Paying The South Africa Visa Fee: What You Need To Do

May 29, 2024 7:35 AM

Jane Le

South Africa, the southernmost nation on the African continent, has become a popular tourism destination due to its diverse geography, stunning natural surroundings, and rich cultural heritage. To have a trip to this wonderful nation, travelers must pay the South Africa visa fee in order to continue the visa application process. Thus, this article will be a great choice for you to completely comprehend this visa fee if you want to receive authorization to enter South Africa.

WHAT IS A SOUTH AFRICA VISA FEE?

First of all, you should understand what a South Africa visa fee is before learning more about it. Actually, it refers to an administrative expense paid during the visa application process for entry into South Africa.

South Africa visa fee - The definition

The South Africa visa fee is an administrative expense paid during the visa application process

THE VISA-EXEMPTION POLICY OF SOUTH AFRICA

No matter why you want to visit South Africa, you must apply for a visa in advance. This implies that you will not be allowed to enter South Africa if your visa is not valid. However, there are still a number of countries whose nationals are exempt from the requirements for South Africa visas.

According to the data of the South African Department of Home Affairs, here is a list of nations whose citizens can visit South Africa without a visa based on the length of stay and the types of passports:

Country/Organisation	Type of passport
Country/Organisation	Diplomatic passport	Official passport	Service passport	Special passport	Ordinary passport
African Union laissez-passer	90 days
African Development Bank laissez-passers	90 days
Albania	120 days	120 days	120 days
Algeria	30 days	30 days	30 days
Andorra	90 days	90 days			90 days
Angola	90 days			90 days	90 days per annum
Anguilla	90 days	90 days			90 days
Antigua and Barbuda	30 days	30 days			30 days
Argentina	90 days	90 days			90 days
Australia	90 days	90 days			90 days
Austria	90 days	90 days	90 days		90 days
Bahamas					30 days
Barbados	30 days	30 days			30 days
Belarus	90 days	90 days	90 days
Belgium	90 days	90 days			90 days
Belize	30 days	30 days			30 days
Benin	30 days	30 days			30 days
Bermuda	90 days	90 days			90 days
Bolivia	30 days	30 days			30 days
Botswana	90 days	90 days			90 days
Brazil	90 days	90 days			90 days
British Antarctic Territory					90 days
British Indian Ocean Territory	90 days	90 days			90 days
British Virgin Island	90 days	90 days			90 days
Bulgaria	90 days	90 days	90 days
Canada	90 days	90 days			90 days
Cape Verde	30 days	30 days			30 days
Cayman Islands	90 days	90 days			90 days
Chile	90 days	90 days			90 days
China	30 days	30 days	30 days
The Union of Comoros	90 days	90 days	90 days
The Democratic Republic of the Congo	90 days	90 days	90 days
Costa Rica	30 days	30 days			30 days
Croatia	90 days	90 days	90 days
Cuba	90 days	90 days	90 days
Cyprus	90 days	90 days	90 days		30 days
Czech Republic	90 days	90 days			90 days
Denmark	90 days	90 days			90 days
Ducie and Oeno Islands	90 days	90 days			90 days
Ecuador	90 days	90 days			90 days
Egypt	30 days	30 days	30 days
Ethiopia	90 days	90 days	90 days
Falkland Islands	90 days	90 days			90 days
Finland	90 days	90 days			90 days
France	90 days	90 days			90 days
Gabon	30 days	30 days			30 days
Germany	90 days	90 days			90 days
Ghana	90 days	90 days	90 days		90 days per annum
Gibraltar	90 days	90 days			90 days
Greece	90 days	90 days			90 days
Guernsey	90 days	90 days			90 days
Guinea	90 days	90 days	90 days
Guyana	30 days	30 days			30 days
Henderson	90 days	90 days			90 days
Hong Kong	30 days	30 days			30 days
Hungary	120 days	120 days	120 days		30 days
Iceland	90 days	90 days			90 days
