements)
• Sufficient funds to pay for your day-to-day expenses during your stay
• A return or onward ticket
• Yellow fever certificates if have journeyed through the yellow fever belt of Africa or South America

In Germany, visas are handled by the South African Embassy to the Republic of Germany. Within South Africa, visa applications are dealt with by Visa Facilitation Services (VFS). When you apply for a visa make sure that your passport:

• is valid for no less than 30 days after the date you intend to leave South Africa.
• has at least two blank pages (for endorsements)

There are two permits which entitle you to stay for more than 90 days in South Africa:

Permit	Validity	Permissions
Temporary residence permit	12 months to 48 months	Live in South africa
Permanent residence permit	Forever	Live and work in South Africa

If you intend to move to South Africa, many immigration agencies will advise that you apply for a Temporary Residence Permit before you apply for a Permanent Residence Permit. This is because a Temporary Residence Permit is issued more quickly than a Permanent Residence Permit. You can also apply for both permits at the same time so that you can stay in South Africa while you wait for your Permanent Residence Permit.

You will not be able to come to South Africa on a Vistor's Visa and then apply for a Temporary Residence Permit or Permanent Residence Permit, even if you qualify for them; apart from anything else, your Visitor's Visa will expire before any other permit is issued and you will be forced to leave the country.

Bear in mind that a Temporary Residence Permit does not give you permission to work in South Africa which means that you will not be able to open a bank account. A Permanent Residence Permit will allow you to work, open a bank account and apply for a South African Identity Document.

Temporary residence permit
The South African Government provides information on applying for a temporary residence permit on their website: Temporary residence visas.

Some types of temporary residence permits are listed below. You can click on the list item to download more information about the visa.

• Visitor’s visa to engage in voluntary or charitable activities
• Visitor’s visa in respect of an accompanying spouse or dependent children
• General work permit

You can find a complete list of the types of long stay visas/ temporary residence permits here: Types of temporary residence visas. For details of the application fees, please visit this link: Application fees (opens a download page).

Permanent Residence Permit
You can apply for this permit if you:

• have had a work permit for five years and now have received a permanent offer of employment
• have been married to or have been in a customary union with a South African citizen for five years
• have been in a relationship with a South African citizen for five years.
• are a child of either a permanent resident or a South African citizen
• have received an offer of permanent employment
• possess extraordinary skills or qualifications
• intend to start a business in South Africa and will invest at least R5000 000 in cash or capital
• are a refugee
• intend to retire in South Africa and have a monthly income of at least R37 000 per month
• have a minimum net worth of R12 000 000
• are a relative of a permanent resident or South African citizen within the first step of kinship

For more details on applying for permanent residence in South Africa, please visit this link: Permanent residence permit.

Information on application fees can be found here: Application fees (opens a download page).

Changes to an existing visa If you wish to make changes to an existing visa, you need to do so at least 60 days before your visa expires. Changes to a visitor’s visa or a medical treatment visa are only allowed under exceptional circumstances.

The following links open checklists which explain what is required for each application. The checklists also contain links to the required forms:

• Documents required for Permanent residence permit
• Checklist for Visitor’s visa to engage in voluntary or charitable activities
• Checklist for Visitor’s visa in respect of an accompanying spouse or dependent children
• Checklist for General work permit