---
title: "South Africa remote work visa 2026: requirements and cost"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/visas/south-africa
description: "South Africa's remote work visa, a visitor's visa under section 11(1)(b)(iv) gazetted on 9 October 2024, lets employees of foreign companies stay for more…"
dataset: 2026.10.7 (2026-10-13)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# South Africa remote work visa 2026: requirements and cost

South Africa's remote work visa, a visitor's visa under section 11(1)(b)(iv) gazetted on 9 October 2024, lets employees of foreign companies stay for more than three months and up to three years. You need a signed foreign employment contract and bank statements showing a gross salary of at least R650,796 a year, and you apply at a South African mission abroad before travelling.

Digital nomad visa. Official name: Visitor's visa under section 11(1)(b)(iv) of the Immigration Act for the prescribed activity of remote work. Facts updated 2026-10-04. Not yet reviewed by a person.

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Who can apply | Any nationality |
| Minimum income | $3,241/month (R650,796 gross per year (about R54,233 a month)) |
| Fee | about $36 (US$36 application fee at the South African Embassy in Washington; rand-based tariff at other missions and VFS centres) |
| Processing time | 3 weeks to 4 weeks |
| Initial stay | 3 years |
| Renewable | unknown |
| Leads to permanent residence | no |
| Where to apply | At a consulate: At the South African mission or VFS Global visa centre responsible for your country of residence, before travelling. Home Affairs plans to move the category to online application and adjudication as an interim measure through missions and service providers. |

## Who can apply

Any nationality employed by a foreign-based employer under a contract that allows remote work, with a gross salary of at least R650,796 a year. The published checklist is written for employees; self-employed freelancers without an employment contract do not fit it cleanly.

## What you need

- Completed and signed visitor's visa application form (DHA-1738)
- Statement or documentation explaining the purpose and duration of the visit
- Passport valid for at least 30 days after the intended departure, with blank pages
- Valid contract of employment signed by you and the foreign-based employer
- Three months of bank statements showing a gross salary of at least the equivalent of R650,796 a year
- Return air ticket or proof of reservation
- Proof of accommodation in South Africa, or a host's invitation letter with ID and proof of address
- Yellow fever vaccination certificate if you travel from or through a yellow-fever area
- Medical report on form DHA-811 and a police clearance certificate, requested by missions for stays over 90 days
- Proof of payment of the application fee

Income proof: Home Affairs defines sufficient financial means as a gross salary of no less than the equivalent of R650,796 per annum, evidenced by three months of bank statements. The annual figure divided by twelve is R54,233, converted at the ECB reference rate of 2026-10-02 (ZAR 18.7839 and USD 1.1225 per euro).

Fee: The Washington embassy lists a non-refundable US$36 fee for the remote work visa. Other missions charge the local-currency equivalent of the Department of Home Affairs visitor's-visa tariff, and external VFS Global centres add their own service charge on top.

Processing: The South African Embassy in Washington states that visas exceeding 90 days may take three to four weeks. Home Affairs itself publishes no standard for this category and applications lodged through VFS centres have been known to take considerably longer.

## How to apply

At a consulate. At the South African mission or VFS Global visa centre responsible for your country of residence, before travelling. Home Affairs plans to move the category to online application and adjudication as an interim measure through missions and service providers.

1. Confirm you have a contract of employment with a foreign-based employer that provides for remote work, and that your gross salary is at least R650,796 a year.
2. Complete form DHA-1738, write a statement explaining the purpose and duration of your stay, and collect two photos and a passport valid for at least 30 days after your intended departure with two blank pages.
3. Gather three months of bank statements stamped by the bank (or an online bank's written confirmation), the signed employment contract, proof of accommodation, a return flight reservation and, where required by the mission, a medical report (DHA-811), a police certificate and a yellow-fever certificate.
4. Book an appointment at the South African mission or VFS centre for your country of residence, submit in person and pay the fee.
5. After arrival, register with SARS if you are present for more than 183 days in any 12-month period (or immediately if your home country has no tax treaty with South Africa), and leave or reapply from abroad before the visa expires.

## After you arrive

Stay and renewal: Issued for a period exceeding three months and up to three years. Home Affairs has not published a renewal rule for this category; a fresh application from abroad is the safe assumption because remote work visa holders may not change status inside South Africa except in exceptional circumstances.

