How Much is South African Visa Fee in Nigeria – Updated

How Much is South African Visa Fee in Nigeria

South Africa is one of the most important countries that form an integral part of Africa. Located at the tip south of Africa, and with its very beautiful and enchanting city of Cape Town, the country forms an interesting point of destination for foreign visitors and tourists. South Africa is made up of a wonderful mix of exciting game parks, enchanting nightlife, vineyards and of course people from different races. Nigerians represent a significant percentage of people who visit South Africa on a yearly basis for a variety of reasons. For the tourists, this may be the games parks and beautiful cities, for students, the availability of quality education while for the business minded people it’s the economy and myriad of opportunities in the country that comes in very attractive.

Applying for a South African visa in Nigeria is not an especially hard task. Apart from the couple of forms you have to fill and the very important the documents you must provide, a vital aspect you must take care of is the payment of all necessary visa application and service fees. These fees vary and depend on the class of visa for which you are applying such that applicant going for a short term tourist visa will pay a significantly different amount from what a person applying for a long term critical skill work permit will pay.

In this article, I am going to make a list of South African visa types available and discuss all accompanying visa application and processing fees attached to each visa type.

1. Short Term Visa Fees

The short term visa types are issued to individuals travelling to South Africa for not longer than three months. As soon as the visa becomes invalid, the holder must return back to his/her country.

It is permissible for a Nigerian to study during a short stay visit as long as it remains within the period for which the visa was issued. Short term visas include visitor’s visa, visas issued to applicants pursuing certain classes of business or attending trainings, conferences, interviews, meetings or those seeking medical care at private hospitals within South Africa. Short term visa is also issued to tourists and those travelling to visit relatives for a short period.

-Short term Visitor/Holiday Visa Fees

The Short term visitor or holiday visa fees include;

1. Visa application fees which is 7,071NGN and
2. Service charge which is 25,200 NGN

 

1. Long Term Visas/Permits

This class of visa includes those issued to applicants whose purpose of travel to South Africa is for long term business venture, study, medical treatment, general work and those seeking permanent residence. The long term visa is also issued to applicants travelling based on intra company transfer and exchange.

The long term visas or permits available to travel to South Africa for a long or permanent stay and their corresponding fees includes the following:

1. The Critical Skill Work Visa/Permit

This class of visa will be issued to individuals who possess certain critical skills that are considered important to the economy of South Africa. They are workers who are highly needed for ready jobs in the country. The critical work Visa fees include;

1. Visa application fee which is 25,288NGN.
2. Service charge which is 25,200 NGN

 

2. Study Visa fees

The study visa is issued to applicants who intend to travel to South Africa for the purpose of academic study or research. For a study visa to South Africa, you are required to pay study visa fee which includes;

1. Visa application fees which is 7,071NGN.
2. Service charge which is 25,200 NGN

 

3. General Work Visa/Permit

The general work visa or permit is the class of visa issued to applicants who do not meet any specified form of work visa but are able to tender a letter of employment from a South African employer. Applicant for the general work permit must also be able to prove that his or her prospective employer has employed South African citizens first and he or she is unavoidably required for the job. After working on such job for a period of five years, the individual is allowed to go ahead and apply for a permanent resident permit in South Africa.

General Work Visa/Permit Fees

1. Visa application fees which is 25,288NGN.
2. Service charge which is 25,200 NGN

 

4. Relative Visa / Permit

The Relative visa or permit is issued for applicants who intend to migrate to South Africa through the relatives permit process. Here, a close family member who is already a permanent resident in South Africa or a South African citizen intends to sponsor and accommodate his or her family member immigrating to South Africa permanently. An individual is allowed to apply for a permanent residence of South Africa by virtue of having a South African citizen (or South African permanent resident holder) as relative. The relatives permit is most suitable for individuals who are below 18 years of age and are direct relatives (first kin such as parent- child relationship) of a South African citizen or permanent resident.

Important note:

1. In order to successfully apply for permanent residence through the relative permit, it is important to already hold a valid temporary relative visa
2. If you successfully obtain a permanent residence through the relative visa, you have almost all benefits that accrue to a South African citizen and are allowed to work study or start your own business in the country.
3. The period of processing a relative permits varies based on the duration posted by the department of home affairs through the visa application offices. It is important to bear in mind that the processing may take up to two years to be finalized.
4. For a relative permit, the applicant is supposed to provide proof of funds to the tune of ZAR8, 500 monthly by the sponsor or jointly by sponsor and applicant.

Relative Visa / Permit Fees

The Relative Visa / Permit Visa fees include;

1. Visa application fee which is 7,071NGN.
2. Service charge which is 25,200 NGN
3. Business Visa/ Permit

Applicants who intend to establish a business in South Africa may be granted the business permanent resident visa provided their business plan include over 60percent of their employees being South Africans and also such business must have a financial investment of at least ZAR5million in the South Africa.

This class of permit also requires that the applicant receive a formal backing from the Department of Trade in South Africa affirming that such business has been or would be carried out to the national advantage of South Africa and is totally legal.

Business Visa/ Permit Fees

The Business Visa/ Permit Fees include;

1. Visa fees which is 25,288NGN.
2. Service charge which is 25,200 NGN
3. Retirement Visa/Permit

The retirement visa or permit is issued to individuals who intend to spend their entire retirement period or later life in South Africa. These set of individuals must as a requirement not be in need of a job or intend to study or carry out any business while in South Africa. The retirement visa/permit is a long term visa and has no age restrictions as to who can apply as long as such individual can meet the requirement.

Applicants must have proof to show at least a monthly income equivalent of ZAR37, 000 in form of annuities, pensions or income from asset rentals.

Retirement Visa/Permit Fees

1. Visa fees which is 7,071NGN.
2. Service charge which is 25,200 NGN

Important Tips to Note Before You Pay Your South African Visa Fees

1. The service fees stated above are for applications carried out at the VFS visa application centres in Lagos and Abuja.
2. For VFS Port Harcourt applicants, the service charge per visa application is currently set as 45,200NGN
3. It is important to note that all payments for the South African visa in Nigeria should only be made in naira and at the Bank Implant located within the VFS Application centre.
4. Applicants in Port Harcourt are expected to pay their fees in cash at the Sterling Bank branch located at Woji road, GRA, Port Harcourt
5. The visa application and service fees are subject to review without prior notification to applicants therefore ensure you check the visa application website here for current visa application and service fees before making payment.
6. All your applications must the submitted with details of payment. Without the details of payment attached, your application will most likely be rejected and returned to you.
7. For every payment you make concerning South African visa application, there is always a receipt issued as an evidence of payment. Always make a copy of your payment receipt and keep for reference.
8. Note that once your application processing has started, you will not get any refund even if your application is not approved. All fees are non refundable and cannot be transferred from one applicant to the other.

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