Working
in SA: Work Permits
Do you wish to stay in SA temporarily
in order to explore or take up a job offer, or to set up
or run a business, or because you've been recruited or transferred
to the country? Here's information on work permit categories,
requirements and application procedures, and the answers
to some frequently asked questions.
Please take note: This
information is meant to serve as a guide only. Requirements
for work permits in South Africa are subject to change,
and each application is treated as an individual case. Always
make inquiries before travelling to South Africa.
Where can I make inquiries about work permits?
You should make inquiries at your nearest Dept of Home Affairs
office if you're in SA, at your nearest SA embassy, high
commission or consulate if you're abroad (see the 'SA offices
abroad' box on the right), or directly to:
Department of Home Affairs
Subdirectorate: Temporary Residence
Private Bag X114
Pretoria 0001
South Africa
Telephone: +27(0)12 314 8911
Fax: +27(0)12 328 3908
Info & inquiries on the Internet:
Protecting & creating job opportunities
There are limited employment
opportunities in South Africa, particularly for the country's
vast reserve of unskilled and semi-skilled workers. Accordingly,
work permits will normally NOT be issued to people who follow
an occupation for which there are already sufficient people
available to meet SA's needs - particularly unskilled and
semi-skilled workers - and employers wishing to bring workers
into the country from abroad will have to satisfy the Department
of Home Affairs that they are unable to secure the required
personnel locally.
Conversely, applications for work
permits from people who are in a position to contribute
to the broadening of South Africa's economic base will be
welcomed. Applications by skilled workers in occupations
for which there is a shortage in the country are encouraged,
as are applications from people wishing to set up a business
in South Africa where this will result in:
-
Capital being brought
into South Africa from abroad;
-
The manufacture of
goods for export; or
-
The employment of South
Africans.
Who should apply for a work permit?
Work permits are a form of temporary residence permit. They
are issued for a maximum period of one year, after which,
on application, they may be extended. You should apply for
a work permit if:
-
You wish to take up
temporary employment in South Africa, with or without
reward and whether for your own account or not.
-
You wish to set up
or run a business temporarily in South Africa.
-
You're a key employee
of a foreign company that wants to transfer you temporarily
to a branch or affiliate of the company in South Africa.
-
You've been recruited
to work temporarily in South Africa as an employee or
consultant for government in terms of an intergovernmental
agreement.
-
You wish to visit a
company in South Africa in which you have more than 25%
control share.
-
You wish to acquire
fixed assets in South Africa for speculation or rent.
-
You wish to visit South
Africa to produce a feature film, documentary or TV commercial.
-
You're a priest or
religious worker volunteering to work temporarily at a
religious institution in South Africa.
-
You're an au pair intending
to work temporarily in South Africa as part of a cultural
exchange.
Who should
apply for a work-seeker's permit?
If you have one or more job offers in South Africa, and
you wish to visit the country in order to assess the offer/s
further or to attend an interview with your prospective
employer, you should apply for a work-seeker's permit. Don't
be fooled by the name - this is NOT a permit for people
to enter South Africa to seek work wherever they may find
it. Your visit must be geared to assessing and possibly
taking up a job offer that was made to you before you departed
for South Africa. If you use the permit to look for any
other work in the country, you will be liable for arrest
and possible repatriation.
I'll be
working for an international company in SA - will I need
a work permit?
Whether you'll need a work permit, or merely a business
visa, will depend on whether you're being transferred or
merely seconded to your company's SA branch.
-
If your company is transferring
you temporarily to a SA branch or affiliate - such that
you'll be reporting directly to, and be on the payroll
of, the local branch - then you will need a work permit.
- If your company is seconding
you to a SA branch or affiliate for a specific purpose and
period - such that you will still report directly to, and
be on the payroll of, the parent company abroad - then you
will not need a work permit. Instead, you should apply abroad
for a business visa. See Visiting
SA
I'll be setting up and running a business
in SA - should I apply for a work permit or for permanent
residence?
Setting up a business is usually an expensive, long-term endeavour.
If you're only planning to stay in South Africa on a temporary,
short-term basis, then you should apply for a work permit.
Otherwise you should consider applying for permanent residence.
You can either do this before entering South Africa, or you
can enter South Africa on a work permit and then apply for
permanent residence.
See Immigrating
to SA
Work permits & permanent residence
If you have a valid work permit,
you can, if you wish, apply for permanent residence in SA.
In this case, you will have to submit proof of a satisfactory
work record while employed in the country.
See Immigrating
to SA
I have a work permit - what about
my family?
Your husband/wife and children
will need visas in order to accompany you to SA (unless they
are holders of passports of The United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland - including the British Islands Bailiwick
of Guernsey and Jersey, Isle of Mann and Virgin Islands -
or the Republic of Ireland). They will be issued with temporary
residence permits on arrival in SA. They can also apply for
work or study permits, either before departing or once they
are in SA. See:
I'll be back soon - will I need
a re-entry visa?
If you are in South Africa on
a valid work or work seeker's permit, and you leave the country
temporarily, you - and your dependents, if any - will NOT
need a re-entry visa, provided your permit does not expire
while you are out of the country. This holds even though your
permit may have "single entry" endorsed on it.
What if I
want to stay in SA for longer, or to change to the purpose
of my visit?
Work permits are issued for a maximum period of one year.
It is best to request the full duration of your intended visit
when you first arrive, as extensions are subject to additional
fees. If you wish to extend your stay further, you must keep
your work/residence permit valid by applying for an extension
at your nearest Home
Affairs office in SA. You should do this at least
eight week before your permit expires - once your permit expires
it cannot be extended, and you will be obliged to leave the
country and apply to re-enter from abroad. You should also
be clear about the purpose of your visit, as this may not
officially be changed once you are in SA.