India	90 days	90 days	90 days
Indonesia	30 days	30 days	30 days
Ireland	90 days	90 days			90 days
Isle of Man	90 days	90 days			90 days
Israel	90 days	90 days			90 days
Italy	90 days	90 days			90 days
Ivory Coast	30 days	30 days	30 days
Jamaica	90 days	90 days			90 days
Japan	90 days	90 days			90 days
Jersey	90 days	90 days			90 days
Jordan	30 days	30 days			30 days
Kenya	90 days	90 days	90 days		90 days per annum
The Kingdom of Eswatini	30 days	30 days			30 days
Lesotho	30 days	30 days			30 days
Liberia	90 days	90 days	90 days
Liechtenstein	90 days	90 days			90 days
Lithuania	30 days per annum	30 days per annum
Luxembourg	90 days	90 days	90 days		90 days
Macau					30 days
Madagascar	30 days	30 days	30 days		90 days per annum
Malawi	30 days			30 days	30 days
Malaysia	90 days	90 days	90 days		90 days
Maldives	30 days	30 days			30 days
Mali	90 days	90 days	90 days
Malta	90 days	90 days			90 days
Mauritius	30 days	30 days			30 days
Mexico	90 days	90 days	90 days
Monaco	90 days	90 days			90 days
Montserrat	90 days	90 days			90 days
Morocco	30 days	30 days	30 days
Mozambique	90 days	90 days	90 days		30 days
Namibia	30 days	30 days	30 days		90 days per annum
The Netherlands	90 days	90 days	90 days		90 days
New Zealand					90 days
Niger	90 days	90 days	90 days
Nigeria	90 days	90 days	90 days
Norway	90 days	90 days			90 days
Palestine					90 days
Panama	90 days	90 days			90 days
Paraguay	120 days	120 days	120 days		90 days
Peru	30 days	30 days			30 days
The Pitcairn Islands	90 days	90 days			90 days
Poland	90 days	90 days	90 days		30 days
Portugal	90 days	90 days			90 days
Qatar					90 days
Republic of Korea (South Korea)	30 days	30 days			30 days
Romania	90 days	90 days	90 days
Russian Federation	90 days	90 days			90 days
Rwanda	30 days	30 days	30 days
SADC laissez-passers		90 days
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	90 days	90 days			90 days
San Marino	90 days	90 days			90 days
São Tomé and Príncipe					90 days
Saudi Arabia					90 days
Senegal	90 days	90 days	90 days
Seychelles	30 days	30 days			90 days per annum
Sierra Leone	90 days per annum	90 days per annum	90 days per annum
Singapore	90 days	90 days			90 days
Slovak Republic	90 days	90 days	90 days
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands	90 days	90 days			90 days
Spain	90 days	90 days			90 days
Sweden	90 days	90 days			90 days
Switzerland	90 days	90 days			90 days
Tanzania	90 days per annum	90 days per annum			90 days per annum
Thailand	90 days	90 days	90 days		30 days
Trinidad and Tobago					90 days
Tunisia	90 days	90 days	90 days	90 days	90 days
Turkey	30 days		30 days	30 days	30 days
Turks and Caicos Islands	90 days	90 days			90 days
Uganda	90 days	90 days	90 days
The United Arab Emirates					90 days
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland					90 days
The United Nations laissez-passer	90 days
The United States of America	90 days	90 days	90 days	90 days	90 days
Uruguay	90 days	90 days			90 days
Venezuela	90 days	90 days			90 days
Vietnam	90 days	90 days	90 days
Virgin Islands	90 days	90 days			90 days
Zambia	90 days per annum	90 days per annum			90 days per annum
Zimbabwe	90 days	90 days			90 days

Note:

Foreign citizens are not required to pay fees for diplomatic, official, and service passports.
Belize, Benin, Gabon, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Republic of Korea, Thailand, and Turkey only require visa fees if the planned visit is longer than 30 days.
Depending on whether you hold a diplomatic, official, or service passport, the list of nations according to the visa-exemption policy of South Africa may vary. For further information, you need to contact the South African Embassies or Consulates.

WHICH TYPES OF VISAS SHOULD YOU USE TO ENTER SOUTH AFRICA?

