New South African Visa Rules 2026: What's Law vs Proposed

By Visa Immigration SA

Four things changed in South African immigration during 2026 that already affect applications being submitted today. A great many more have been approved as government policy and will change nothing at all until Parliament passes a law.

Confusing the two is the most expensive mistake a foreign national can make right now. It leads people to delay applications they should be submitting, to prepare for requirements that do not yet exist, and — occasionally — to be told at a visa counter that the rule they read about online has no legal effect whatsoever.

This guide sets out the position on 21 August 2026: what has actually changed in the new South African visa rules, what is still only proposed, and what you should do while the two sit side by side.

On this page

What has changed in South African visa rules in 2026?
The 2026 position at a glance
Why South Africa’s immigration rules are changing
What has already changed
What is proposed but not yet law
What foreign nationals should do now
Frequently asked questions
What this means for your application
Speak to a South African immigration consultant
Official sources

What has changed in South African visa rules in 2026?

Four changes are already in force. The Electronic Travel Authorisation launched on 12 August 2026, a R500 electronic processing fee took effect on 17 August 2026, the points-based system continues to govern work visa decisions, and Trusted Employer Scheme Phase II is open until 4 September 2026. The wider reforms announced in the Revised White Paper — a new Skilled Worker Visa, a minimum retirement age, investment-based residence — are proposals, not law.

The 2026 position at a glance

Change	Status on 21 August 2026	What it means for you
Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)	In force — launched 12 August 2026	Digital pre-travel authorisation, rolling out by nationality
R500 electronic processing fee	In force — from 17 August 2026	Payable on ETA and online visa applications, in addition to the visa fee
Points-based system for work visas	In force — since 8 October 2024	You must score 100 points for a General Work or Critical Skills Work Visa
Trusted Employer Scheme Phase II	Open — 20 July to 4 September 2026	Employers must apply before the window closes
Immigration Directive 7 of 2026	In force — 1 April 2026 to 30 June 2027	Protects status while a visa, waiver or appeal is pending
New Skilled Worker Visa	Proposed	Would merge General Work and Critical Skills visas
Minimum retirement age of 55	Proposed	No minimum age applies today
Investment Visa replacing the Business Visa	Proposed	Apply under the current Business Visa framework
Investment-based financially independent residence	Proposed	Current R12 million route still applies
Remote Work Visa	In force — introduced by regulation in 2024	Up to 36 months working remotely for a foreign employer
Start-Up Visa and Sports and Arts Visa	Proposed	Not yet available as standalone categories
Sectoral work visas replacing corporate visas	Proposed	Corporate visa framework unchanged for now
Merit-based permanent residence	Proposed	Existing permanent residence categories still apply
PR quota and annual application window	Proposed	Would cap the number of PR approvals each year
Relative’s visa narrowed, with the right to work	Proposed	Siblings excluded; spouses able to work without a separate visa

Not sure which column your situation falls into? Take our free visa eligibility assessment.

Why South Africa’s immigration rules are changing

The Department of Home Affairs has spent the past two years pursuing a modernisation programme aimed at digitising immigration processing, tightening border security and making South Africa more competitive for international skills and investment. Much of that work has been administrative — new platforms, new procedures, new turnaround targets — and could be done without changing a single line of legislation.

The bigger shift is legislative. The Draft Revised White Paper on Citizenship, Immigration and Refugee Protection was published for public comment in December 2025, with the closing date extended from 31 January to 15 February 2026 by notice in Government Gazette 53954. The final document is dated 26 March 2026, and Cabinet’s approval was announced in early April 2026. Minister Leon Schreiber described it as the most fundamental overhaul of the system in decades.

The reason for the overhaul is set out plainly in the document. Between April 2021 and March 2025, Home Affairs received 122,304 applications for section 11(6) visitor’s visas — the route a spouse of a citizen or permanent resident uses in order to work — against 18,320 general work visa applications, 12,944 critical skills applications and just 435 business visa applications. The White Paper concludes that the current system “attracts far too few applications for the categories our country requires to drive economic growth”.

A White Paper is a policy document. It sets out what government intends to do. It does not amend the Immigration Act 13 of 2002 or the Immigration Regulations, and it does not change a single requirement for a visa application submitted today. Home Affairs must draft a bill, Parliament must pass it, and regulations must follow.

