Immigration to South Africa for Ukrainians

A visa may be issued for a specified period by the Director General to a foreigner who is a member of the immediate family of a citizen or permanent resident, provided that such citizen or permanent resident provides the prescribed financial security.

The financial support referred to in Article 18(1) of the Law is the amount per person and per month determined by the Minister from time to time by publication in the Gazette, which must be confirmed by a current salary certificate or a certified bank account statement not older than three months at the time of application. Provided that financial support is not required if a South African citizen or permanent resident has a dependent child. The amount set by the Minister is currently R8 500,00. Visas for relatives are issued for a maximum of two years at a time.

Applications are submitted to any regional office of the Ministry of Home Affairs or to the nearest South African embassy, mission or consulate abroad.

To apply for a visa, you must provide

• A duly completed BI-1738 application form 
• Passport with at least 1 free page for a visa.
• The passport must be valid for 30 days after the end of the planned visit
• Certificate of vaccination, if required by law.
• Payment of the established fee (does not apply to a spouse or children who are dependent on a South African citizen/permanent resident)
• A cash deposit equivalent to the cost of a round-trip airline ticket (not required for a spouse or children who are dependent on a South African citizen/permanent resident).
• An application and/or documents confirming the purpose and duration of the visit, as well as proof that you are the closest relative of a South African citizen/permanent resident (full birth certificate for children, marriage certificate for spouse and proof of kinship for other persons).
• A police report from each country in which you have lived for 12 months or more since the age of 18
• Medical and X-ray reports for yourself and all family members accompanying you (pregnant women and children under 12 years of age do not need to provide such reports)
• Proof of South African citizenship or permanent residence of a relative in South Africa in the form of an identity document or passport
• Confirmation of a minimum amount of R8500 per month per person to cover living expenses (this does not apply to a spouse or minor child dependent on a South African citizen/permanent resident).
• The visa holder is not allowed to work.

In South Africa, there is no investor permit, but an alternative solution should be considered - a financial independence permit.

What is the difference between an Investor Permit and a Financial Independence Permit?

An investor's permit is also usually a direct path to permanent residence in the country, but requires a significant investment from the immigrant. These investments must inevitably be made from funds located outside the country to which you are emigrating, and you will have to keep these investments in the destination country for a significant period of time.

The downside of this is that your capital will be tied up, and often with little or no interest.

A financially independent permit does not require you to make such investments or transfer any amount of funds to South Africa. Thus, you achieve the same result as with an investor permit - the right to permanent residence in the country without tying up your capital.

What are the eligibility criteria for obtaining a financial independence permit?

This permit is intended for individuals with a high level of wealth. However, such a high level of net worth in rand is quite achievable for many who have a stronger currency.

Applicants must prove that they have net assets worldwide of R12 million or more.

Are there any restrictions or obligations?

There are no obligations like in many countries where you are required to buy real estate, etc. Furthermore, there are no restrictions and once you have your residence permit, you can engage in any activity you wish, such as starting your own business or working.

You also do not have to reside in South Africa permanently, just enter the country at least once every 3 years.

Can my spouse join me?

There are two ways to do this - either apply for a financially independent permit for your spouse (or another permit if he/she is eligible), or wait for the main applicant's permit to be approved and apply as a spouse.

What fees are charged?

The application fee is R2 870 ($180) and an additional R120 000 ($7 600) fee, which is payable only after the application is approved.

A retiree permit may be issued to persons who wish to retire in South Africa, provided that they meet the financial requirements set out in the Immigration Act, 2002 (Act 13 of 2002) and its Regulations. Applications are submitted to any regional office of the Department of Home Affairs or to the nearest South African embassy, mission or consulate abroad.

In order to apply for a retiree visa, the following documents must be submitted along with the application for a temporary residence permit (BI-1738)

• Passport with at least 1 free visa page.
• 2 recent passport-size color photographs
• A photocopy of a valid residence permit, if available
• Payment for the permit (in cash or by bank transfer);
• Certificate of vaccination (if you have traveled or intend to visit the yellow fever belt)
• Proof of health insurance
• Medical and radiological reports
• The minimum payment for a foreigner must be a monthly amount that is set by the Minister from time to time; currently this amount is R37 000.00 ($2 327).
• The minimum prescribed net worth is currently R37 000,00.
• A police certificate from each country in which you have resided for 12 months or more since reaching the age of 18.
• A spouse and dependent children accompanying a retiree visa holder may be granted a corresponding visa.

Persons who are citizens of South Africa by naturalization or registration or who were citizens of any of the former TBVC member states by naturalization are considered naturalized citizens of the Republic of South Africa. Applications for naturalization must be submitted only in South Africa and at the nearest Department of Home Affairs office. 

Applications for naturalization can be accepted by the office only if the applicant has been a permanent resident for five (5) years from the date of obtaining permanent residence in the Republic of South Africa. The application cannot be accepted by the office if the applicant has held the residence permit for less than five (5) years.

All applicants who wish to apply and are eligible to apply for naturalization should be aware that the application process will only begin after the Immigration Service (IMS) confirms the existence of a permanent residence permit (PRP) in a written and signed letter confirming the existence of a PRP attached to the application. This will require the offices receiving such applications to first send a request to the IMS for confirmation of the PRP before receiving the naturalization application.

1. In the same period, send a request to SAPS for a police background check and attach the confirmation. (The SAPS certificate must be valid for six months).
2. Applicants must be informed that they must obtain a police clearance certificate and a letter of recognition of dual citizenship from the country of citizenship (or origin), which must be attached to the naturalization application.
3. Applications for naturalization must be sent to the Citizenship Section of the Head Office within five (5) business days of receipt of a fully completed application at the Head Office.
4. The application must be included in the 035 tracking system, which reflects all stages of the process.
5. All applications for naturalization must have a PR identification number with a copy of the identity card before they are accepted by the front office as naturalization applications.
6. Proof of language proficiency and a completed language test form must be attached to the naturalization application.
7. The requirements for submitting a naturalization application remain the same as in the Law on Citizenship.
8. In order to become a citizen of the Republic of South Africa, it is mandatory to attend an introductory briefing
9. To obtain South African citizenship, it is mandatory to attend the naturalization ceremony and appear before a judge. Failure to attend the ceremony will result in the revocation or non-issuance of the certificate.

NOTE

Applicants for naturalization are advised to continuously check the status of their application or the progress of their application with the Application Processing Unit, as approved applications requiring the signing of the Declaration of Allegiance will only be valid for six (6) months from the date of approval listed on page 035. Any delay in signing the Loyalty Declaration will be considered non-compliance. The application process will be immediately terminated and the applicant will be required to submit a new naturalization application.