You must decide why you want to visit South Africa and know exactly what type of visa you want to apply for before discovering the South Africa visa fee. It is true that there are numerous types of South Africa visas available to foreign nationals. To learn more about them, you can check out the information below:

Type of visa	Description
Visitor visa	Travelers with a visitor visa to South Africa can stay for up to 90 days for tourism or business purposes. The visitor visa is the most common type of South Africa visa.
Business visa	For a maximum of 90 days, eligible citizens may apply for a South Africa business visa in order to work or invest in the South African economy. The application form (BI-1738) must be filled out before making an investment or launching a business. Investors are required to contribute financially as well. Additionally, this visa is used for people who plan to do business in South Africa, such as attending meetings, conferences, or negotiations.
Work visa	People can apply for a work visa if they have received an offer of employment from a South African company. Applications for visas can be filed at a South Africa Embassy or Consulate overseas or at a Visa Facilitation Services Center (VFS) in South Africa.
Study visa	The study visa is used for foreigners who want to study at educational institutions in South Africa. The validity of the study visa depends on the length of the course.
Transit visa	The transit visa is granted to foreign nationals who want to pass through South Africa on route to one of its neighbors. The visa is only valid for a maximum of three days.
Tourist visa (E-Visa)	For foreign visitors who wish to come to South Africa for a brief vacation, a tourist visa is required. Applications for the tourist visa are now being accepted online only for 14 different nationalities. It will be delivered to your email after it is accepted. You can enter South Africa by showing the E-Visa at the border.

Note:

Besides the aforementioned types of visas, South Africa also offers other ones, such as an exchange visa, a retired persons’ visa, a relatives' visa, etc.

South Africa visa fee - The types of visas

There are many types of South Africa visas that you can use to visit this nation

HOW CAN YOU REGISTER FOR A VISA AT A SOUTH AFRICAN EMBASSY OR CONSULATE?

You can apply for a visa in person at a South African Embassy or Consulate with the simple steps below:

Determine the type of visa that you intend to apply for

You need to verify the main purpose of your trip to South Africa in order to choose a suitable type of visa.

Make an appointment

You need to make an appointment at the closest South African visa application office, which may be an Embassy, a Consulate, or a visa application center. You should ask them about their visa requirements and the South Africa visa fee before applying for your visa.

Fill out the application form

You do not forget to fill out all the details on the application form, then print and bring the completed form to the visa application center, the Embassy, or the Consulate after downloading it.

Prepare the necessary documentation

Providing the required documents for the South African diplomatic mission to which you submit is a must. Thus, you need to prepare them in advance. Here is a list of what you need to have in advance:

A completed application form (BI-84);
A passport or a travel document;
Two passport-sized photos;
Proof of your payment for the South Africa visa fee;
A certificate of vaccination against yellow fever (if required);
A return or onward ticket (in case you travel by air);

Besides these documents, based on the type of visa that you choose, you need to present other paperwork, such as proof of relationship to dependents, proof of sufficient funds, etc.

Attend the bookable appointment

You are required to show up for the appointment to submit your visa application in person. This implies that you are not allowed to have someone else as your substitute attend the appointment. You will need to submit the necessary paperwork and your biometric documents.

Wait for the outcome of your application

After submitting your application form and other documents, you need to wait for the result of your visa application.

Get your visa

You can go to the South African diplomatic mission to receive your passport, which contains your visa, after a decision has been reached. When you get your passport in person, you will need to bring a form of government identification along with your receipt. A representative may receive your passport if that person has your signed letter of authorization and the two aforementioned documents.

HOW MUCH BANK BALANCE SHOULD YOU HAVE WHEN APPLYING FOR A SOUTH AFRICA VISA?

The bank balance requirements for each type of visa are different, so you should consider the following information to prepare your bank balance well:

Type of visa	Description
Tourist visa	To apply for the tourist visa, you need to have a minimum amount of money that is the equivalent of 3000 South African Rand (ZAR) per month of stay in accordance with the high commission requirements. You need to make sure that you can easily access the money. Besides, your stable transaction history is of paramount importance.
Work visa	For the work visa, your employment contract states the remuneration that is adequate to cover living expenses. In fact, you need to have a balance that covers your spending for six months, and the exact amount depends on your situation.
Study visa	Regarding the study visa, the bank balance needs to contain a minimum amount of money that is equivalent to your tuition fees for one year plus your living expenses of 5000 ZAR per month.
Retirement visa	For the retirement visa, a minimum of 20,000 ZAR must be earned on a monthly basis from pensions, rental income, and other retirement investments. When it comes to the business visa, you must pledge to contribute 5 million ZAR to the company's book value in South Africa.