That is why the distinction running through this guide matters so much: what is in force, what is administrative practice, and what is a proposal awaiting legislation are three different things, and only the first two govern your application.

What has already changed

South Africa’s Electronic Travel Authorisation is live

President Cyril Ramaphosa officially launched the ETA at OR Tambo International Airport on 12 August 2026, following a pilot that had run since October 2025. During the pilot, Home Affairs processed more than 85,000 applications, roughly 85% of them adjudicated automatically against 40 security parameters, and refused more than 5,500 on fraud or risk grounds.

At launch, the ETA was available to nationals of China, India, Indonesia and Mexico, with Home Affairs indicating that further nationalities would be added over the following weeks. It operates at OR Tambo, Cape Town, King Shaka and Lanseria international airports, with land and sea ports to follow. An approved ETA allows multiple entries for stays of up to 90 days, and a further 90-day period can be applied for online.

Applications are made through the official portal at eta.dha.gov.za. Because eligibility is expanding, check the portal for the position applying to your nationality on the day you travel — and check first whether your nationality is visa-exempt, since visa-exempt travellers may use the ETA voluntarily but are not required to.

An ETA does not permit you to work in South Africa. It is a travel authorisation for tourism and business visits. Taking up employment requires the appropriate work visa, and using a visitor authorisation to work is a contravention with serious consequences for future applications.

A R500 electronic processing fee applies from 17 August 2026

Amended immigration fee regulations came into operation on 17 August 2026. They introduce a R500 fee for ETA applications, and a R500 electronic processing fee for visa and permit applications submitted and processed online. The fee is charged in addition to the prescribed visa fee itself.

Home Affairs has framed this as a saving rather than a cost. On the department’s own comparison, an applicant who previously paid roughly R1,975 — a R425 visa fee plus around R1,550 in outsourced service charges — would pay approximately R925 through the online route. South African citizens, passport applications and visa-exempt travellers who do not opt into the ETA are unaffected.

The points-based system decides work visa applications

The points-based system has governed General Work Visa and Critical Skills Work Visa applications since the criteria took effect on 8 October 2024, with an amendment following on 23 October 2024. It is not a proposal, and it is not new — but it is still the single most misunderstood requirement in South African immigration.

Applicants must score 100 points. Points are awarded for qualifications (50 for a master’s or doctoral degree, 30 for a bachelor’s degree or advanced diploma), for salary (50 points above R976,194 a year, 20 points between R650,796 and R976,194), for work experience (20 points for five to ten years, 30 for more than ten), for employment by an accredited Trusted Employer (30 points), and for language proficiency (10 points).

For a Critical Skills Work Visa, the occupation must also appear on the Critical Skills List. The list gazetted in February 2022 remains the operative one, and a review has been anticipated for some time — so if you are relying on the current Critical Skills List, confirm your occupation before you build a plan around it. If the category is new to you, our guide to what a critical skills visa is covers the fundamentals.

Any advice you find online that describes the pre-2024 General Work Visa process is out of date.

Trusted Employer Scheme Phase II closes on 4 September 2026

Home Affairs launched Phase II of the Trusted Employer Scheme on 20 July 2026 through a new online portal, and the application window closes on 4 September 2026.

Phase II widens the scheme to companies involved in strategic infrastructure projects, businesses establishing regional or global headquarters in South Africa, and qualifying financial sector entities. Applicants are assessed by an interdepartmental committee against four criteria: meaningful investment in South Africa, a workforce made up predominantly of South African citizens and permanent residents, demonstrable investment in skills development, and operation in a priority sector.

Accreditation matters twice over. It gives an employer access to streamlined, risk-based processing of its foreign employees’ applications — and, as noted above, it is worth 30 points to every applicant employed by an accredited company. For an employer that recruits internationally with any regularity, that is a decisive advantage.

Employers weighing up an application before the deadline can speak to our immigration consultants.

Directive 7 of 2026 protects applicants who are still waiting

Immigration Directive 7 of 2026 runs from 1 April 2026 to 30 June 2027. It allows foreign nationals who were lawfully admitted to South Africa, and who have a visa, waiver or appeal application pending through VFS Global, to remain in the country without falling into unlawful status while they wait for an outcome. Depending on the application type, it also permits travel and re-entry, with non-visa-exempt nationals requiring a port-of-entry visa to return.

