South Africa Visa Requirements

Before You Begin

U.S. citizens (U.S. passport holders) traveling to the Republic of South Africa for 90 days or less for tourism or business purposes do not need visas.  U.S. green card holders (non-US passport holders) require visas to visit South Africa. Your passport must be valid for 30 days from your return date from South Africa. Amendment pages in your passport are not counted as visa pages. A repatriation cash deposit of $800.00 is required for applicants studying in South Africa for one year or more. Consular fees are NON-refundable. If visa is rejected and resubmitted, new consular fees will apply. Your visa application must be processed in the proper jurisdiction, Swift Passport can process student visas in all jurisdictions.

Step 1: Gather the items listed below

Valid Passport

Submit your passport containing at least one blank visa page. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months from date of entry. If you do not have blank visa pages in your passport, Swift Passport can help you obtain extra pages or help you renew your passport; contact us for more information.  Please note that the last 2 pages in your passport ARE NOT counted as visa pages, those are amendment pages

South Africa Visa Application

Complete and sign a South Africa Visa Application

Two Passport Type Photos

Photo Requirements: Photos must have been taken in the last 6 months, be 2 inches by 2 inches in size, and have white background. Please face forward in your photo.

Option 1: email a photo to Swift Passport Services photos@swiftpassport.com using the following guidelines. Swift Passport will size and print your passport photos for a nominal fee of $15.

• Photo file needs to be attached to the email as a .jpeg file.  Other file formats cannot be properly formatted
• Have someone else take the picture of you; please do not send pictures you take of yourself.
• Please do not attempt to resize or format the photo in any way

Option 2: Obtain 1 passport photo from a passport photo service (Walgreens, CVS, FedEx, etc.).

1 Letter of Authorization

Print and sign the Swift Passport Services Letter of Authorization

Letter from your School

An official letter from the school/institution in South Africa confirming acceptance and enrollment in an academic program. Letter should state the duration of the program and contact details for program director.

Proof of Travel

Copy of round trip ticket, or itinerary from an air carrier or travel agent showing flight information and dates of departure to and from South Africa

Financial Requirements

Proof of sufficient financial means in the form of bank statement or notarized letter from the parents or funding sponsor stating financial responsibility

Birth Certificate

1 photocopy of your original or certified copy of your birth certificate. Click here for information on how to obtain a birth certificate.

Criminal Records

All applicants age 18 years or older must obtain a state police clearance certificate from any country they have resided in for 12 months or more for the past 7 years Medical Requirements

• Form B1-811 must be completed and signed by a doctor and stamped with an office stamp.
• A Radiological Report signed and stamped by a doctor
• A copy of Tuberculosis test results
• Proof of Yellow Fever vaccination (if arriving from infected area within 5 days).
• Proof of Health Insurance: A copy of your valid health insurance card. The New York South African Consulate requests all students to provide a copy of their personal health insurance card (not CIEE) and a letter from their health insurance company stating that the student has international health coverage which can be used in South Africa.

Additional Requirements for Minors

Applicants under the age of 21, not traveling with both parents or a legal guardian, must provide a notarized letter of consent signed by the non-accompanying parent(s) or guardian authorizing the South African consulate to issue a visa to the minor. A copy of the applicant's birth certificate and guardianship or custody agreement documents are also required.

Payment

There are 3 fees associated with this service that can be paid with all major credit cards or a money order

• Swift Passport Service Fee: $125 normal processing (10 days), $175 rush processing (any attempt to get visa issued faster than 7 days)
• South Africa Consulate Fee (must be a postal money order): $72. Swift Passport will obtain this visa for you for an additional $5.
• Shipping: starting at $15. Swift Passport Services offers inbound and outbound shipping upon request

If you would like Swift passport to print your photos, there is a $15 fee as mentioned above

Submit your order to make payment for the above fees.

Step 2: Submit Your Order

• Option 1: Submit your order online
• Option 2: Call 877.917.9438 and place your order over the phone. Placing your order on the phone takes only a few minutes. Please be prepared to give us payment and shipping instructions.
• Option 3: Click here to print an order form. Complete the form and send it to Swift Passport with your visa application materials.

Step 3: Ship all Application Materials to Swift Passport Services

We highly recommend that you use FedEx to ship your application materials, as they are the most reliable shipping service and will provide you with accurate tracking information. Please ship your application materials to our Chicago location unless you have discussed an alternate location with our passport and visa specialists. Swift Passport Services can email you a pre-paid FedEx airbill to use for inbound shipping upon request. Please call or email us if you would like us to email you a pre-paid airbill. Applications will be submitted the day they are received if they are sent PRIORITY overnight.