South Africa Visa Information

Passport/Visa

	Passport Required?	Visa Required?	Return Ticket Required?
British	Yes	No	Yes
Australian	Yes	No	Yes
Canadian	Yes	No	Yes
USA	Yes	No	Yes
Other EU	Yes	1	Yes

Note
Passport must have at least one blank page for entry stamp. This cannot include the ’endorsement’ page at the back. Passengers who also require a visa must have a passport with two blank facing pages, one for the visa and one for their entry stamp. Anyone attempting to enter South Africa without the required pages will be returned to their country of origin.

Passports
Passport valid for at least 30 days after the intended date of departure required by all nationals of countries referred to in the chart above.

Visas
Not required by nationals of countries referred to in the chart above for stays of up to 90 days for business and tourist purposes, except the following :
(a) 1. nationals of Cyprus, Hungary, Poland and Slovak Republic who may stay for up to 30 days, and nationals of Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Slovenia who do require a visa, unless transit passengers continuing their journey by the same or first connecting aircraft provided holding onward or return documentation and not leaving the airport (advance notice of overnight stay is required).

Visa Note
(a) Proof of financial means may be required. (b) Unaccompanied children under the age of 18 years must hold written consent from their parents when traveling alone. (c) Nationals of countries not referred to in the chart above are advised to contact the embassy to check visa requirements (see General Info).

Types of Visa and Cost
Visitors, Transit: £35. Study Permits: £35 (depending on level of education). Business Permit: £125. UK nationals are exempt from visa fees.

Validity
Dependent on length of stay requested. Permits may be extended if done so 30 days prior to expiry of original permit.

Applications to:
Consulate (or consular section at embassy or high commission); see General Info. Applicants in countries where South Africa is not represented may send their applications to the embassy in the nearest country.

Working Days Required
10 calendar days.

Warning
Most visits to South Africa are trouble-free but you should be aware of the global risk of indiscriminate international terrorist attacks, which could be against civilian targets, including places frequented by foreigners.

There is a high level of crime, but most occurs in townships and isolated areas away from tourist destinations.

The standard of driving is variable, and there are many fatal accidents.

This advice is based on information provided by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the UK. It is correct at time of publishing. As the situation can change rapidly, visitors are advised to contact the following organizations for the latest travel advice:

British Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Tel: 0845 850 2829.
Website: www.fco.gov.uk

US Department of State
Website: http://travel.state.gov/travel

Health

	Special Precautions	Certificate Required?
Yellow Fever	No	1
Cholera	2	No
Typhoid and Polio	3	N/A
Malaria	4	N/A

Health Care
Medical facilities are good in urban areas but limited elsewhere. Doctors and hospitals often require immediate cash payment. Comprehensive health insurance is recommended. A leaflet on health precautions is available from the South African High Commission (see Passport/Visa Information).

Note
1
A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travelers over one year of age arriving from infected areas. African countries and the Americas formerly classified as endemic zones are considered by the South African authorities to be infected areas.

2
Visitors may wish to consider precautions against cholera, depending on the area in South Africa being visited.

3
Vaccination against typhoid is advised. An outbreak of typhoid occurred in the town of Delmas, Mpumulanga in September 2005.

4
Malaria risk, predominantly in the malignant falciparum form, exists throughout the year in the low altitude areas of Limpopo, Mpumalanga Province (including the Kruger National Park) and northeastern KwaZulu/Natal as far south as the Tugela River. The risk is highest from October to May. Resistance to chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine has been reported. It is strongly recommended that visitors to these areas take anti-malaria tablets before entering these zones. The recommended prophylaxis is mefloquine (World Health Organization) or chloroquine plus pyrimethamine (South African High Commission).


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