TRAVELLING 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 (if required - 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

Do you need to obtain a visa before you leave Germany?

Visa prior to entry	Length of stay	Reason for stay	Type of Visa
No	90 days or less	Tourism or business	Visitor's Visa (obtained on entry)
Yes	90 days or less	Specific purpose	Temporary residence permit
Yes	More than 90 days	Any	Temporary residence permit

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)

Visting for 90 days or less as a tourist or on business
German passport holders, who intend to stay for 90 days or less, and are travelling as tourists, are not required to obtain a visa prior to entering South Africa (this does not apply for diplomatic staff due to assume duty at the Embassy and Consulates of Germany in SA). Instead, you will be issued a short stay visa by a South African customs official at your port of entry.

Visting for 90 days or less for a specific purpose (other than tourism or business)
If you wish to stay for less than 90 days but you are visiting for a specific purpose (such as working or studying), you will need to apply for a long stay visa in the country in which you live. A long stay visa is also called a Temporary residence permit.

Visting for more than 90 days
If you wish to stay for longer than 90 days, you will need to apply for a long stay visa in the country in which you live. A long stay visa is also called a Temporary residence permit.

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

Some types of long stay visas/ temporary residence permits are listed below. You can click on the list item to open a document with information about the visa (the documents are in English).

• 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 on this page.

Information on application fees can be found here (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:

• 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