There is one important exclusion. The concession does not extend to permanent residence applicants, who must independently hold valid temporary residence status throughout. Given the processing backlogs that continue to affect Home Affairs, that distinction has caught out a great many people with long-pending permanent residence files.

What is proposed but not yet law

Everything in this section comes from the Cabinet-approved final Revised White Paper, the document itself dated 26 March 2026. None of it currently governs an application, and the White Paper is explicit that it “establishes the framework for regulating visa while the detailed visa conditions will be addressed through the legislation (Principal Act and Regulations)”. Answering questions in the National Council of Provinces on 14 August 2026, Minister Schreiber gave the department’s target for that legislation: “the beginning of the next financial year, we hope to table a bill” — March 2027. Tabling a bill is the start of the parliamentary process, not the end of it, and the final requirements may differ from what the White Paper proposes.

A single Skilled Worker Visa

The White Paper proposes consolidating the General Work Visa and the Critical Skills Work Visa into one employer-sponsored skilled worker visa, adjudicated through the points-based system and open to workers at all education and experience levels.

The mechanics matter more than the name. An employer would sponsor the visa for the duration of the employment contract, and the worker would renew through that sponsoring employer. Workers who do not renew would be required to leave at the end of the contract; those who stay on unlawfully would be declared undesirable and barred from being sponsored for any future visa until that status is expunged. Workers who renew successfully could then apply for permanent residence without an employer sponsor — a deliberate change, intended to stop employers holding undue power over staff whose residence depends on them.

The category is also proposed as a route for international students graduating from South African colleges and universities to remain in the country.

None of this has displaced the current categories. The Critical Skills Work Visa and the General Work Visa both remain available, and applications are assessed under the categories legally in force on the day they are submitted.

A minimum retirement age of at least 55

This is the proposal with the most immediate practical consequence, because it would exclude people who qualify today.

The Retired Person Visa currently has no minimum age. Eligibility rests on the prescribed financial requirement: a pension, irrevocable annuity or retirement account providing at least R37,000 per month, or a net worth generating that income.

The White Paper is blunt about why this is being revisited. About 65% of applicants for retired person visas are younger than 55, a figure that reached 79% in 2018, and there are applicants younger than 16. The document describes the visa being used to circumvent the requirements for a work visa.

The proposal is that the visa “must be retained with a new age limit (at least 55 years), and increased retirement annuity in accordance with cost of living in South Africa”, with a waiver model for exceptional cases where wealthy individuals wish to retire earlier. The R37,000 threshold has been unchanged since 2014.

Two things follow. Applications are assessed under the rules in force when they are submitted, and the White Paper does not propose applying a new age limit retrospectively. If you are under 55 and considering retiring in South Africa, the window in which you qualify is finite.

An Investment Visa, and a standalone Start-Up Visa

The existing Business Visa is proposed for conversion into an Investment Visa, with the required capital investment gazetted on a regular basis by the Minister after consultation with the Ministers of Trade, Industry and Competition and of Small Business Development. The quota for employing citizens and foreign nationals would become sector-based rather than, in the White Paper’s own words, the current prescriptive and rigid quota.

A Start-Up Visa is proposed as a standalone category in the new legislation, and there is a practical point here that most coverage misses. The White Paper records that the start-up concept has already been incorporated into the current requirements for business visas, and that a visa waiver may be applied for where an applicant does not have the minimum capital investment. The standalone category does not yet exist, but a founder without the prescribed capital is not necessarily without a route today.

Permanent residence: merit-based, with a quota and an application window

Two separate proposals affect permanent residence, and together they are the most consequential changes in the document.

The first is merit-based eligibility. Granting permanent residence “will no longer be contingent on the number of years spent in South Africa, but rather on a merit-based points system”. Skilled worker visa and business visa holders would qualify after a period prescribed in regulations, assessed on qualifications, skills, economic contribution and alignment with national interests.

The second is a quota and window period. The White Paper proposes “a quota and window period-based system… to regulate the number of PR approvals annually”, with the Department determining both periodically in consultation with other government bodies. It states that the quota and window will be set predictably so that applicants are not subject to arbitrary decisions.

The financially independent route under section 27(f) — currently a net worth of R12 million and a R120,000 fee — is proposed for replacement by an investment-based financially independent residence visa rather than a permanent residence permit, issued on condition that a prescribed portion of the applicant’s net worth is invested in South Africa for a specified period. The Department also says it will explore benefits linked to foreign ownership of property. See our guide to the current financially independent permanent residence requirements, and to permanent residence through a critical skills qualification.

