A retirement visa can be granted for 4 years to someone with a monthly pension, irrevocable annuity or retirement account of R37 000 from a net worth/combination of assets realizing R37 000 per month and wishes to retire temporarily or permanently in South Africa.

A South African Retired Person's permit is ideal for people wishing to retire in South Africa temporarily or permanently subject to the financial criteria or parameters being satisfied.

This South African visa category is designed for those intending to retire in the country or wishing to have a long stay in South Africa with the need to renew the visa or permit. This retirement visa is not based on age but rather on assets, rental income and / or bank accounts generating income. It is based upon foreigner providing proof that such foreigner has the right to a pension or an annuity or retirement account which will give such foreigner a prescribed minimum payment for the rest of his or her life from the country of his or her origin; or a minimum prescribed net worth generating income for life.

This South African immigration visa is a popular option for seasonal visitors, i.e. those visiting the country for a period of six months or more. An important point to observe is that successful applicants are under no obligation to apply for permanent residence.
The temporary grant may be renewed indefinitely so long as the requirements continue to be met.

However, permanent residency does bestow additional benefits upon its holder. In South Africa, immigration through the retired person's route can be either a temporary visa permit or a permanent residence visa as outlined in the eligibility criteria summarized below.

• The temporary route is granted for four years and is renewable indefinitely for four-year periods.
• The permanent route offers permanent residents the same rights and privileges as those with South African citizenship, with a few key exceptions, most notably the right to vote.

In both the temporary and permanent residence category the, South African Retired Persons Visa is based upon financial criteria and unlike a South African Work Visa, no prior job offer needs to be in place before an application can be made. Although unlike temporary South African visit visas, retired people can permitted to work if they wish, provided they apply under the correct visa category – Retirement plus Work Visa

We wish to stress that the category “retired person", does not confer a maximum or minimum age limit for this class of visa for South Africa. Retired person's visas may be awarded to people of all ages, provided that the eligibility requirements below are met.

• A pension, retirement account or irrevocable annuity which has a value of at least R37, 000 per month. This requirement applies to each person making an application.
• Alternatively, candidates may obtain a South African visa of this kind by demonstrating a "net worth" through a combination of assets which equates to a minimum of R37, 000 per month. Once again, this criterion applies to each person making an application.

Work Conditions
The nature of this type of immigration to South Africa is such that no specific stipulations are in place regarding a candidate's ability to work in South Africa. In most cases, it may be assumed that people embarking upon this route, based as it is upon a steady income from a source other than employment will not be entering the country to work. However, each case will be considered individually and candidates may be able to work during their time in the country.

Applicants wishing to work will need to submit an employment contract and is not required to demonstrate that a South African citizen or resident is available for the position. The idea here is that applicants under this category can supplement their income and that the rules have been relaxed significantly from the stringent work visa requirements.

Accompanying Dependents
relationship immigration and dependent immigration are now provided through temporary South African Retired person's visas. This route to South Africa is based upon the financial security of each applicant and unlike work permit visas or business visas, the dependent family members of retired applicants automatically qualify for visit visa status to accompany the principle applicant and does not have to meet the same criteria for temporary residence but for the purposes of permanent residence they are treated as one family unit.

However, in cases where an applicant successfully obtains permanent residence as a retired person, their relationship and/or dependent children, i.e. those aged under 21 will also qualify for permanent residency.
Financially Independent
An alternative route exists in the financially independent visa for which candidates would need to be able to demonstrate a net asset value totalling not less than R12 million.

In addition, it would also be necessary to demonstrate proof of payment of R120,000 as a non-refundable sum to the Director General of Home Affairs. The application for a financially independent visa will lead to permanent residence.

• A retired persons visa may be issued for a period exceeding three months to a foreigner who intends to retire in the Republic, provided that the foreigner provide proof that such foreigner has the right to a pension or an annuity or retirement account which will give such foreigner a prescribed minimum payment for the rest of his or her life from the country of his or her origin; or a minimum prescribed net worth.

• The Department may authorise the holder of a retired person permit to conduct work under terms and conditions as the Department may deem fit to determine under the circumstances.

• A retired person visa may allow its holder to sojourn in the Republic on a seasonal or continuous basis; and not exceed a four-year period, at the expiry of which it may be renewed one or more times.
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Are you passionate about making a difference? South Africa offers numerous volunteer opportunities that allow you to contribute to meaningful causes while experiencing the beauty and diversity of the country.

