Treaty Visa South Africa

What is a treaty visa for South Africa?

A South African treaty visa is an official document that gives foreigners permission to enter South Africa to participate in programmes that have been agreed upon by South Africa and their respective countries.

Treaty visas are often issued when foreigners need to conduct activities that include political, economic and investment interests and larger scale social projects.

The treaty visa is issued for the duration of activities as provided in the treaty and may be renewed.

 

Apply for a treaty Visa

Who is a treaty visa for?

A Treaty Visa is issued to those persons participating in an activity covered by an international treaty agreement between South Africa and another country.

This is a kind of a visa issued to a foreigner conducting activities in South Africa in terms of an international agreement to which South Africa is a party.

How would I qualify for a treaty visa?

To enable us to apply for treaty visa the following evidence will need to be provided:

Note: Along with the usual general application needs, you will also need to submit the following

  • Return ticket or cash deposit
  • The nature of the programme and the treaty under which it is conducted
  • The fact that the relevant foreign national participates in the programme
  • The type of activities which the foreign national is expected to perform under the programme
  • Duration of the programme

What is the duration of a treaty visa?

The duration of the treaty visa will be determined by the purpose of your visit during application. Your stay will be determined by the duration of the activities that you are authorised to participate in and then granted upon a reasonable time limit.

A renewal may be processed should extended time be needed to complete activities specified within the treaty.

The processing times for a South African treaty visa are around 30-40 working days.

Pros of a treaty visa

  • No set time limit
  • Renewals are allowed

Cons of a treaty visa

  • Red tape and long lead times for application process
  • Have to specify every activity you will be involved in

South African Visa Options