Until legislation passes, the existing permanent residence categories continue to apply.

Family visas: narrower, but with the right to work

The relative’s visa currently extends to the second step of kinship, which includes siblings. The White Paper proposes narrowing it, so that “a relative’s visa will only be issued to children, parents and spouses of PR holders and citizens”, with the South African citizen or permanent resident as the sponsoring main applicant and still required to prove sufficient financial means.

In exchange, it proposes combining sections 18(1) and 11(6) of the Immigration Act so that the relative’s visa holder can work, conduct business and study. That would end the present position, in which a relative’s visa does not permit work and spouses apply separately for a section 11(6) visitor’s visa in order to do so. Partners applying through the life partner route should watch this closely: the stated aim includes curbing fraudulent or multiple life partnerships.

Spouses of skilled worker visa holders would be admitted as dependants and would need their own visa in order to work, obtainable from inside South Africa through the points-based system with certain requirements relaxed.

A Sports and Arts Visa, and a sectoral visa replacing the corporate visa

A dedicated Sports and Arts Visa is proposed for foreign performing artists, athletes, coaches and sports industry professionals. The corporate visa, used for work that is short term and seasonal, would be replaced by a sectoral visa providing a legal framework for recruitment in those sectors. Treaty visas and intra-company transfer visas would be retained.

The Remote Work Visa is not a proposal. It already exists, introduced by amendment to the Immigration Regulations, and allows qualifying foreign nationals to live in South Africa while working remotely for a foreign employer for up to 36 months. Our guide to South Africa’s Remote Work Visa covers the current requirements.

How applications would be made, appealed and enforced

The processing proposals attract the least attention and would affect every applicant.

The ETA is intended to expand “to become the single point of application, adjudication and communication for all visa categories, eliminating all other application processes”.
A renewable visitor’s visa would be issued for a period set by the Minister. It would not permit work, study or business, except that the Minister may allow work performed on behalf of a foreign employer.
A single Home Affairs review, appeals, waivers and exemptions authority would independently reconsider decisions on visas, permits, citizenship, civil registration, entry refusals, detention and deportation. Its decisions would bind Home Affairs officials but remain reviewable by the courts.
Specialised immigration courts are proposed to move immigration disputes out of the High Court and shorten adjudication.
An Immigration Advisory Board would oversee policy formulation, implementation and enforcement.
Immigration would be re-established as a protected profession, restricting representation to registered immigration practitioners, attorneys and advocates. The White Paper attributes the current position to “fly by night” providers who disappear on their clients.
Administrative fines for overstayers would be reintroduced, allowing the Border Management Authority to fine travellers before re-entry rather than automatically declaring them undesirable.
To support South Africa’s efforts to exit the Financial Action Task Force grey list, amendments would enable the financial sector and SARS to bank and tax all immigrants without regard to immigration status.

What foreign nationals should do now?

The practical advice for the transition period is simple: apply under the law in force, not the law that has been proposed. Before you submit, establish six things.

Which visa or permanent residence category currently applies to your circumstances.
Whether your application may be submitted inside South Africa or must be lodged at a mission abroad.
Whether it is processed online, through VFS Global, or at a diplomatic mission — and what that now costs, including the R500 electronic processing fee.
Which supporting documents are currently required, and how long the slow ones take. Foreign police clearance certificates, SAQA evaluations of foreign qualifications, civil status documents and employer or financial documentation routinely take longer than applicants expect.
Whether any deadline applies to you — the Trusted Employer Scheme window closing 4 September 2026 being the immediate one.
Whether anything you have read online describes current law or a proposal. If it does not carry a date and a source, treat it with caution.

Waiting for the new rules is rarely the right strategy. Reforms of this scale take time; the final legislation may differ from the White Paper, and in categories such as the Retired Person Visa, the proposed changes would make qualification harder rather than easier.

Frequently asked questions

Have South Africa’s visa rules changed in 2026?

Yes. Four changes are in force: the Electronic Travel Authorisation launched on 12 August 2026, a R500 electronic processing fee took effect on 17 August 2026, the points-based system continues to govern work visa decisions, and Trusted Employer Scheme Phase II is open until 4 September 2026. The wider reforms in the Revised White Paper still require legislation.

