Entry/Exit Requirements

The South African government has announced that the new regulations pertaining to the travel of children will be enforced beginning June 1, 2015. Those new requirements are discussed in detail below. Travelers are encouraged to obtain birth certificates, parental consent affidavits, and other documentation well in advance of this deadline. All travelers should visit the South African Department of Home Affairs (DHA) website and check the latest requirements with the nearest South African embassy or consulate before traveling. If traveling by air, you may also wish to consult your airline.

Rules Applicable to all Travelers

Your passport must be valid for at least 30 days after your intended date of departure from South Africa.

South African law requires travelers to have two fully blank visa pages. Blank “endorsement” pages are not sufficient. The blank pages must be “visa” pages. All travelers should have at least two fully blank passport visa pages upon each arrival in South Africa, including following trips to neighboring countries.

Travelers without the requisite blank visa pages in their passports will be refused entry into South Africa, fined, and returned to their point of origin at their own expense.

As a general precaution, all travelers should carry a photocopy of the photo/bio information page of their passport and keep it in a location separate from their passport.

U.S. citizen visitors to South Africa for stays of up to 90 days for tourism, short business meetings, or in transit do not require visas in advance. Visitor visas will be issued at the port of entry in South Africa. Applications to extend visitor visas may be submitted for a single 90-day extension while in South Africa and must be submitted at least 60 days prior to the expiry of the current visa. Additional extensions will not be accepted unless the visitor is in need of emergency life-saving medical treatment for longer than three months, or is an accompanying spouse or child of a holder of a business or work visa, who wishes to apply for a study or work visa.

All other travelers, including tourists intending to stay beyond 90 days, visiting professors, students pursuing a course of study, entrepreneurs, workers, intra-company transferees, and volunteers, must obtain appropriate visas before traveling to South Africa or they risk being denied admission and being returned to their point of origin.

Applications to extend a visa while in South Africa must be submitted no less than 60 days prior to the expiry date of the visa, or if the visa was issued for less than 30 days, not later than seven working days before the expiration of the visa.  See the DHA website for information about how to apply to extend the period of stay.

Travelers who overstay their period of authorized presence by 30 days or less will be declared “undesirable” by immigration authorities and barred from entering South Africa for a period of 12 months. Travelers who overstay a second time within 24 months will be declared undesirable for two years. Travelers who overstay for more than 30 days will be declared undesirable for a period of five years.

Travelers who have been declared undesirable may appeal this decision. Appeals must be e-mailed to: Overstayappeals@dha.gov.za. The following documents must be submitted with your email:

1. Written reasons for your overstay and why the decision should be reversed;

2. A copy of the declaration of undesirability (form 19) that was issued at the Port of Entry;

3. Copy of the relevant pages of the passport, including page with prior visa and biographical information page;

4. Acknowledgment of receipt (in cases where the applicant has applied for a permit and the status is still pending);

5. If the applicant overstayed due to medical reasons, a medical certificate must be submitted.

For confirmation that the appeal has been received applicants may contact the IMS Operational Centre at (012) 406-4586.

Rules for Children – To be enforced on 01 June 2015

These rules apply to children who are entering or departing South Africa. Therefore, the required documents should be retained in all circumstances throughout the stay of the child in South Africa.

The South African regulations use the term “unabridged birth certificate.” The exact contents of unabridged birth certificate vary among the different jurisdictions that issue birth certificates (countries, states, counties, cities, etc.), but the key distinction between an “abridged” and “unabridged” birth certificate is that an unabridged birth certificate identifies the parents of the child.  All documents must be original or copies certified as a true copy of the original by a commissioner of oaths or the equivalent commissioning authority.

• Where BOTH parents are travelling with a child, parents must produce an unabridged birth certificate of the child reflecting the particulars of the parents of the child.
• In the case of ONE parent travelling with a child, he or she must carry an unabridged birth certificate and:

(i) Consent in the form of an affidavit (issued no earlier than 3 months prior to travel dates) from the other parent registered as a parent on the birth certificate of the child authorizing him or her to enter into or depart from South Africa with the child he or she is travelling with (see sample affidavit of consent);

(ii) Copies of the identity documents or passports of the parents or legal guardian of the child;

(iii) A court order granting full parental responsibilities and rights or legal guardianship in respect of the child, if he or she is the parent or legal guardian of the child; or

(iv) Where applicable, a death certificate of the other parent registered as a parent of the child on the birth certificate,

• Where a person is travelling with a child who is NOT his or her biological child, he or she must produce:

(i) A copy of the unabridged birth certificate of the child;

(ii) An affidavit (issued no earlier than 3 months prior to travel dates) from the parents or legal guardian of the child confirming that he or she has permission to travel with the child (see sample affidavit of consent); 

(iii) Copies of the identity documents or passports of the parents or legal guardian of the child;  

(iv) The contact details of the parents or legal guardian of the child,

(Note: Where the parents of the child are both deceased, and the child is travelling with a relative or another person related to the child or the child’s parents, the South African authorities have the discretion to approve such a person to enter or depart South Africa with the child.)

• An unaccompanied minor must produce:

(i) Proof of consent from one or both his or her parents or legal guardian, as the case may be, in the form of a letter or affidavit (issued no earlier than 3 months prior to travel dates) for the child to travel into or depart from South Africa.  In the case where one parent provides proof of consent, that parent must also provide a copy of a court order issued to him or her in terms of which he or she has been granted full parental responsibilities and rights in respect of the child (see sample affidavit of consent); 

(ii) A letter from the person which is to receive the child in South Africa, containing his or her residential address and contact details where the child will be residing;

(iii) A copy of the identity document or valid passport and visa or permanent residence permit of the person who is to receive the child in the South Africa; and

(iv) The contact details of the parents or legal guardian of the child. 

Yellow Fever Vaccinations

Travelers entering South Africa from WHO-designated yellow fever countries are required to present their current and valid “International Certificate of Vaccination as approved by the World Health Organization (WHO)” (commonly called a “yellow card”) or statement of medical exemption (also located on the same yellow card). Additionally, South Africa treats Eritrea, Sao Tome and Principe, Somalia,  Zambia and Tanzania as yellow fever countries. This requirement has been imposed on travelers flying to South Africa via yellow fever countries, even when travelers transiting a yellow fever country do not deplane in the yellow fever country (e.g., flights stopping in Dakar, Senegal; Accra, Ghana; or Nairobi, Kenya), or if the plane makes an unscheduled landing in a yellow fever country. As a precaution, all travelers to South Africa should carry their original yellow vaccination card. South African immigration inspectors do not generally accept letters, scans, copies, or faxes regarding prior yellow fever vaccination. While this requirement may not be consistently applied, travelers who cannot present an original and currently valid yellow card risk being refused entry into South Africa. Yellow fever vaccinations are not administered at South African ports of entry for the purpose of entry into South Africa. Travelers are reminded that they are required to obtain a yellow fever vaccination at least ten (10) days prior to their arrival in South Africa in accordance with WHO regulations. South Africa may apply these requirements to people traveling from or through both high-risk yellow fever countries and low-risk yellow fever countries.

The U.S. Department of State is unaware of any HIV/AIDS entry restrictions for visitors to or foreign residents of South Africa.

Information about dual nationality or the prevention of international child abduction can be found on our website.  For further information about customs regulations, please read our Customs Information page. For country specific information about customs regulations, please visit the website of the South African Revenue Service.