Why Choose a South African Volunteer Visa?
• Flexible Duration: Volunteer programs can range from 3 months to 3 years, making it easy to fit volunteering into your schedule.
• Multiple Entries: The Volunteer Visa allows multiple entries, perfect for those who may need to travel in and out of the country.
• Renewable: This visa is renewable, ensuring you can extend your stay if needed.

How SA Migration Can Assist
For volunteer programs exceeding 3 months, SA Migration is here to simplify your visa application process. We ensure you have the right documentation and support to make your volunteer experience in South Africa seamless and hassle-free.

Volunteer Opportunities Await
South Africa welcomes volunteers from all over the world. Whether you’re joining a registered volunteer organization or have been accepted into a specific program, the Volunteer Visa is your key to contributing to the community.

Key Benefits of the Volunteer Visa
• Temporary Residency: This visa grants temporary residency, allowing you to stay in South Africa for the duration of your volunteer program.
• Proper Authorization: Ensure you are volunteering legally with the correct visa, especially for programs lasting longer than 3 months.
• Unpaid Work: The Volunteer Visa is ideal for those who will not receive payment for their work and are dedicated to volunteering for their entire stay.

Do You Need a Volunteer Visa?
For programs lasting three months or less, you may not need a visa. Contact us to confirm your specific requirements and let us guide you through the process.
Ready to Make a Difference in South Africa?

Let SA Migration Intl handle your Volunteer Visa application, ensuring you can focus on what matters most – making a positive impact. Contact us today and start your volunteering journey in South Africa.

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Anyone with a physical, intellectual, neurological or sensory impairment can now get accessible formats of copyrighted works without asking permission

Protesters outside the Constitutional Court last year demand the right of blind people to be able to obtain copyrighted works in accessible formats. Archive photo: Ihsaan Haffejee.

• In December the Constitutional Court handed down an order allowing visually impaired people to obtain accessible formats of copyrighted material, without asking permission.

• Last week the court handed down its reasons.

• The court also extended the order to include anyone with a visual, physical, intellectual, neurological or sensory impairment.

• President Cyril Ramaphosa, who has failed to sign the Copyright Amendment Bill for years, was ordered to pay costs.

The Constitutional Court has strengthened access by disabled people to copyright protected works. The court has granted an order which effectively incorporates what has been proposed in the stalled copyright bill.

This will now impact anyone with a visual, physical, intellectual, neurological or sensory impairment and who requires works to be in an accessible format.

In December the court granted urgent and immediate relief to temporarily fill a gap created by the failure of President Cyril Ramaphosa to sign the Copyright Amendment Bill (CAB). When it handed down the order, the court said it would provide its reasons later.

Last week, in a unanimous decision, the apex court took the matter a step further. It read into the existing Act the relevant provisions of the pending Bill which broadens its impact.

It also takes South Africa a step closer to being able to accede to the Marrakesh Treaty, opening access to internationally accessible format materials under copyright for people with disabilities.

The litigation, spearheaded by Blind SA, has been winding through the courts in South Africa for several years.

Blind SA wanted blind and visually impaired people to be able to convert copyright protected works into accessible formats without having to obtain permission.

The Constitutional Court in September 2022 ruled that sections of the Act were unconstitutional and trampled on the rights of blind people. The court ordered a “reading in” to the existing Act as an immediate solution.

But it suspended the declaration of invalidity for two years to give Parliament time to remedy the defects through the introduction of a new bill.

The Bill was held up in Ramaphosa’s office after his legal advisors raised concerns about the constitutionality of certain sections, unrelated to blind and visually impaired people. He then referred those sections of the Bill to the Constitutional Court for its assessment.

Because of this, the 2022 “reading in” lapsed and the protections given to blind and visually impaired people fell away.

Blind SA went back to court and secured a similar “reading in” in December 2024. The court said this was just and equitable relief, given that the matter was urgent. But it would consider the case anew and give reasons later.

In its argument, Blind SA said if the Marrakesh Treaty had been signed and ratified by South Africa, blind and visually impaired people would be able to access hundreds of thousands of literary works in accessible formats from international libraries.

Further, it argued, if the court did not hear the matter, it would mean that people with disabilities would have to wait for the enactment of the CAB and this could take years.

Initially, Ramaphosa opposed the application but later “accepted that the matter was urgent”, Justice Nonkosi Mhlantla said, writing for the unanimous court.

