Footnotes
1 Department of Home Affairs: http://www.dha.gov.za/.
Department of Home Affairs, Immigration Directive No. 5 of 2023.
The South African Department of Home Affairs has issued Immigration Directive No.5 of 2023 with the aim of reducing the burden on people applying for South African visas.1 This is in relation to documents that must be provided when applying for temporary visas or permanent residence permits.
Previously, a radiological report was required to ascertain the health of an applicant in the form of a chest x-ray for all foreign nationals applying for visas above the age of 12. In addition, a police clearance certificate was required from all of the countries in which an applicant has lived for 12 months or longer, where over the age of 18.
The radiological report requirement has been waived completely, while the police clearance certificate requirement has been partially waived, as explained in detail below.
The administrative requirements for visa applications are rather onerous and can cause delays in submitting applications for temporary visas. They can also lead to additional costs where a foreign national has lived and worked in many other countries prior to travelling to South Africa. This waiver will reduce this burden for foreign nationals applying for visas.
The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has abolished the requirement to provide a radiological report for the main visa applicant and his/her dependants.
While foreign nationals are still required to provide a medical report, the exclusion of a radiological report will greatly reduce the effort required in obtaining and collating documents for visa applications.
Following this directive, all foreign nationals applying for visas will only need to provide police clearance certificates for countries that they have lived in for 12 or more consecutive months in the last five years, before an application can be submitted.
This is a welcome change from the past system, which required police clearances from countries the applicant has resided in since that person was 18 years old, for the past 10 years.
Given the change in procedures described above, mobile employees and / or their employers who require clarification and guidance should contact their qualified immigration counsel or a member of the KPMG Immigration team with KPMG in South Africa (see the Contacts section).
Footnotes
1 Department of Home Affairs: http://www.dha.gov.za/.
Department of Home Affairs, Immigration Directive No. 5 of 2023.
Disclaimer
GMS Flash Alert is a Global Mobility Services publication of the KPMG LLP Washington National Tax practice. The KPMG name and logo are trademarks used under license by the independent member firms of the KPMG global organization. KPMG International Limited is a private English company limited by guarantee and does not provide services to clients. No member firm has any authority to obligate or bind KPMG International or any other member firm vis-à-vis third parties, nor does KPMG International have any such authority to obligate or bind any member firm. The information contained herein is of a general nature and is not intended to address the circumstances of any particular individual or entity. Although we endeavor to provide accurate and timely information, there can be no guarantee that such information is accurate as of the date it is received or that it will continue to be accurate in the future. No one should act on such information without appropriate professional advice after a thorough examination of the particular situation.
© 2024 KPMG Services Proprietary Limited, a South African company with registration number 1999/012876/07 and a member firm of the KPMG global organization of independent member firms affiliated with KPMG International Limited, a private English company limited by guarantee. All
rights reserved.
This content may contain information specific to member firms of the KPMG global organization in the following countries: South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mauritius. For more detail about the structure of the KPMG global organization, please visit https://kpmg.com/governance.
KPMG is the brand under which the member firms of KPMG International Limited (KPMG International) operate and provide professional services. Each firm is a separate legal entity and together they form the KPMG global organization. “KPMG in Southern Africa” is used to refer to the individual member firms within the KPMG organization in Mozambique, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, and South Africa. The member firms comprising KPMG in Southern Africa are not a global partnership, single firm, multinational corporation, joint venture, or in a principal or agent relationship or partnership with each other.
Unless otherwise indicated, references in this website to a 'member firm' or 'member firms' are references to member firms of KPMG International who are members in, or have other legal connections to, KPMG International, an English private company limited by guarantee.