Is the Critical Skills Work Visa being scrapped?

No. The White Paper proposes eventually merging the Critical Skills Work Visa and the General Work Visa into a single Skilled Worker Visa, but that requires legislation that has not been passed. Both categories remain available, and both are assessed under the 100-point system that took effect in October 2024.

Is there a minimum age for a South African retirement visa?

Not at present. The Retired Person Visa has no minimum age; eligibility rests on a pension, annuity or net worth providing at least R37,000 per month. The Revised White Paper proposes a minimum age of at least 55 together with a higher financial threshold, but that proposal is not yet law.

Do I need an ETA to travel to South Africa?

It depends on your nationality and the stage of the rollout. At launch, the ETA covered nationals of China, India, Indonesia and Mexico, with more being added. Visa-exempt travellers are not required to use it but may do so voluntarily. Check eta.dha.gov.za for the position applying to you.

Can I work in South Africa on an ETA?

No. An ETA authorises travel for tourism or business visits. It confers no right to take up employment. Working in South Africa requires a work visa in the appropriate category, and working without one jeopardises both your current status and any future application.

How much does the new South African visa fee cost?

A R500 electronic processing fee applies from 17 August 2026 to ETA applications and to visa and permit applications submitted online, in addition to the prescribed visa fee. Home Affairs estimates the online route at roughly R925 in total, against approximately R1,975 through outsourced channels.

Has the South African Business Visa been replaced?

Not yet. Government proposes converting it into an Investment Visa with sector-based minimum capital thresholds and employment quotas. Until that legislation is passed, foreign entrepreneurs and investors apply under the existing Business Visa framework.

Will there be a limit on how many people get permanent residence?

That is proposed, not current. The Revised White Paper proposes a quota and window period system to regulate the number of permanent residence approvals granted annually, with Home Affairs setting both periodically. It also proposes making permanent residence merit-based rather than dependent on years spent in South Africa. Neither has been legislated.

Can my spouse work in South Africa on a relative’s visa?

Not at present. A relative’s visa does not authorise work, which is why spouses of citizens and permanent residents apply separately for a section 11(6) visitor’s visa in order to work, study or conduct business. The White Paper proposes combining sections 18(1) and 11(6) so that the relative’s visa itself permits work, but that requires legislation.

What happens if my visa expires while Home Affairs is still deciding?

Immigration Directive 7 of 2026, valid from 1 April 2026 to 30 June 2027, allows lawfully admitted applicants with pending visa, waiver or appeal applications to remain in South Africa without falling into unlawful status. It does not cover permanent residence applicants, who must hold valid temporary residence status independently.

When will the new South African immigration law take effect?

There is no commencement date. The Cabinet-approved final Revised White Paper is dated 26 March 2026 and the approval was announced in early April 2026. On 14 August 2026, Minister Schreiber told the National Council of Provinces that the department aims to table a bill by March 2027. Parliamentary passage and regulations would follow, so applicants should plan around the rules currently in force.

What this means for your application

Read together, the changes point one way: South Africa is building a more digital, more selective, more economically targeted immigration system. The ETA, the points system and the Trusted Employer Scheme are that system arriving in practice. The White Paper is that system arriving in law, and it is still some way off.

For most applicants, the practical consequence is narrower than the headlines suggest. Your category still exists. Your requirements have not moved. What has changed is the cost of applying online, the deadline your employer may be facing, and the protection available to you while you wait.

What has also changed is the value of timing. In categories where the proposed rules would be stricter — retirement and financially independent residence in particular — the window in which current requirements apply is not indefinite.

Speak to a South African immigration consultant

Requirements turn on your nationality, your current status, what you intend to do in South Africa, your family circumstances, and whether you apply from inside the country or abroad. Two people reading the same rule frequently need two different applications.

Visa Immigration SA assists foreign nationals with temporary residence and work visas, spouse and family applications, retirement visas, business immigration and permanent residence. If you would like to know where you stand under the rules in force today, take our free visa eligibility assessment or contact our team.

Official sources

This article is general information about South African immigration law and practice as at 21 August 2026. It is not legal advice, and requirements differ according to nationality and individual circumstances. This page is reviewed monthly and after any Government Gazette or Home Affairs directive affecting the categories covered. For guidance on your own application, contact Visa Immigration SA.