Residence: A visitor's visa does not count toward permanent residence. Holders are barred from taking South African employment and from changing to another visa inside the country; permanent residence routes (five years on a work visa, or financial independence) are separate applications.

Family: The gazetted checklist covers the remote worker only. A spouse or children apply for their own visitor's visas (typically as accompanying family) with proof of the relationship; they cannot work or study without the appropriate visa.

Taxes: If you are tax resident in a country that has a double-tax agreement with South Africa, you must register with SARS once you are present for more than 183 days in any 12-month period; if your country has no treaty, you must register with SARS from the start. South African tax residence also follows a physical-presence test (more than 91 days in each of six consecutive years and 915 days in total), so most holders stay non-resident but should file where required.

## In practice

- This visa is firmly for employees: the checklist requires an employment contract with a foreign employer, so freelancers and contractors should expect missions to reject a client-contract-only file.
- You cannot change status to a work or other visa while in South Africa on this visa, so decide on the long-term route before you apply.
- The remote work visa is a visitor's visa, so power of attorney, local employment and local clients are off limits; income must stay foreign-sourced.
- Cape Town has the biggest remote-work community; load shedding has eased since 2024 but a UPS or inverter for the router is still a common purchase.

## By passport

| Passports | Note |
| --- | --- |
| EU, EEA, GB, US, CA, AU, NZ, JP | Visa-exempt for 90 days as visitors, which is enough to scout, but the remote work visa must be applied for at a mission abroad before travelling; the 90-day visitor stay cannot be converted inside South Africa. |
| BR, AR, CL, SG, KR, IL, TR | Visa-exempt for 90 or 30 days as tourists; the same rule applies, apply from your country of residence. |
| All other passports | Nationals who need a visa even for tourism apply for the remote work visa at the South African mission or VFS centre for their country of residence; those applying from a third country must hold valid residence there (US B1/B2 holders, for example, are told to apply in their home country). |

## Cities in South Africa

- [Cape Town](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/cape-town): Mountain, ocean and wine, at rand prices
- [Durban](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/durban): Subtropical surf city on the Indian Ocean
- [Gqeberha](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/gqeberha): The friendly city on Algoa Bay, formerly Port Elizabeth
- [Hermanus](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/hermanus): Whale-watching town on Walker Bay, about 120 km from Cape Town
- [Jeffreys Bay](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/jeffreys-bay): South Africa's surf capital at Supertubes, cheap and laid-back
- [Johannesburg](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/johannesburg): South Africa's economic engine
- [Knysna](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/knysna): Garden Route lagoon town between forest and the Knysna Heads
- [Plettenberg Bay](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/plettenberg-bay): Garden Route resort town with lagoon, beaches and Robberg
- [Pretoria](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/pretoria): South Africa's jacaranda-lined administrative capital, 40 minutes from Joburg by Gautrain
- [Stellenbosch](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/stellenbosch): Cape Winelands university town under the mountains

## FAQ

### Who can apply for the South Africa remote work visa?

Any nationality employed by a foreign-based employer under a contract that allows remote work, with a gross salary of at least R650,796 a year. The published checklist is written for employees; self-employed freelancers without an employment contract do not fit it cleanly. South Africa's remote work visa, a visitor's visa under section 11(1)(b)(iv) gazetted on 9 October 2024, lets employees of foreign companies stay for more than three months and up to three years. You need a signed foreign employment contract and bank statements showing a gross salary of at least R650,796 a year, and you apply at a South African mission abroad before travelling.

### How much income do you need for the Remote work visitor's visa?

About $3,241 per month (R650,796 gross per year (about R54,233 a month)). Home Affairs defines sufficient financial means as a gross salary of no less than the equivalent of R650,796 per annum, evidenced by three months of bank statements. The annual figure divided by twelve is R54,233, converted at the ECB reference rate of 2026-10-02 (ZAR 18.7839 and USD 1.1225 per euro).

### How much does the Remote work visitor's visa cost and how long does it take?

The fee is about $36 (US$36 application fee at the South African Embassy in Washington; rand-based tariff at other missions and VFS centres); The Washington embassy lists a non-refundable US$36 fee for the remote work visa. Other missions charge the local-currency equivalent of the Department of Home Affairs visitor's-visa tariff, and external VFS Global centres add their own service charge on top. Processing time: 3 weeks to 4 weeks. The South African Embassy in Washington states that visas exceeding 90 days may take three to four weeks. Home Affairs itself publishes no standard for this category and applications lodged through VFS centres have been known to take considerably longer.