Access/download your permit extension
application form online (PDF file requiring Adobe Acrobat
Reader, automatic free download): Select the appropriate form
here.
Will I be
allowed to change employer?
Not if you were allowed to enter South Africa as a contract
worker, or on the undertaking that you would be employed by
a specific organisation for a specific period only. You will
need to submit a full application to your nearest Home
Affairs office in SA, subject to all the requirements
of your original application.
Access/download your permit alteration application
form online (PDF file requiring Adobe Acrobat Reader, automatic
free download): Select the appropriate form here.
When, where &
how to apply
Get your permit before leaving
for SA
You must apply for your work permit, and await the outcome
of your application, BEFORE departing for South Africa. You
will not be allowed to enter SA until you are in possession
of a valid work permit.
Where to get your permit
Apply for your permit at your nearest SA Embassy, High Commission
or Consulate. If South Africa is not represented in your country
or a neighbouring country, you can also lodge your application
at any Dept of Home Affairs office in SA via a registered
employment/immigration agent or attorney.
For more information, contact:
Department of Home Affairs
Subdirectorate: Temporary Residence
Private Bag X114
Pretoria 0001
South Africa
Telephone: +27(0)12 314 8911
Fax: +27(0)12 328 3908
Permit application forms online
Access/download all the relevant application
forms online
(PDF files requiring Adobe Acrobat Reader, free download available)
Requirements for work permits
Listed below are the requirements
for applicants seeking to take up temporary employment in
SA. Requirements differ for applicants under other categories
(see 'Who should apply for a work permit?' on the previous
page) and inquiries should be made at your nearest SA office
abroad or through the Dept of Home Affairs.
- You must be between 18 and
51 years old.
- A work permit application
form, obtainable from your nearest SA office abroad, along
with a valid passport and two passport photos.
- The prescribed permit fee
- see the relevant Home
Affairs web page.
- An employment contract, signed
by all parties involved, specifying your occupation, the
capacity in which you are to be employed, the maximum duration
of your employment, and your remuneration.
- Your prospective employer
must provide substantive proof that steps have been taken
to ensure employment for SA citizens or permanent residents
- for example, press clippings of advertisements placed
for at least a month in national newspapers - along with
motivation for why the post cannot be filled by a South
African citizen or permanent resident.
- A curriculum vitae.
- The position offered must
commensurate your qualifications, experience and skills.
- If you're professionally
qualified, you must first register with the appropriate
SA bodies (for example, chiropractors, homeopaths, naturopaths,
osteopaths, and western herbalists must be registered with
the SA-associated Health Service Profession Board).
- Proof of your qualifications
- evaluated by the SA Qualifications Authority, in the case
of doubtful qualifications - especially if you're a technician
or engineer.
- Testimonials or service certificates
from your previous employees, indicating your skills and
competencies.
- A medical certificate.
- Your marriage certificate,
if applicable.
- A divorce decree or court
order, if applicable, as well as proof of maintenance paid
to family members (also in the case of separations).
- The full birth certificate/s
of your children, if applicable.
- If you are 18 years or older,
you must supply police clearance certificates for all countries
in which you have resided for a year or longer.
- English translations of any
documents submitted in another language.
- When you are issued with
your work permit, you will be required to make a cash deposit
or bank guarantee covering you and your family for repatriation
purposes. This will be refunded on your final departure
from SA, or if you are granted permanent residence, unless
you contravene the conditions of your permit.
Work-seeker's permits
Info & inquiries on the Internet
Who should apply for a work-seeker's
permit?
If you have one or more job offers
in SA, and you wish to visit the country in order to assess
the offer/s further or to attend an interview with your prospective
employer, you should apply for a work-seeker's permit. Note
that you must have an offer of a proper full-time job - offers
of part-time jobs, or jobs paying on a commission basis, will
not qualify you for a work-seeker's permit. For the most part,
work-seeker's permits are granted to people who are highly
skilled and professionally qualified.
Does a work-seeker's permit allow
me to look for other work while I'm in SA?
NO, it is NOT a permit for people
to enter SA to seek work wherever they may find it. Your visit
must be geared to assessing and possibly taking up a job offer
that was made to you before you departed for SA. If you use
the permit to look for any other work in the country, you
will be liable for arrest and possible repatriation.
But what if I decide I'm interested
in pursuing another occupation?
The field of employment on your
work-seeker's permit cannot be changed. If you decide you
want to pursue an occupation other than that specified on
your permit, you'll have to return to your home country and
re-apply for a work or work-seeker's permit from there.
How long do I have to assess the
job offer?
Work-seeker's permit are granted
for a period of three months, and extensions are only granted
for short periods under exceptional circumstances. If you
get the job and decide to take it up, you should at once apply
for a work permit at your nearest Dept
of Home Affairs office in SA. Only once this has been
issued can you start your new job.
Requirements for work-seeker's permits
As for when and where to apply
for your work-seeker's permit - see When,
where & how to apply for a work permit. As for
how, you'll need to complete and submit a permit application
form, along with:
- A valid passport and two passport photos.
- Certified copies of your highest academic
and other qualifications.
- Testimonials from previous employers
confirming your skills and competencies.
- Information on the employer with whom
you are negotiating or entering into a contract, along with
any relevant correspondence.
- Clear indication of the specific region
in SA where you are considering working.
- The prescribed permit application fee
must be paid (see the relevant Dept
of Home Affairs web page) as well as a refundable
cash deposit for possible repatriation purposes (check with
your nearest SA office abroad).
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