A relative's visa may be issued for a specified period by the Director General to a foreigner who is a member of the immediate family of a citizen or permanent resident, provided that such citizen or permanent resident provides the prescribed financial guarantees.

The financial security referred to in section 18 (1) of the Act is an amount per person and per month determined from time to time by the Minister by notification in the Gazette, which must be supported by a current salary certificate or a certified bank statement not older than three months at the time of application. Provided that financial support is not required if a citizen or permanent resident of South Africa is a dependent child. The amount set by the Minister is currently R 8 500.00. Relative visas are issued for a maximum of two years at a time.

Applications are submitted to any regional office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs or to the nearest South African embassy, ​​mission or consulate abroad.

To apply for a relative's visa, you must provide:

• A duly completed BI-1738 application form 
• A passport with at least 1 free page for a visa.
• The passport must be valid for 30 days after the end of the intended visit
• Vaccination certificate if required by law.
• Payment of the established fee (does not apply to a spouse or dependent children of a citizen/permanent resident of South Africa)
• A cash deposit equivalent to the cost of a round trip ticket (not required for a spouse or dependent children of a citizen/permanent resident of South Africa).
• Application and/or documents confirming the purpose and duration of your visit, as well as proof that you are an immediate family member of a citizen/permanent resident of South Africa (full birth certificate for children, marriage certificate in case of spouse, and proof kinship for others).
• Police certificate from each country in which you have lived for 12 months or more since the age of 18
• Medical and x-ray reports for yourself and all accompanying family members (pregnant women and children under 12 years old do not need to provide such reports)
• Confirmation of South African citizenship or permanent residence of a relative in South African Republic in the form of an identity document or passport
• Proof of a minimum amount of R 8500 per month per person to cover living expenses (this does not apply to a spouse or dependent minor child of a South African citizen/permanent resident).
• The holder of a relative's visa does not have the right to work.

Persons who are citizens of South Africa by naturalization or registration or were citizens of any of the former TBVC states by naturalization are considered naturalized citizens of South Africa. Applications for naturalization are submitted only in South Africa and at the nearest office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. A list of the required applications and documents is available at https://www.southafrica-usa.net/homeaffairs/citizenship.htm

• Applications for naturalization can only be accepted by the office if the applicant has owned a permanent residence permit for five (5) years from the date of obtaining the permanent residence permit (PP) in the Republic of South Africa. An application cannot be accepted by the office if the applicant has less than five (5) years of tenure.

• All applicants who wish to apply and are eligible to apply for naturalization should be advised that the application process will only begin once the Immigration Service (IMS) has confirmed the existence of Permanent Resident Permit (PRP) in a written and signed letter, which confirms the existence of the PM to be attached. This will require the offices receiving such applications to first send a request to IMS for confirmation of the PR before receiving the application for naturalization.

During the same period, send a request to SAPS for a police background check and add confirmation. (The SAPS certificate must be valid for six months).

• Applicants should be informed that they must obtain a police clearance and a letter of recognition of dual citizenship from the country of citizenship (or origin) to be attached to the naturalization application.

• Applications for naturalization must be sent to the Citizenship Division of the Head Office within five (5) business days of receiving a fully compliant application at the Head Office.

• The application must be included in the tracking system 035, which depicts all stages of the process.

• All applications for naturalization must have a PR identification number with a copy of the ID before they will be accepted by the front office as applications for naturalization.

• Proof of language proficiency and a completed language test form must be attached to the naturalization application.

• The requirements for applying for naturalization remain the same as in the Citizenship Act.

• In order to become a citizen of the Republic of South Africa, it is mandatory to undergo an introductory briefing

• To obtain citizenship of the Republic of South Africa, it is mandatory to attend the naturalization ceremony and appear before a judge. Failure to attend the ceremony will result in revocation or non-issuance of the certificate.

NOTE

Applicants for naturalization should be advised to continually check the status of their application or progress with the application office, as approved applications requiring the signature of a Declaration of Allegiance will only be valid for six (6) months from the date of approval indicated on 035. Any delay in signing the Declaration of Allegiance will be considered non-compliance. The application process will be terminated immediately and the applicant for naturalization will be required to submit a new application.

The purchase of real estate is not a basis for granting a residence permit in South Africa.

There is no investor permit in South Africa, but an alternative solution, the financially independent permit, should be considered.

What is the difference between an investor permit and a financially independent permit?

An investor permit is also usually a direct route to obtaining permanent residence in the country, but requires a significant investment from the immigrant. These investments will inevitably have to be made from funds located outside the country to which you are emigrating, and you will have to keep these investments in the destination country for a significant period.

The downside to this is that your capital is tied up, and often with little or no interest.

The financially independent permit does not require you to make any such investment or remit any amount of funds to South Africa. Thus, you achieve the same result as when obtaining an investor permit — the right to permanent residence in the country without tying up your capital.

What are the eligibility criteria for obtaining a permit for financial independence?

This permit is intended for persons with a high level of welfare. However, such a high level of rand net worth is quite achievable for many with a stronger currency.

Applicants must prove that they have a worldwide net worth of 12 million rands.

Are there any restrictions or obligations?

There are no obligations like in many countries where you are required to purchase real estate etc. Moreover, there are no restrictions, and after receiving it, you can engage in any activity of your choice - for example, start your own business or work.

You also do not have to live permanently in South Africa, you just have to ensure that you enter South Africa at least once every 3 years.

Can my spouse join me?

There are two ways to do this - either apply for a financially independent permit for your spouse (or another permit if they are eligible), or wait for the main applicant's permit to be approved and apply as a spouse.

What fees are charged?

The application is subject to the following fees: an application fee of 2,870 rands ($180) and an additional fee of 120,000 rands ($7,600) payable only after approval.

Residence permit in South Africa as a pensioner

A pensioner's permit may be issued to persons wishing to retire in South Africa, provided that such persons meet the financial requirements set out in the Immigration Act 2002 (Act No. 13 of 2002) and the Regulations thereunder. Applications are submitted to any regional office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs or to the nearest South African embassy, ​​mission, or consulate abroad.

To apply for a pensioner visa, the following documents must be submitted along with the BI-1738 temporary residence permit form:

• Passport with at least 1 free visa page.
• The passport must be valid for 30 days after the end of the intended visit
• 2 recent color passport-size photos
• A photocopy of a valid residence permit, if applicable
• Payment for the permit (cash or bank transfer);
• Certificate of vaccination (if you have traveled to or intend to visit the yellow fever belt)
• Confirmation of medical insurance
• Medical and radiological findings
• The minimum payment to a foreigner must be the monthly amount periodically established by the minister; this amount is currently 37,000.00 rands ($2,327).
• The minimum prescribed net worth is currently R 37,000.00.
• A police certificate from each country in which you have lived for 12 months or more since you turned 18.
• Spouse and dependent children accompanying the pensioner visa holder can obtain the corresponding visa.