APPLYING IN SOUTH AFRICA

STEP ONE - GATHER PAPERWORK

First read over the checklist - then consult the tips below

APPLYING FOR A DEPENDENT CHILD’S STUDENT VISA

Once your child turns seven, they will need to apply for a Study Visa, this visa can still go under your visa as a parent, as the child will be accompanying you, but they will need to apply for this new visa type.

A Study Visa is given for three years at a time for the duration of the 
school years, and based on the school they have been accepted at (so if your child changes schools, they will need to reapply for a Study Visa under their new school).

Schools in South Africa require you to have a Study Visa if you are a foreign national, so you will need your child to be accepted into a school before moving forward with this visa process. They also cannot attend school until they have their Study Visa, as this would put the parents visas at risk, as well as your stay in South Africa. The principal and / or registrar should not allow your child to attend.

If you are planning to homeschool your children : children under 16 must be registered with Montessori trust or other education body. Alternatively, you can apply to Cape Town’s Department of Education to register your child. They will give you specific Department guidelines and records of the child’s coursework which must be maintained. This home education application may take a while to be processed (at least 30 days) and includes a home visit - so be prepared that this can delay your visa application process.

One more thing to note : The holder of a study visa may conduct part-time work for a period not exceeding 20 hours per week (as stated by DHA in the Study Visa description). 


For those of you applying outside of South Africa - scroll to the bottom.

Here are some tips about the various paperwork required:

  • Here are some tips about the various paperwork required:

    • Medical & Radiological Reports —

      This report will only remain valid for six months, so it is always best to complete this process closer to the time of submission. Make sure you get an official stamp by the doctors office.

    • Proof of Financial Means —

      They want to see that can can pay for your living expenses while in South Africa in the form of bank statements, salary advances, undertakings by the host(s) in South Africa, bursary, medical cover or cash available (including credit cards and travelers’ cheques). There are a couple of methods or items to include to prove your financial means:

      • Take your bank statements from your bank accounts from the last three months (your local South African Bank account if you have one and your international bank account), copy them on to a Word doc (or similar app), black out account numbers (to protect your information), and print them as a PDF.

      • Written undertaking of financial responsibility for the applicant by the person being accompanied. For example, whoever the bank account is under the name of, they should write a declaration (Here’s an Example).

      • You can also ask your bank to write a letter of recommendation (Here’s an Example)

      They are typically looking for at least R3000 per month for the child for the period of the visa (in addition to R6000 per month, per parent). If you are in a tight financial position, here are some ways to do this :

      • Ask other people to loan you money to add to your account for the sake of proof, as soon as you paper work was accepted, transferred the money back to those people. Have them do this in different amounts on different days, so that when you print your statements there is not just one big amount that comes in (as this could be a red flag for them)

      • Have one or some people that can be a ‘garant’ for you— so they show that they have proof of sufficient financial means and a letter that states that they support you financially for the total amount of living costs here or something like that

    • Certified Copy of Unabridged Birth Certificate — we’ve gathered information about how to apply for a birth certificate by clicking here

    • Letter of Invitation from Our Visa Team —

      We send the Invitation Letter no sooner than two weeks prior to your visa appointment (as there are additional identification documents we send along that often have to be re-certified so it doesn’t make sense to send them any earlier). This means that its best to just make your VFS appointment first, and then contact us to request this letter, more information is below on step three.

    • Proof of a Valid Air Flight Ticket or Proof of Reservation thereof —

      • If you are applying for a visa for over two years, we can include a line in our letter of invitation from YWAM to request this ticket reservation requirement to be waived due to the length of the application.

      • This can also be a written letter that where you promise to leave the country when the visa is expired (Here’s an Example).

    • Passport Photos —

      Download this app to take the photo for free and print at a local print shop

    • Cover Letter —

      You will want to make this application as possible so that the agent reviewing this application understands under which visas the child will go - so the advice is to include a cover letter.

      We’ve put together sample templates for you to use, which you can find by clicking here

      We will also include in our wording of the letter of invitation similar details to hopefully avoid any issues.

STEP TWO - MAKE YOUR APPOINTMENT

Click here to Apply Online - make sure to print a copy of your appointment confirmation

Your child will be applying for a Temporary Residence Visa Exceeding 90 Days, Study Visa Section 13, which will look like this on your online application :

STEP FOUR - PREPARE YOUR PAPERWORK

Make photos copies of everything you turn in, because you just never know what you’ll need to be prepared for (for example, we recently had a staff members paperwork in transit get hijacked), plus it helps you remember the whole process if applying again in 3 years.

Copies have to be legible and pictures on passport copies crisp and not too dark.

Any document (e.g. medical report) that you can have someone put an “official stamp” on is good, especially if it is a photo-copy. You can also get everything certified by stopping by a local post office or police station - this is a free service, you just need to bring the original with you.

Email Personnel to request a “Proof of Residence” if the residential address you listed on your visa application is the YWAM Base.

Pro tip: have a separate folder for each member of your family so you can turn in everything in easily.

