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. Learn About Travel Registration Travel registration is a free service provided by the U.S. Government to U.S. citizens who are traveling to, or living in, a foreign country. Registration allows you to record information about your upcoming trip abroad that the Department of State can use to assist you in case of an emergency. Visit https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/ for more information.

U.S. green card holders (non-US passport holders) who are nationals of other countries must check the list of visa exempt countries to see if they need to apply for visas.
If your visit would exceed 90 days or if you want to travel to South Africa to study or to work, you will need to apply for a visitor's permit instead of a visitors visa.  Requirements for permit is not the same with visitor visa. Please note that foreigners who wish to visit South Africa must have a passport valid for 30 more days after the intended return date from South Africa.  The passport must contain at least two unused visa pages for endorsement purposes. The unused visa page needed for endorsement is separate from pages reserved for observations and amendments

English is generally understood across the country, being the language of business, politics and the media, and the country's lingua franca. But it only ranks joint fifth out of 11 as a home language.
South Africa's linguistic diversity means all 11 languages have had a profound effect on each other. South African English, for example, is littered with words and phrases from Afrikaans, isiZulu, Nama and other African languages.

• Visitor's (Tourist) Visas (90 days or less)
• Visitor's Permits (three months but exceeding three years)
• Visa Exempt Countries
• Countries whose nationals are subject to visa fees
• Entry Requirements
• Application Fees
• Where to file your Application 

Visitors (Tourist) Visas - issued on request to applicants intending to visit the Republic for a period between 1 to 90 days.
Visitors visas are for international travelers, (citizens of other countries) who has permanent residence outside the Republic of South Africa and who wish to go to the country on a temporary basis for tourism or business purposes for.

90 days or less.

A visa simply indicates that your application has been reviewed at a South African embassy or consulate and that the consular officer has determined you are eligible to enter the country for a specific purpose. The visa will allow you to travel to a South African port of entry (airport or land border crossing) where an immigration official will then determine if you will be allowed to enter South Africa and for how long you can stay for that particular visit. Visitors are restricted to the activity or reason for which their visas were issued. Applicants for visitors visas must provide evidence that they don’t intend to immigrate to the Republic of South Africa. On entry to South Africa, a visa is considered to be a visitor's permit. The permit's period of validity is calculated from the date of entry into South Africa and will be set out under the heading "conditions" on the visa label. Applicants must ensure that they apply for the correct visa/permit. Entry in the Republic may be refused if the purpose of visit was not correctly stated.

