How To Apply For South Africa Visa

In this blog post, we will show you how to apply for a South Africa visa online without the need to visit the embassy.

We have three types of South Africa visas, two of which are electronic and the other is a sticker visa.

In this article, we will discuss the electronic visa which allows you to apply for a South African e-visa without needing to submit your physical documents to the embassy or visa application centre.

Before applying for a South Africa visa, you need a computer with internet access and your international passport, yellow card, and a 3-month bank statement handy. If you are applying for a visa as a family, you will need to get copies of the marriage certificate, the birth certificate of your kids, and a consent letter.

Now, let's dive into how we can apply for a South Africa e-visa.

As I pointed out earlier, we have two types of South Africa e-visa: the EPS and the VFS.

The EPS is the platform managed by the South African Home Affairs in Pretoria. This type of visa allows many countries to enter the Republic of South Africa with an electronic visa issued by the Home Affairs. The government of South Africa does not allow some countries to use the electronic visas to visit South Africa. Below is the list of countries that are allowed to use the EPS to apply for the South Africa visa.

Nationalities qualified for South Africa e-visa:

1. Albania
2. Algeria
3. Belarus
4. Bulgaria
5. Cameroon
6. Comoros
7. Congo, (Kinshasa)
8. Congo (Brazzaville)
9. Côte d'Ivoire
10. Croatia
11. Cuba
12. Egypt
13. Ethiopia
14. France
15. Germany
16. Ghana
17. India
18. Indonesia
19. Iran, Islamic Republic of
20. Japan
21. Kenya
22. Liberia
23. Lithuania
24. Mali
25. Mexico
26. Morocco
27. Niger
28. Nigeria
29. Oman
30. Pakistan
31. People's Republic of China
32. Philippines
33. Republic of Guinea
34. Romania
35. Saudi Arabia
36. Senegal
37. Slovakia
38. Uganda

If your country is on the list above, you can apply for the South African e-visa. Here is how you can apply for the visa:

• Visit the department of Home Affairs website here
• Create an account by signing up with your credentials
• Upload details of relevant documents, including your international passport and bank statement.
• Submit your application and await the embassy's decision within 14 business days.
• Once your application is approved, you will receive a message asking you to download the visa from their portal.

Documents required for a South African visa are:

1. A recent 3-month bank statement stamped by your bank.
2. A yellow fever vaccination card
3. Copy of your international passport
4. Introduction letter/or consent letter
5. Birth certificate for minors
6. Marriage certificate for a couple
7. Flight/hotel accommodation
8. Invitation letter in case of business or visit.

VFS Global For South Africa E-visa System

The other type of South African evisa is the VFS. This is managed by both the VFS and the South African home affairs.

The platform is designed by a service provider called VFS Global. Before they stopped, they started by assisting applicants with scanning their documents and the payment process. Now, users can scan their documents, pay online, and await the embassy's decision.

This platform is limited to countries where VFS has an agreement with the South African Home Affairs.

In Nigeria, where they have the agreements, users can do all of the abovementioned things and get the visa decision sent to their email.

Here is how you can apply through the VFS system:

• Visit the VFS Global portal here
• Sign up with a unique email address and phone number
• Once you are signed up, log in by requesting an OTP, as it does not allow a user to create a password
• Click the Start New Booking button and YES, if asked "Do you want to start a new booking?"
• Select your nationality and purpose of visit, and how long you plan to stay in South Africa before proceeding.

Documents Required to upload on VFS Global for South Africa e-visa

• Passport copy valid for at least 6 months.
• Copy of yellow fever vaccination card
• A 3-month bank statement, which your bank must stamp all pages
• Introduction letter stating your purpose of visit.
• Flight and hotel bookings
• A consent letter should accompany the parents' documents if you apply for minors.

After approval, and it is time for you to travel, you will be required to give the OTP that will be sent to the email address you used to apply for the visa for verification at the airport.

If you tried all the tips in this blog post and your visa was not approved, you could contact us for assistance, and we can help you expedite the process for some visa applications.

You can also learn how to apply for a Tanzania visa here.