South Africa Announced New Policies on Validity of Visas

South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs (DHA) announced new policies regarding the validity period of visas for foreigners in the country. All Visas will no longer be valid beyond the foreigner’s passport expiration date, meaning, the visas will no longer be transferable to renewed passports after the initial passport expires.

The policy was implemented immediately and will affect existing permits in the country. This will also affect current visa applications, in which case HR managers and relocation service providers are urged to double check the validity of their employees’ passports and have them renewed before the visa application to avoid getting a shorter visa validity period.

The DHA statement proclaims:

A visa issued with an expiry date beyond that of a passport is considered to have been issued in error and when discovered will be withdrawn.

For more information or inquiries, visit the DHA’s official website here.