A permanent residence permit is issued by the Department of Home Affairs under sections 25 to 27 of the Immigration Act 13 of 2002. You apply on Form 18 (DHA-947), submitted in person, with the prescribed documents and the fee. You need a qualifying ground under section 26 or 27 first.
The Home Affairs permit fee is R1 520 from 17 August 2026, with exceptions for spouse, child and refugee applications. Details are below.
Eligibility and Entry Requirements at a Glance
A permit is granted on one of these grounds:
- Section 26(a): five years on a work visa and a proven offer of permanent employment.
- Section 26(b): a spouse of a citizen or permanent resident for five years in a good-faith relationship.
- Section 26(c) and (d): a child under 21 of a citizen or permanent resident, or a child of a citizen.
- Section 27: permanent employment offer, extraordinary skills, a business, refugee status, retirement, a prescribed net worth, or being a relative of a citizen or permanent resident within the first step of kinship.
gov.za also says you must first motivate why you should not be declared a prohibited or undesirable person.
Relatives of a citizen or permanent resident (the search for a relative’s permanent residence permit) apply under section 27(g). Spouses and children use section 26.
Passport and Travel Document Requirements
You need your birth certificate and, if you are over 16, biometrics. If you apply from inside South Africa you must hold a valid temporary-sojourn visa for each applicant at the time of application, and keep it valid while the application is pending.
Applying abroad, you apply to the South African mission in your country of usual residence, the mission in a country whose passport you hold, or a mission the Director-General designates. A yellow fever certificate is required only if you travelled or transited from an endemic area.
Visa and Supporting Document Requirements
Regulation 23(2) of the Immigration Regulations, 2014 requires the following with Form 18:
- the applicable fee
- a copy of your birth certificate, and one for each dependent child
- biometrics for applicants over 16
- a police clearance certificate from every country where you lived for 12 months or longer after turning 18, not older than six months at submission
- medical and radiological reports, not older than six months (see the waiver note below). A radiological report is not required for children under 12 or pregnant women
- marital status or spousal relationship documents and documents for dependent children
- a deed poll if your name, surname or sex has changed
The birth certificates, police clearances, dependant and marital documents and deed poll must be originals or copies apostilled by the issuing authority in the country of origin, and translated into an official language of South Africa by a sworn translator where needed. Check each document’s date and certification before you submit.
Section 26(a) applicants must also submit proof of a work visa for a continuous five years. Section 27(a) applicants need an original job advertisement of at least 60 mm by 60 mm, not older than four months at application, and must stay employed for five years in the field of the original offer.
Financial, Health and Entry Conditions
The Home Affairs fee for a permanent residence permit is R1 520 from 17 August 2026, per the DHA fee notice (Government Notice R.7834). Applications under section 26(b) (spouse), 26(c) (child) and 27(d) (refugee) are excluded from that fee line. Proof of permanent residence costs R100. VFS Global charges a separate service fee, which you should confirm on the VFS portal before you pay.
On 8 July 2026 Home Affairs signed a blanket waiver, published in Gazette 55016, removing the requirement to submit a medical report for temporary residence visa and permanent residence permit applications, including pending ones. It mentions the medical report only. Whether the radiological report is also waived is not confirmed, and the Department of Home Affairs pages still list the medical report, so confirm before you submit.
The business, retirement and net-worth routes depend on rand amounts the Minister sets by Gazette notice. The regulations do not state them, so ask Home Affairs for the current figures.
How to Prepare or Apply
- Confirm your ground and collect its specific evidence.
- Obtain police clearances and any required medical reports close to submission, because they must not be older than six months on the day you submit.
- Have foreign documents apostilled and sworn-translated.
- Complete Form 18 and submit it in person. Filing does not grant status.
- Keep your temporary visa valid while the application is pending.
There is no confirmed current national processing time. The South African High Commission in Ottawa states 12 to 24 months, with applications sent to South Africa for processing, but that is one mission’s statement and not a Home Affairs standard.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is a permanent residence permit in South Africa?
The Home Affairs fee is R1 520 from 17 August 2026, except for spouse (section 26(b)), child (section 26(c)) and refugee (section 27(d)) applications, which are excluded from that fee line. Proof of permanent residence is R100. VFS Global adds its own service fee, which you should confirm on its portal.
Does permanent residence make me a citizen?
No. The holder has the rights, privileges, duties and obligations of a citizen except those the law or the Constitution ascribes to citizenship. The Constitution gives the right to vote to adult citizens. Citizenship is a separate application; check the current qualifying period with Home Affairs.
Can I stay while my application is pending?
If you apply inside South Africa you must hold a valid temporary-sojourn visa when you apply, so keep it valid. Filing Form 18 does not grant you any status.
Why are complete applications still refused?
Often it comes down to the file, for example documents older than six months, missing apostilles or sworn translations, or evidence that does not prove the ground. If you are refused, you must receive written reasons. You can apply to the Director-General for review within 10 working days of notification and then to the Minister within 10 working days of that decision.
Can a permanent residence permit be withdrawn?
Yes. The Director-General may withdraw it if the holder is convicted of listed offences, breaks the permit conditions or is absent from South Africa for more than three years.
Is there a certificate as proof of permanent residence?
You apply for proof of permanent residence status on Form 46 (regulation 25), for R100. The permit itself is issued when the Form 18 application is approved.
Is the permit the same as a South African residence permit or visa?
Under the Act the permanent grant is a permanent residence permit. Temporary residence is by visa, which you must keep valid while a permanent residence application is pending.
Confirm every requirement, fee and the application process with the Department of Home Affairs before you apply. See visa requirements and browse all travel and immigration requirements.