A BREAKDOWN OF THE SOUTH AFRICA VISA FEE

To complete the process of your visa application, paying the South Africa visa fee is a crucial step that you must not skip. In this part, we will offer you several useful insights into the visa fee:

South Africa visa fee

To learn more about the visa fee for each type of visa, you can check out the details on the list below:

Type of visa	South Africa visa fee
Visitor visa	$36.00
Study visa	$36.00
Transit visa	$36.00
Visa to attend business meetings (no more than 90 days)	$36.00
Visa to conduct research	$36.00
Treaty visa	$36.00
Medical visa	$36.00
Exchange visa	$36.00
A retired person's visa	$36.00
Business visa (more than 90 days)	$127.00
General work visa	$127.00
Critical skills work visa	$127.00
Corporate visa	No fee

South Africa visa fee - The visa fee

The South Africa visa fee may vary depending on the types of visas

Is the aforementioned South Africa visa fee fixed?

Unfortunately, it is not fixed. Depending on the South African diplomatic mission to which you submit and the type of visa that you intend to choose, the South Africa visa fee may be significantly modified. Therefore, it is recommended that you reach out to that diplomatic mission to understand its requirements for the visa fee.

Will I just pay for the South Africa visa fee on the list above to get a valid visa?

Actually, besides the visa fee, you also need to pay other fees, such as a mailing fee, fees for a passport or travel document, etc.

How can I pay the South Africa visa fee?

There are many different payment methods for your visa fee. In particular, your payment can be made by a credit or debit card or in cash.

PROCESSING TIME FOR A SOUTH AFRICA VISA

The processing time may vary depending on the type of visa that you apply for and the diplomatic mission to which you submit your application. However, it may last from 10 to 15 days or even longer.

THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF APPLYING FOR A SOUTH AFRICA VISA

Despite having a few disadvantages, applying for a South Africa visa offers considerable advantages for applicants. Here is a list of the advantages and disadvantages of obtaining this visa:

Getting a South Africa visa
Advantages	Disadvantages
You will have a chance to visit one of the most fascinating nations in Africa.	The documentation preparation and the process of your visa application may take a significant amount of time.
It allows you to experience the diverse geography, stunning natural surroundings, and rich cultural heritage of this nation.	The South Africa visa fee can be costly, with a variety of fees ranging from $36 to $186 based on the type of visa that you apply for.
Plenty of business opportunities can be offered to you.	It does not ensure that you can get your visa successfully. A refusal can be given to you if your visa application has a certain problem, such as wrong or unidentified information, late payment of the visa fee, etc.
It will add value to your resume if you have overseas experience.	Traveling to South Africa may not only cost a lot of money but also be time-consuming.

MUST-VISIT ATTRACTIONS AND MUST-DO ACTIVITIES IN SOUTH AFRICA

To understand the culture and beautiful landscape in South Africa, you should not miss the following tourist destinations:

Attractions
Cape Agulhas	Addo Elephant National Park
Cradle of Humankind	Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
Blyde River Canyon	Kruger National Park
Drakensberg Mountains	The Apartheid Museum
Table Mountain	Two Oceans Aquarium

South Africa visa fee - The Blyde River Canyon

You should visit the Blyde River Canyon in South Africa to enjoy its nature

Additionally, here are some must-do activities that you should join if you have a chance to visit this fascinating country:

Activities
Surfing in Jeffreys Bay	Driving along the Garden Route
Watching the beautiful wildflowers of Namaqua	Having a sight-seeing trip in Durban
Experiencing the Sun City Resort	Attending the Cape Town Jazz Festival for two days in late March
Observing lovely African penguins at Boulders Beach	Participating in the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival on the 2nd of January
Watching whales in Hermanus	Hiking Table Mountain in the Cape Town area

In conclusion, South Africa has a variety of wonderful things that are waiting for you to discover. To have a chance to visit this beautiful nation, paying the South Africa visa fee on time and then getting the visa successfully is a must-do. This step is very easy for you to carry out.

However, a few problems may be posed during the process of the visa application. If you need our support to solve these problems, you can contact us at [email protected].

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