Blind SA argued that the court was not obliged to grant the same relief as it had in 2022 but could order the current version of “Clause 19D” of the Bill. (The text of 19D is copied below this article.)

This because Parliament had already chosen this provision to cure the constitutional defects in the Act – and it was not one of the “controversial” clauses.

Justice Mhlantla said the initial “reading in” had been done in the absence of necessary provisions to protect the rights of people with visual disabilities and was designed to function as an interim measure to fill this gap.

She said there were concerns regarding the “reading in” of Clause 19D. It had been argued by Ramaphosa that this could be an “intrusion into the legislative domain” particularly given that the Bill had not yet been assented to.

While that concern was valid, the changed circumstances, the intention of the legislature, urgent rights protection and the temporary nature of the remedy, trumped that.

Clause 19D, she said, represented Parliament’s chosen solution. It demonstrated a marked evolution through proper constitutional tagging and rigorous parliamentary scrutiny.

The lapsing of the previous “reading in” had also created an immediate rights vacuum.

“Clause 19D provides a more comprehensive framework aligned with both constitutional imperatives and international obligations, particularly the Marrakesh Treaty.”

Justice Mhlantla said, for example, it provided a contemporary rights jurisprudence and incorporated essential cross-border provisions mandated by the treaty. It boosted equality and dignity for people with disabilities.

“The provision carefully balances accessibility requirements with copyright protections through specific attribution requirements and detailed safeguards against misuse, particularly in international transfers. It is a more robust and legally sustainable framework.

“Its structure harmonises with both evolving disability rights principles and South Africa’s international obligations.”

It would also place South Africa in an advantageous position should it choose to accede to the treaty in future,” she said.

“The fact that the order will be an interim one should allay any fears regarding the legislative process that will follow, including the signing of the treaty.”

The “reading in” of the clause will remain in effect until the new Act comes into force.

The court ordered Ramaphose to pay the costs of the application.

Text of Section 19D

(1) An authorised entity, or any person as may be prescribed and who serves persons with disabilities may, without the authorisation of the copyright owner, make an accessible format copy for the benefit of a person with a disability, supply that accessible format copy to a person with a disability by any means, including by non-commercial lending or by digital communication by wire or wireless means, and undertake any intermediate steps to achieve these objectives, if the following conditions are met:

(a) The person wishing to undertake any activity under this subsection must have lawful access to the copyright work or a copy of that work;

(b) in converting the copyright work to an accessible format copy, the integrity of the original work must be respected, taking due consideration of the changes needed to make the work accessible in that alternative format and of the accessibility needs of the persons with a disability; and

(c) the activity under this subsection must be undertaken on a non-profit basis.

(2) (a) A person to whom the work is communicated by wire or wireless means as a result of an activity under subsection (1) may, without the authorisation of the owner of the copyright work, reproduce the work, where that person is a person—

(i) with a disability, for their personal use; or

(ii) who serves persons with disabilities, including an authorised entity, for personal use by a person with a disability.

(b) The provisions of paragraph (a) are without prejudice to any other limitations or exceptions that the person referred to in that paragraph may enjoy.

(3) A person with a disability, or someone acting on their behalf, including an authorised entity, may make an accessible format copy of a work for the personal use of the person with a disability or otherwise may assist the person with a disability to make and use accessible format copies where the person with a disability has lawful access to that work or a copy of that work.

(4) (a) A person with a disability or a person who serves persons with disabilities, including an authorised entity, may, without the authorisation of the copyright owner export to, or import from, another country any legal copy of an accessible format copy of a work for distribution, or to make it available to persons with a disability, as long as such activity is undertaken on a non-profit basis by that person.

(b) A person contemplated in paragraph (a) may not export or import an accessible format copy where such person knows, or has reason to know, that the accessible format copy will be used for purposes other than to aid persons with a disability.

(5) The exception created by this section is subject to the obligation of indicating the source and the name of the author, if it appears on the work, on any accessible format copy.

(6) For the purposes of this section 19D—

(a) ‘accessible format copy’ means a copy of a work in an alternative manner or form, which gives a person with a disability access to the work, including to permit the person to have access as feasibly and comfortably as a person without a disability;

(b) ‘authorised entity’ means—

(i) an entity that is authorised or recognised by the government to provide education, instructional training, adaptive reading or information access to persons with a disability on a non-profit basis; or

(ii) an entity, including a government institution or non-profit organisation that provides education, instructional training, adaptive reading or information access to persons with a disability on a non-profit basis as one of its primary activities or institutional obligations.

