South Africa Digital Nomad Visa

South Africa's digital nomad route is officially the Remote Work visitor's visa, issued under section 11(1)(b)(iv) of the Immigration Act. It covers people employed by a foreign company who need to stay in South Africa for more than three months while they keep working for that employer (DHA requirements sheet).

• Status: active since Oct. 9, 2024
• Income: a gross salary of at least ZAR 650,796 a year
• Length: up to 3 years
• DHA fee: ZAR 425 for applications lodged through VFS Global in South Africa
• Local work allowed: No

The South Africa guide compares it with the retirement, family and work routes.

• Employment: a valid contract of employment with a foreign-based employer, signed by both sides. The visa is for work done for that employer, which may partly require activities in South Africa.
• Income: a gross salary of no less than ZAR 650,796 a year, shown with three months of bank statements.
• Passport: valid for at least 30 days after the planned departure date.
• Yellow fever: a vaccination certificate for anyone who traveled from, or through, a yellow fever endemic area, unless only in direct transit.

Holders can't take up employment in South Africa (DHA). The requirements sheet doesn't mention dependents, so family members should ask the mission handling the application which visa they need.

The DHA checklist lists:

1. A completed and signed application form.
2. A statement or documents explaining the purpose and length of the stay.
3. A return air ticket or proof of a reservation.
4. Three months of bank statements showing a gross salary of at least ZAR 650,796 a year.
5. A passport valid for at least 30 days after the intended departure date.
6. A yellow fever vaccination certificate, where the travel history calls for one.
7. The employment contract, signed by the applicant and the foreign employer.
8. Proof of payment of the fee.

Missions abroad can add their own rules. The embassy in Washington, for example, asks applicants who aren't US nationals for proof of legal residence in the United States (DIRCO Washington).

• DHA fee: ZAR 425 for applications lodged through VFS in South Africa (VFS).
• VFS service fee: VFS charges its own service fee on top. It's a private charge, not a government fee.
• Missions abroad: embassies and consulates charge the fee in local currency, so the amount differs by country.

Other costs include the return ticket or reservation, a yellow fever vaccination where needed and any translations.

Where to apply: South African embassy, high commission or consulate abroad (in person), or a VFS Global visa facilitation centre when applying inside South Africa

1. Collect the documents on the DHA checklist.
2. Lodge the application in person at the mission or, inside South Africa, submit it online and hand in the documents at a VFS Global centre.
3. Pay the fee in the form the mission or VFS asks for.
4. Wait for the decision. The embassy in Washington says visas for stays longer than 90 days may take up to 4 weeks. DHA publishes no single processing time for this visa.

Holders can't switch to another visa from inside South Africa, except in the exceptional circumstances prescribed for visitor visas (DHA), so the choice of route comes before arrival.

• Length: more than three months and up to 3 years.
• Renewal: No change of status to another visa while in South Africa except in exceptional circumstances prescribed for visitor visas. The official sheet sets no renewal route beyond the three-year cap.
• Residence: DHA material sets no route from this visa to permanent residence.

People who plan to settle need a different category with its own rules, such as the retired person's visa or a work visa, and the change-of-status rule above applies.

The DHA sheet ties the visa to tax registration: Holders who are tax resident in a country with a South African double tax agreement must register with SARS if present more than 183 days in aggregate in any 12-month period; holders from other countries must register with SARS regardless of days.

Registration is separate from tax residence. For people not ordinarily resident in South Africa, the physical presence test needs more than 91 days in the current tax year and in each of the five previous tax years, plus more than 915 days in total over those five years (SARS). Residents are taxed on worldwide income; non-residents only on South African-source income.

The visa comes with no special tax rate. Holders should check any tax treaty between South Africa and their country of tax residence, and how that country treats time abroad.