### How long can you stay in South Africa on the Remote work visitor's visa, and can it be renewed?

3 years. Issued for a period exceeding three months and up to three years. Home Affairs has not published a renewal rule for this category; a fresh application from abroad is the safe assumption because remote work visa holders may not change status inside South Africa except in exceptional circumstances.

### Does the Remote work visitor's visa lead to permanent residence in South Africa?

Not by itself. A visitor's visa does not count toward permanent residence. Holders are barred from taking South African employment and from changing to another visa inside the country; permanent residence routes (five years on a work visa, or financial independence) are separate applications.

### Can family members come with you on the Remote work visitor's visa?

The gazetted checklist covers the remote worker only. A spouse or children apply for their own visitor's visas (typically as accompanying family) with proof of the relationship; they cannot work or study without the appropriate visa.

### Do you pay tax in South Africa on the Remote work visitor's visa?

If you are tax resident in a country that has a double-tax agreement with South Africa, you must register with SARS once you are present for more than 183 days in any 12-month period; if your country has no treaty, you must register with SARS from the start. South African tax residence also follows a physical-presence test (more than 91 days in each of six consecutive years and 915 days in total), so most holders stay non-resident but should file where required.

### Where do you apply for the Remote work visitor's visa?

At a consulate: At the South African mission or VFS Global visa centre responsible for your country of residence, before travelling. Home Affairs plans to move the category to online application and adjudication as an interim measure through missions and service providers.

### Can freelancers and self-employed people get the South Africa remote work visa?

The gazetted requirements ask for a valid contract of employment signed by the applicant and a foreign-based employer, so the category is designed for employees. Self-employed applicants have no published route under this visa and should expect missions to apply the checklist literally.

### Do I have to pay South African tax on my foreign salary with the remote work visa?

Registration with SARS is required after 183 days of presence in any 12 months (or immediately if your home country has no tax treaty with South Africa). Whether tax is actually due depends on the treaty and the physical-presence residence test; most short-stay holders remain non-resident.

## Sources

- [Visitor's visa section 11(1)(b)(iv) for prescribed activity of remote work (exceeding 3 months to 3 years), effective 9 October 2024](https://www.dha.gov.za/images/notices/8october24/Remote_Work_Visa_-_requirements_-_9_Oct_2024.pdf), Department of Home Affairs, Republic of South Africa (dha.gov.za), retrieved 2026-10-04 (Document checklist, R650,796 gross annual salary rule with three months of bank statements, duration over 3 months up to 3 years, SARS registration rules, no local employment and no change of status)
- [Government Gazette No. 51366, 9 October 2024: Third Amendment of the Immigration Regulations, 2014](https://www.dha.gov.za/images/notices/8october24/Gazette-Third-Amendment-of-the-Immigration-Regulations-2014.pdf), Department of Home Affairs (gazette hosted on dha.gov.za), retrieved 2026-10-04 (Legal basis for the remote work visitor's visa and the points-based work visas; scanned gazette, text not machine-readable)
- [Department announces gazetting of Remote Work Visitor Visa](https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/department-announces-gazetting-remote-work-visitor-visa), South African Government News Agency (sanews.gov.za), retrieved 2026-10-04 (Gazetting date, purpose of the visa, interim application through missions and service providers)
- [Minister Leon Schreiber on cutting-edge visa reform to combat corruption and create jobs](https://www.gov.za/news/media-statements/minister-leon-schreiber-cutting-edge-visa-reform-combat-corruption-and-create), South African Government (gov.za), retrieved 2026-10-04 (Ministerial statement on the remote work visa and the planned move to online applications)
- [Requirements for port of entry visa (remote work visa), exceeding 3 months](https://www.saembassy.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/PORT-OF-ENTRY-VISA-REMOTE-WORK-VISA-MORE-THAN-90-DAYS.pdf), Embassy of South Africa in Washington, DC (saembassy.org), retrieved 2026-10-04 (US$36 application fee, DHA-1738 form, medical report and police certificate, three to four weeks processing for long visas, apply in country of residence)

Not yet reviewed by a person. Not legal advice; confirm with the issuing authority before you book.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/visas/south-africa