South Africa remote work visa
South Africa's remote work visitor's visa is for employees of companies outside South Africa earning about R650,000 a year. It's for employees only, and you apply at a South African embassy or VFS centre before you go.
At a glance
- The visa
- Remote work visa
- What you need
- About $3,300 a month (ZAR 650,976 a year); in pounds, about £2,480 a month
- What counts as proof
- Three months of bank statements, stamped by the bank.
- Who can apply
- Employees of a company abroad: yes. Freelancers: no (the checklist asks for an employment contract signed by you and an employer abroad). Owners of a company abroad: no (the checklist asks for an employment contract signed by you and an employer abroad).
- How long
- Not confirmed since the October 2024 rules
- Without a visa
- British and American visitors: 90 days
The catch. Home Affairs counted 539 visas under the section that covers it in the year to March 2026, though that figure includes other visitor's visas. The regulation says R650,976, but Home Affairs and its embassies use R650,796.
See where you stand against South Africa and every other country. Check your income
How to apply
- Apply from outside South Africa, at the embassy or VFS centre for where you live. Washington takes applications in person, with an appointment.
- Immigration firms say you can't switch to it inside South Africa on a visitor entry.
- Once you've been there more than 183 days in any 12 months, you must register with SARS, the tax service. If you're not tax resident in a country with a tax treaty with South Africa, the rules say register regardless.
Fees and timing
- Washington embassy
- USD 55.
- Elsewhere
- Set by each embassy or VFS centre.
- How long it takes
- Four to six weeks at Washington; eight to 12 weeks at the Dubai consulate.
The documents
The main items. Your consulate's own checklist is the one that counts, so check it before you start.
- Form DHA-1738, signed
- Passport valid 30 days beyond departure, with two blank pages, plus a certified copy
- Two photos
- An employment contract signed by you and your employer abroad
- Three months of bank-stamped statements showing the income
- A medical report issued in the last six months
- Police certificates from every country you've lived in for 12 months or more in the last five years
- Birth certificate, travel plans and somewhere to stay
Health insurance
None of the embassy checklists we read ask for it.
Nomad policies differ on cover limits, excess and whether they're accepted for a visa. Compare nomad health insurance
Family, renewing and tax
- Family
- Not covered on the official checklists.
- Renewing
- We couldn't find official guidance on renewing. Immigration firms say apply at least 60 days before it expires.
- What it leads to
- Permanent residence rules are being rewritten
- Tax
- Register with SARS past 183 days in any 12 months
Worth knowing
- The regulation sets R650,976 a year, but Home Affairs and its embassies use R650,796.