South Africa Financially Independent Permit

The financially independent permit is permanent residence under section 27(f) of the Immigration Act. It's for people who can prove a net worth of at least ZAR 12,000,000 and who pay a set amount to the state once the permit is approved (DHA).

• Status: active
• Net worth: at least ZAR 12,000,000
• Payment on approval: ZAR 120,000
• Application fee: ZAR 1,520
• Family: Yes, a spouse and dependent children apply with their own document sets
• Work allowed: Yes

The South Africa guide compares it with the temporary routes.

• Net worth: proof of the prescribed minimum net worth of ZAR 12,000,000, an amount the Minister sets from time to time.
• Payment: a written undertaking to pay ZAR 120,000 to the Director-General once the application is approved.
• Police clearance: a certificate from each country where the applicant lived for 12 months or longer after turning 18, other than South Africa.
• Health: a medical report and a radiological report, each no older than six months, plus a yellow fever certificate where the travel history calls for one.

DHA's list doesn't require a job, a business or local income. An accompanying spouse files the same documents except the net worth proof and the payment undertaking (DHA).

The DHA document list for the main applicant:

1. Form DHA-947, completed online. Handwritten forms aren't accepted.
2. Payment of the ZAR 1,520 application fee.
3. A valid original passport and a recent passport photo for each applicant.
4. An unabridged birth certificate or extract from the birth record, and a deed poll for anyone who changed name, surname or sex.
5. Original police clearance certificates from every country where the applicant lived for 12 months or longer after age 18, except South Africa. The South African clearance is validated at biometric enrollment at VFS, for a separate fee.
6. A medical report and a radiological report, each no older than six months. Children under 12 and pregnant women don't need the radiological report.
7. A yellow fever vaccination certificate, where relevant.
8. Proof of net worth of at least ZAR 12,000,000.
9. A written undertaking to pay ZAR 120,000 on approval.

Spouse: a marriage certificate or proof of the relationship, a divorce decree or death certificate from any earlier marriage and proof of financial support to each other. Children: proof of parental responsibilities or a consent affidavit from the other parent, and both parents' consent where only one parent immigrates.

Documents from the country of origin must be originals or certified copies, translated into English by a sworn translator where needed.

• Application fee: ZAR 1,520 (DHA).
• Payment on approval: ZAR 120,000, due only if the permit is granted.
• South African police clearance: validated at VFS biometric enrollment for a separate fee per applicant.
• VFS service fee: a private charge on top of government fees.

Other costs: medical and radiological reports, foreign police certificates, certified copies and sworn translations.

1. Complete form DHA-947 online.
2. Submit the application with the documents and the fee. Applicants in South Africa file at a VFS Global center, where biometrics are taken; applicants abroad should ask their South African mission how it handles permanent residence files.
3. Keep any temporary visa valid. DHA says applicants must renew their temporary residence visa while they wait for the outcome.
4. On approval, pay ZAR 120,000 to the Director-General. The permit is then issued.

No DHA processing time for this category could be confirmed, so applicants should keep their temporary status valid until the decision.

• Status: Grants permanent residence directly; applicants in South Africa must keep a valid temporary visa while the application is pending.
• Renewal: the permit is permanent residence, so there's no renewal cycle.

Holders have the rights and duties of a citizen, apart from those the law reserves for citizens (Immigration Act).

The permit comes with no tax regime of its own. DHA's material says nothing about tax, and a permanent residence permit doesn't by itself make someone tax resident.

Tax residence follows the Income Tax Act, not the visa. People ordinarily resident in South Africa are tax resident whatever their day count. Everyone else becomes resident under the physical presence test: 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 Interpretation Note 4).

Residents are taxed on worldwide income, subject to certain exclusions; non-residents are taxed only on income from a South African source. The tax year starts March 1.

Holders who keep income or assets abroad should check any tax treaty between South Africa and the other country.