Work visa requirements in South Africa depend on the category: general work visa, critical skills work visa, intra-company transfer visa or corporate visa. For a general work visa the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) checklist effective 9 October 2024 asks for a completed application form, a valid passport, a medical report, police clearance, a SAQA evaluation of your qualifications, and written undertakings and particulars from your employer. A work visa is employer-sponsored: you need a valid offer of employment before you apply.
In October 2024 the Minister of Home Affairs also gazetted a points-based system under the Immigration Act. Several older requirements, such as the Department of Employment and Labour certificate and the radiological report, no longer appear on DHA’s current checklists. This page follows the current checklists and tells you where something still has to be confirmed with DHA.
Eligibility and Entry Requirements at a Glance
DHA’s types of visas page lists the work categories:
- General work visa: issued for up to five years at a time.
- Critical skills work visa: for an occupation on the latest Critical Skills List, also up to five years at a time.
- Intra-company transfer work visa: up to four years, cannot be renewed or extended. It needs a foreign employment contract of at least six months and letters from both the foreign and South African branches.
- Corporate visa: up to three years, and it requires a Department of Labour certificate that suitable citizens or permanent residents could not be found.
Under the points-based system gazetted on 18 October 2024 (Government Gazette 51416), you must meet the other prescribed requirements and earn 100 points, and an offer of employment is mandatory. An occupation on the critical skills list earns 100 points on its own and can lead to a critical skills work visa; otherwise a general work visa applies. Other points include 50 or 30 for a qualification at NQF level 9-10 or 7-8, 20 to 50 for a salary offer above R650,976, 20 or 30 for five to ten or more than ten years of experience, 30 for a trusted employer and 10 for an official language. How DHA applies the system day to day is not set out in the gazette, so confirm the current process with DHA or VFS Global before you apply.
The critical skills route is not for job seekers. Its checklist asks for a valid offer or contract signed by both parties, an occupation from the latest Critical Skills List, confirmation from a SAQA-recognised professional body or government department, and proof that you have applied for registration where the law requires it.
Passport and Travel Document Requirements
Your passport must be valid for at least 30 days beyond your intended departure from South Africa, according to the DHA general work visa checklist. Your employer must also undertake to keep your passport valid for the duration of your employment (regulation 18(2) of the Immigration Regulations).
Where a yellow fever certificate applies to you, it goes in with the application.
Visa and Supporting Document Requirements
The DHA general work visa checklist (effective 9 October 2024) lists:
- The application form and the prescribed fee.
- A medical report (see the FAQ below).
- Police clearance from each country where you lived for longer than 12 months in the last five years, not older than six months.
- A SAQA evaluation of your qualifications. If the SAQA outcome is still pending and you submit proof of application, the visa is issued for one year and extended to the full term once a positive outcome is submitted. The SAQA outcome must be translated by a sworn translator into an official language of South Africa.
- Employer particulars and written employer undertakings.
The employer undertakings cover accepting responsibility for the deportation costs of you and your dependants, keeping your passport valid, and informing DHA when you do not comply, when the employment ends or when it changes.
The earlier regulations required a Department of Employment and Labour letter for a general work visa. The 9 October 2024 checklist no longer lists it. Check with DHA or VFS Global whether the department still issues any certificate under the points system.
Financial, Health and Entry Conditions
From 17 August 2026 the DHA fee for a work visa, including renewals, is R1 520, according to the gazetted fee regulations. VFS charges a separate service fee, so confirm that amount with VFS Global or the South African mission handling your application.
The medical report is the health requirement. The radiological report that older guides list is not on the DHA checklists of October 2024. As an employee you are also tied to your employer’s undertakings: DHA must be told when your employment ends or changes.
How to Prepare or Apply
- Confirm your category: general, critical skills or intra-company transfer.
- Secure a written offer or contract of employment.
- Get your medical report, police clearance and SAQA evaluation, keeping the six-month validity limits in mind.
- Ask your employer for the signed undertakings and company particulars.
- Submit through VFS Global or a South African mission. Ask DHA or VFS Global when you book whether you may apply from inside South Africa.
To extend a visa, apply in person no less than 60 days before it expires. If your visa was issued for less than 30 days, apply no later than seven working days before expiry.
Frequently Asked Questions
What work visa categories are there?
The main ones are the general work visa, critical skills work visa, intra-company transfer work visa and corporate visa. See the eligibility section above for the validity period of each.
What are the detailed requirements of the medical report for a South African work visa?
DHA’s checklist asks for a medical report signed by a medical practitioner, showing the practitioner’s practice number, address and contact details, and not older than six months when you submit. A blanket waiver signed on 8 July 2026 (gazetted on 17 July 2026) removed the requirement to submit a medical report for temporary residence visa and permanent residence permit applications. DHA’s own web pages still list it, and it is unclear whether the radiological report is also waived, so check the current VFS checklist before you apply. The general and critical skills checklists of October 2024 do not list a radiological report.
Can an employer sponsor my work visa?
A work visa depends on a valid offer of employment. The employer supplies the contract and signs the written undertakings on passport validity, deportation costs and informing DHA, along with company particulars.
Is there a South Africa job seeker visa?
The DHA critical skills page says that visa is not for job seekers, and a valid offer of employment is required. Look for the offer first, then apply.
What is the critical skills list?
It is the list of occupations DHA treats as critical skills. Your occupation must be on the latest version. We did not open the current list, so check DHA for it before you rely on an occupation.
Do I need SAQA evaluation?
Yes. The general and critical skills checklists both ask for a SAQA evaluation, or proof that you have applied for one.
What are the conditions of a work visa?
In short, you work for the employer who sponsored you and your employer must tell DHA when the employment ends or changes. Ask DHA before changing employers on a work visa.
Can a foreigner get an entry-level mining job on a work visa?
We found no official DHA rule specific to mining or entry-level roles. Foreign nationals apply under the same categories above, which need an offer of employment, and the points-based system applies. Confirm with DHA or VFS Global.
Confirm everything with the Department of Home Affairs or VFS Global before you apply. See visa requirements and browse all travel and immigration requirements.