Entry Requirements for a Visitor's (Tourist) Visa Passport requirements when applying for a South African visa or permit Note:  Passports/travel documents must be valid for at least 30 days after expiry of visit to South Africa For nationals of countries whose citizens require a visa or permit: Passports (Including Travel/Emergency Travel Documents) must have: At least two (2) unused (blank) visa pages when presented at the Embassy or Consulate; one page for affixing the visa or permit by the embassy/consulate and the other page for endorsement of entry/departure stamp by the South African Immigration Services.  For nationals of countries whose citizens are visa exempt: Passports must have: At least one (1) unused (blank) visa page when presented to the South African Immigration Services upon arrival in South Africa. Note:  Visa pages referred above do not include pages reserved for observations, amendments and endorsements. Visa application form (BI-84). Flight Itinerary Two (2) passport photos with white or light background A statement or documentation confirming the purpose and duration of the visit e.g. proof of accommodation in South Africa such as hotel booking or invitation from the host and proof of host's legal status in South Africa ·         Prescribed fee of US$72.00 for processing.  Additional $16.00 for mailing for out of state applicants ($88.00 in total for out of state applicants) in certified bank check or money order. No personal checks will be accepted. New York applicants: Effective 1 April 2008, all fees for consular transactions including mailing fees (where applicable) must be paid in postal money order or certified bank checks only. Cash or personal check payments are not accepted. The postal money orders and certified bank checks must be made payable to the SACG, with the exact amount as no refunds will be made. Proof of sufficient funds (recent bank statement, credit card, etc). ·         Yellow fever certificate if the applicant will be traveling or intends traveling or traveled from or through the yellow fever endemic area. (Click here for list of countries falling within the Yellow Fever Belt) ·         Proof of U.S. visa status such as greencard, H1B, F1, etc. Any other documentation or proof that the visa official may deem necessary Processing Time: 5 days Where to file your application For residents of Alabama, District of Colombia, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Texas, Virginia, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands: The South African Embassy in Washington, DC Attention: Home Affairs Section 3051 Massachusetts Ave, NW Washington, DC 20008 Tel: (202) 232-4400 (202) 232-4400 (202) 232-4400 (202)           232-4400 Fax: (202) 244-9417 Email: consular.wa@foreign.gov.za Website: http://www.saembassy.org For residents of Connecticut, Delaware, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, West Virginia: The South African Consulate General in New York City Attention: Home Affairs Section 333 East 38th Street, 9th Floor New York NY 10016 Tel: (212) 213-4880 (212) 213-4880 (212) 213-4880 (212)           213-4880 Fax: (212) 856-1575 Email: consulate.ny@foreign.gov.za Website: http://www.southafrica-newyork.net For residents of Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wisconsin: The South African Consulate General in Chicago Attention: Home Affairs Section 200 South Michigan Avenue, 6th Floor Chicago IL 60604 Tel. (312) 939-6517 (312) 939-6517 (312) 939-6517 (312)           939-6517 Fax: (312) 939-2588 Email: sacgconsular@sacg.xohost.com Website: www.southafricachicago.com For residents of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming: The South African Consulate General in Los Angeles Attention: Home Affairs Section 6300 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 600 Los Angeles, CA 90048 Tel. (323) 651-0902 (323) 651-0902 (323) 651-0902 (323)           651-0902 Fax: (323) 651-5969 Email: info.losangeles@foreign.gov.za Website: www.link2southafrica.com
	United States of America
	*Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary - H E Mr W A W Nhlapo Minister (Corporate Services and Consular Affairs) - B Naidoo Counsellor (Public Diplomacy) - N Bayat (Ms) Counsellor - H J du Toit Counsellor - S Parker (Ms) First Secretary (Multilateral) - T G Kau (Ms) First Secretary (Economic) - T M Gunnie First Secretary (Public Diplomacy) - T T Kola First Secretary (Corporate Services) - N Jonas (Ms) First Secretary (Corporate Services) - T A Muhuma (Ms) Second Secretary (Public Diplomacy) - C T Heppes (Ms) Second Secretary (Economic) - L Eady (Ms) Second Secretary - V Maseko Attaché - S J Syster Attaché - E Mafune Attaché - Y M Morekhure (Ms) *Also accredited to Barbados
	South African Consulate-General 333 East 38th Street, 9th Floor New York 10016 Tel: 1 212 213 4880 1 212 213 4880 1 212 213 4880 1 212 213             4880 Fax: 1 212 213 0102 (Political) Fax: 1 212 883 0653 (Admin) E-mail: sacg@southafrica-newyork.net Website: http://www.southafrica-newyork.net Consul-General - F S Magubane (Ms) Consul - N Stofile Consul - L P Naidoo Vice-Consul (Political) - N G Sono (Ms) Consul (Corporate Services) - P M Pietersen (Ms) Attaché - N J Mtirara (Ms)
	South African Consulate-General 200 South Michigan Avenue 6th Floor Chicago IL 60604 Tel: 1 312 939 7929 1 312 939 7929 1 312 939 7929 1 312 939             7929 Fax: 1 312 939 0344 (Political) Fax: 1 312 939 2588 E-mail: sacgpolchicago@sacg.xohost.com (Political) adminchicago@sacg.xohost.com (Administration) sacgconsular@sacg.xohost.com (Consular) cmanuel@thedti.gov.za (Economic) Website: www.southafricachicago.com Consul-General - P N Magaqa (Ms) Consu (Political) - M R van Niekerk Consul (Corporate Services) - K Thamaga Vice-Consul (Political) - G S M Motlhamme Attaché - S R Chokoe (Ms) Consul (Economic) - C Manuel
	South African Consulate-General 6300 Wilshire Boulevard Suite 600 Los Angeles California 90048 Tel: 1 323 651 0902 1 323 651 0902 1 323 651 0902 1 323 651             0902 Fax: 1 323 651 5969 E-mail: info.losangeles@foreign.gov.za (General) admin.losangeles@foreign.gov.za (Admin) consular.losangeles@foreign.gov.za (Consular) cg.losangeles@foreign.gov.za Website: http://www.link2southafrica.com Consul-General - Ms J T Ndhlovu Consul - E G van Straaten Consul (Corporate Services) - M E Mpiyakhe Vice-Consul - K R John Vice-Consul (Consular) - C P Farham

Travel documents

Information and regulations on travel documents like passports and visas can change.  It is important for you to get this information directly from the United States Department of State.  To assist you in your search for information, we have included the links to the appropriate pages on the Department of States website.

Passports: http://www.travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html

Visas: http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/visa_1750.html