Optional: if you would like our Visa Team to meet with and review your documents before you submit them to double check for any possible errors, email our Visa Team and we can find a time to meet with you

STEP FIVE - PREPARE FOR YOUR VFS APPOINTMENT

On the day of your appointment plan to arrive 15 minutes early at the Visa Facilitation Centre. Bring all your documents, and have a copy of your appointment letter and passport on hand.

Address of VSF: 7th Floor, 2 Long Street, 2 on Long Building, Cape Town 8001

We've put together the map below for the easiest route to get to VFS and find parking.

Count on it to take just over an hour in total to go through the three steps of the appointment:

  1. Quality control: An agent checks your documents are in order

  2. Submission: Another agent officially submits your visitor permit extension application (this is also where you can pay the remains service fees, if you haven’t done that)

  3. Biometrics: They take your photo and fingerprints

When you arrive at the Visa Facilitation Centre you will collect a token. Wait until your token is called to make your application. Once the visa application process is completed you will be issued with an acknowledgment receipt. Keep your receipt safe as you will need this later to collect your documents - it is very bad if you loose it as the decision will be handed over on submitting this receipt.

STEP SIX - safely store your vfs receipt

When you go to VFS, you will get a receipt of your visit. You cannot loose this receipt. They request it when you pick up your visa outcome and will not accept any other proof of payment.

I would recommend not only storing this receipt in a very safe place, but also making a copy and then getting a certified copy made at the police station as a backup.

STEP seven - TRACK YOUR APPLICATION

Regularly check the status of your application on the VFS account that you created.

You should have signed up for email / SMS notifications - which unfortunately are not a guarantee that you will receive information in a timely manner.

While waiting for the outcome of your visa, only travel internationally if you have a valid visa to re-enter. If traveling while waiting for results it is also wise to have someone authorized to collect the results in case they come in while you are away. Information for having an authorized representative is here.

To understand what the various stages of tracking mean - refer to the FAQ tab to the left - but basically, when you see “Forwarded to the Pretoria OC”, you can make an appointment to collect your outcome. We suggest you make it for at three days after you see this notification as that is typically when it will arrive by. Or you can wait until you see “Received at VFC” as that is when it is confirmed it will be at VFS, and then you could make an appointment for as soon as possible.

STEP eight - OUTCOME RECEIVED!

The emails you get don’t tell you whether your application was accepted or not, so the journey to the VFS office to get the outcome is a nervous one. It helps to make an early appointment.

First, double check what you have received. There are often errors in dates or names, which you would rather get corrected in person rather than be held back at the border when you next travel.

If need be, you can apply for a an appeal.

STEP nine - UPDATE OUR COMMUNITY ABOUT YOUR NEXT STEPS

Next update our Visa Team about the outcome of your application so we can update your information and be prepared to comply with government regulations.

APPLYING OUTSIDE OF SOUTH AFRICA

STEP ONE - CONFIRM INFORMATION NEEDED

Find the closest South African Embassy to you, contact them to confirm all that is needed (start with the checklist below and confirm that there isn’t anything in addition). We have some information compiled - but this information changes often, and you are responsible for double checking that there isn’t anything new.

STEP TWO - GATHER PAPERWORK

Note - it shouldn’t take too long to gather your documents, so its very possible to make your appointment prior to having all your paperwork finalized. First read over the checklist - then consult the tips below

Though every country has different requirements for visas, the following items are typically included:

  • Medical & Radiological Reports —

    These reports will only remain valid for six months, so it is always best to complete this process closer to the time of submission. For both reports make sure you get an official stamp by the doctors office.

    • Children Under 12 or Pregnant Women: this report is not needed. If you are pregnant - ask your doctor to put it in the medical letter “this patient is pregnant, ___ weeks along at the time of this appointment, so is prohibited from any xrays. She has no signs of TB.”

  • Proof of Financial Means —

    They want to see that can can pay for your living expenses while in South Africa in the form of bank statements, salary advances, undertakings by the host(s) in South Africa, bursary, medical cover or cash available (including credit cards and travelers’ cheques). There are a couple of methods or items to include to prove your financial means:

    • They just want to see the totals. You don’t need to print all the transactions.

    • Take your bank statements from your bank accounts from the last three months (your local South African Bank account if you have one and your international bank account), copy them on to a Word doc (or similar app), black out account numbers (to protect your information), and print them as a PDF.

    • Written undertaking of financial responsibility for the applicant by the person being accompanied. For example, whoever the bank account is under the name of, they should write a declaration (Here’s an Example).

