South Africa provides a 90-day tourist visa to most Western countries. However, there are possibilities to extend another 90 days. With this extension guide, you can stay up to 180 days in total with a tourist visa. Apply for the Visa extension as soon as possible, since it may take up to eight weeks. In order to apply for an extension of your existing visa, you need to start your application for an extension 60 days prior to the expiryof your current visa. You will have to submit your application in person at one of the VFS Global centers in South Africa.
Types of South Africa visa and extension:
For most countries, The Embassy issues a 90-day visitor’s visa on arrival in South Africa at the port of entry, please note there are citizens of some countries that are required to obtain their visa prior to arrival and / or can only receive a visa for shorter periods. If you wish to check you situation, you can view the information on the Department of Home Affairs website, contact your local South African Embassy or Consulate or consult with an independent Immigration company. Should you wish to prolong your stay belong this period,it will be necessary to apply for an extension in South Africa. The period you can apply for an extension depends upon your first visa – if you received a 90-day visitor’s visa, then you can request for a further 90 days extension. If you received 30 days, then you may get to extend the visa for a further 30 days.
Here is everything you need to know for Extension of your South Africa visa - Visit the VFS office: The consulates at VFS will explain you how you can extend your tourist visa. In my case: Return Flight ticket within these 180 days (your return date determines the amount of extra days you will get) Copy of passport / visa Proof of enough financial incomes Letter of support Fill in the form: VFS gave me a form with what to fill in and what you need and where you need to fill in the form, which may differ for your situation. Then you can create an account, fill out the requested forms, pay by credit card.
Schedule an appointment:
Schedule for an appointment, this only works on Internet Explorer. The VFS office will assist you further to get your tourist visa extended. In this appointment letter, you will find the documents you need to bring along (like a flight reservation until your extended stay, copy of passport & visa, motivation letter).
Visit the VFS Office in Person:
In the appointment, the center requests you to bring all the documents in your appointment letter and checklist. You will receive an email after you scheduled an appointment. The VFS member takes all your documents and gives a tracking-number you can use to track your application.
Wait for the Decision:
It could take some time to get an update. Applicants should start the South Africa visa extension applications as soon as possible because processing times are currently around 6 – 8 weeks. Good luck with your visa extension!
How can Akbar Travels help?
So, are you all set to start your visa application process? If yes, then let us get started! The Visa Experts atAkbartravels.comwill assist you with the entire process of obtaining your South Africa Visa. We are experts in the travel & tourism sector with over 40 years of experience. We provide friendly, comprehensive, up-to-date visa services that cater to our client’s individual needs and have helped a significant number of individuals in getting a successful visa.
