South Africa Visitor's Visa: R425, Form BI-84, VFS Global and the 60-Working-Day Standard

The visitor's visa is the paper route for nationalities that need a visa and cannot yet use the Electronic Travel Authorisation, which in September 2026 means most of the site's readers: Nigerian, Pakistani, Philippine, Bangladeshi, Egyptian, Vietnamese, Ukrainian, Ethiopian and Ugandan passports among them. Home Affairs describes it as being for people with permanent residence outside South Africa who wish to visit for tourism or business for 90 days or less, and it also covers visiting family, conferences, short courses, medical treatment up to three months and sporting events.

Where to apply: At the VFS Global centre serving the South African mission in your country, or at the mission where there is no centre. Biometrics are taken at lodgement. Applications must be made in the applicant's country of nationality or legal residence.

Fee: R425, set under the Immigration Regulations and unchanged by the August 2026 fee amendment, converted to local currency, plus the centre's service charge. The Home Affairs exemption list marks certain countries "No" in its visa-fee column, and their citizens pay no visa fee at all: India, Egypt and Mexico among the site's audiences, along with Algeria, Algeria's neighbours and several others. Nigeria, China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Ukraine, Morocco, Ethiopia and Uganda are marked "Yes".

Documents, from the Home Affairs list: passport valid for at least 30 days beyond the intended departure with at least one blank page; form BI-84 completed; two colour passport photographs; proof of financial means for the stay; a return or onward ticket; a yellow fever certificate where required; and evidence of the purpose and duration of the visit, such as an itinerary, hotel bookings, an invitation letter or a conference registration. For children under 18: an unabridged birth certificate and, where a parent is absent, that parent's consent, a court order or a death certificate.

Turnaround: Home Affairs publishes 60 working days for a visitor's visa under section 11(1) and 11(2), and 120 for section 11(6) family visas, counted without weekends and public holidays. Many missions decide faster, and VFS centres often quote two to three weeks, but the published figure is the official standard and the one to plan around during peak season.

Validity: On entry the visa becomes a visitor's permit calculated from the date of entry, normally for the period applied for up to 90 days. Extensions are applied for inside South Africa through VFS before the permit expires.

Transit: Since 1 August 2022 Pakistani and Bangladeshi passports need a transit visa even to change planes, per the exemption list; other visa-required nationalities need one if they leave the international area.