    • You can also ask your bank to write a letter of recommendation (Here’s an Example)

    They are typically looking for at least R3000 per month for the child for the period of the visa (in addition to R6000 per month, per parent). If you are in a tight financial position, here are some ways to do this :

    • Ask other people to loan you money to add to your account for the sake of proof, as soon as you paper work was accepted, transferred the money back to those people. Have them do this in different amounts on different days, so that when you print your statements there is not just one big amount that comes in (as this could be a red flag for them)

    • Have one or some people that can be a ‘garant’ for you— so they show that they have proof of sufficient financial means and a letter that states that they support you financially for the total amount of living costs here or something like that

  • Letter of Invitation from Our Visa Team —

    We send the Invitation Letter no sooner than two weeks prior to your visa appointment (as there are additional identification documents we send along that often have to be re-certified so it doesn’t make sense to send them any earlier). This means that its best to just make your VFS appointment first, and then contact us to request this letter, more information is below on step three.

  • Proof of a Valid Air Flight Ticket or Proof of Reservation thereof —

    • If you are applying for a visa for over two years, we can include a line in our letter of invitation from YWAM to request this ticket reservation requirement to be waived due to the length of the application.

    • This can also be a written letter that where you promise to leave the country when the visa is expired (Here’s an Example).

  • Passport Photos —

    Download this app to take the photo for free and print at a local print shop

  • South African Police Clearances —

    Are now done at VSF, but call your embassy to confirm that you can do this at your appointment

  • Proof of Health Insurance —

    While you can obtain health insurance in your home nation, there are also some options locally that are popular that you may want to consider: Discovery or Momentum

    Another option for missionaries is Talent Trust an international insurance company specifically designed for missionaries that gives a substantial discount (30%) to YWAMers - many of our missionaries use them

Optional Tips:

  • Premium Lounge — for an additional R500 per application, you can pay to process your application through the Premium Lounge, for many of the applicants this makes the process on the day go much smoother as your application takes priority, you’ll get better service and private waiting area- so this is often ideal for families. You can apply online for this additional service

  • SMS Notifications — for an additional R20 per application, available for local SMS only, we also advise you to sign up for SMS notifications about the tracking of your application - it is unreliable, but worth it if it does work.

STEP THREE - REQUEST A VISA LETTER FROM OUR VISA TEAM

You can send your request for a Visa letter by emailing us this information (your answers should be whatever you have stated on your visa application so that everything syncs):

  • A copy of the current passport(s) for the parent the child’s visa will be under, and the current child’s passport

  • A statement of what ministry you are a part of and your role (what does an average day look like for you?)

  • The start & end dates of the visa you are applying for (day you hope you arrive in South Africa, plus the length of time you want the visa for)

  • Your residential address (this will be the South African address where you stay - most staff use the YWAM Base, 19 Alexander Road Muizenberg, as this is their most consistent South African address - you can request for Personnel to write you a “Proof of Residence” for the Base as needed)

STEP THREE - MAKE YOUR APPOINTMENT

Find the closest South African Embassy to you and make an appointment - make sure to print a copy of your appointment confirmation

Your child will be applying for a Temporary Residence Visa Exceeding 90 Days, Study Visa Section 13.

STEP FOUR - REQUEST A VISA LETTER FROM OUR VISA TEAM

You can send your request for a Visa letter by emailing us this information (your answers should be whatever you have stated on your visa application so that everything syncs):

  • A copy of the current passport(s) for the parent the child’s visa will be under, and the current child’s passport

  • A statement of what ministry you are a part of and your role (what does an average day look like for you?)

  • The start & end dates of the visa you are applying for (day you hope you arrive in South Africa, plus the length of time you want the visa for)

  • Your residential address (this will be the South African address where you stay - most staff use the YWAM Base, 19 Alexander Road Muizenberg, as this is their most consistent South African address - you can request for Personnel to write you a “Proof of Residence” for the Base as needed)

STEP FIVE - PREPARE YOUR PAPERWORK

Make photos copies of everything you turn in, because you just never know what you’ll need to be prepared for (for example, we recently had a staff members paperwork in transit get hijacked), plus it helps you remember the whole process if applying again in 3 years.

Copies have to be legible and pictures on passport copies crisp and not too dark.

Any document (e.g. medical report) that you can have someone put an “official stamp” on is good, especially if it is a photo-copy. Bring the original with you - typically a post office can certify documents, but it really depends on what is normal in your country.

Email Personnel to request a “Proof of Residence” if the residential address you listed on your visa application is the YWAM Base.

Pro tip: have a separate folder for each member of your family so you can turn in everything in easily.

Optional: if you would like our Visa Team to meet with and review your documents before you submit them to double check for any possible errors, email our Visa Team and we can find a time to meet with you

STEP SIX - PREPARE FOR YOUR APPOINTMENT

On the day of your appointment plan to arrive 15 minutes early. Bring all your documents, and have a copy of your appointment letter (if you received one from your embassy) and passport on hand.

STEP SEVEN - OUTCOME RECEIVED!

First, double check what you have received. There are often errors in dates or names, which you would rather get corrected in person rather than be held back at the border when you next travel.

If need be, you can apply for a an appeal.

STEP EIGHT - UPDATE OUR COMMUNITY ABOUT YOUR NEXT STEPS

Next update our Visa Team about the outcome of your application so we can update your information and be prepared to comply with government regulations.