(c) ‘person with a disability’ means a person who has a physical, intellectual, neurological, or sensory impairment and who requires the work to be in a format that enables that person to access and use the work in the same manner as a person without a disability; and

(d) ‘commercial’ means the obtaining of economic advantage or financial gain in connection with a business or trade.

Home Affairs says it has noted the release of the Nigerian national televangelist, Timothy Omotoso by the East London Regional Court.
Omotoso appeared in the court on charges related to contravention of the Immigration Act, following his arrest on Saturday in the East London CBD.
He was released because the Department of Home Affairs did not follow correct procedures, as he was supposed to be brought to court within 48 hours of his arrest which expired at 7am on Monday.

Omotoso only appeared in court at 2pm on Monday afternoon. The Department of Home Affairs says it will consider its position going forward once it has received the written judgment.
Meanwhile, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) is appealing the judgment of the Eastern Cape Division of the High Court in Gqeberha relating to the case against Omotoso and two others.

Judge Irma Schoeman found in April that the state did not prove beyond reasonable doubt that Omotoso and his former co-accused committed the crimes they were accused of.
They faced more than 30 charges which included rape and human trafficking.

Over 1.4 million naturalised citizens and permanent residents in South Africa will be able to apply for smart ID cards from Monday, 12 May 2025.

That is according to recent feedback from Home Affairs minister Leon Schreiber to Sunday newspaper Rapport.

Schreiber told the publication that the department had fixed an IT system issue that prevented most of these individuals from getting the card since it launched in 2012.

To date, only a handful of naturalised citizens who sought special permission from the Home Affairs director-general have been able to obtain the card.

The vast majority of the country’s 800,000 naturalised citizens and 700,000 permanent residents have not been allowed to apply for the more modern identity document.

Schreiber described the fix as the department’s biggest milestone since it started revamping its IT systems a few months ago.

In addition to no longer treating these individuals as second-class citizens, the minister said the system fix would enhance national security.

The minister also said that the achievement would bring the department closer to scrapping the green ID book, which was initially planned to happen several years ago.

The document has become a major target for modification and forgery due to its outdated security.

The DHA has eagerly encouraged people to get a smart ID card to better protect themselves against fraudsters and has given vague warnings about invalidating the ID book.

All the while, permanent residents and naturalised citizens have had no choice but to stick to their ID books.

In recent years, many have complained to MyBroadband about their inability to obtain a smart ID card despite being permanent residents or naturalised citizens for decades.

These included a high-profile and successful businessman who has been working in the South African music industry for more than 50 years.

If these individuals’ ID books were stolen or lost, they were forced to reapply for a green ID book at a dwindling number of Home Affairs branches that still offered the old document.

Plan to offer smart ID cards via banking apps

From Monday, naturalised citizens and permanent residents will also be able to use the eHomeAffairs facility to get their smart ID cards.

This system allows people to apply and pay for their cards online. Thereafter, they must provide biometric verification and collect their card at special Home Affairs kiosks in one of 30 bank branches.

The department aims to expand this service to 100 new branches by March 2026 and 1,000 by March 2028.

However, it also wants to eliminate the requirement for in-person biometric verification and allow applicants to verify their identities via their banking apps in the future.

According to Schreiber, integrating Home Affairs services into the branches was a “logical precursor” to delivering the same services online and via mobile apps.

This forms part of the department’s broader digitalisation strategy, which seeks to make it possible for people to access more of its services from the comfort of their homes.

To support these improvements, the DHA recently announced the rollout of a comprehensive upgrade of its digital verification system used by public and private entities.

This system, which verifies people’s identities through fingerprints and facial recognition against the National Population Register, has been plagued by inefficiencies.

The department said that before the upgrade, users reported failure rates on the system of up to 50% and that it routinely took up to 24 hours for the system to respond.

“When responses did arrive, they were often so littered with errors that they required a cumbersome process of manual verification,” the department said.

“Thanks to the diligent and focused work on this problem by the Department over the past few months, these errors are now set to become a thing of the past.”

“Testing has confirmed that the upgraded system is not only capable of dramatically faster performance, but that it now delivers an error rate of well below 1%.”