Basic entry requirements
Image (c) By Hansueli Krapf. This file was uploaded with Commonist [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Do you want to travel to South Africa and spend a holiday in Gauteng? There are basic entry and territory requirements, including visa requirements for entering the country.
Please note that the information provided here is to be used as a guide only.
Please consult with the relevant embassy or your travel agency before you travel.
Requirements for entry into South Africa
Detail of an International Certificate of Vaccination, showing a vaccination against yellow fever. Originally taken for This article. Photo has been edited
You will need the following BEFORE travelling to South Africa
-
A valid and acceptable passport or travel document for your
intended stay - At least one blank page in your passport for endorsements
- A valid visa, if required
- Sufficient funds to pay for day-to-day expenses during your stay
- A return or onward ticket
Yellow fever certificates are required if your journey starts or entails passing through the yellow fever belt of Africa or South America.
Vaccination requirements
The table below indicates the vaccination requirements for entering South Africa. Please note the yellow fever vaccination requirements.
|
Vaccination identifier |
Special precautions |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Diphtheria |
Yes |
|
|
Hepatitis A |
Yes |
|
|
Malaria |
Sometimes* |
|
|
Rabies |
Sometimes |
|
|
Tetanus |
Yes |
|
|
Typhoid |
Sometimes |
|
|
Yellow fever |
No** |
|
|
No vaccinations are essential. However: * Take special precautions if visiting Kruger National Park, Mpumalanga and northern KwaZulu-Natal during December to April - low risk of malaria. ** A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required for all visitors arriving from a yellow fever area except babies under a year of age and pregnant women. Yellow fever vaccination certificates are valid 10 days from the vaccination. |
||
Financial information
As a foreign visitor, you can bring in up to R5 000 in South African currency (rands), plus an unlimited amount in foreign currencies and traveller's cheques, provided you declare this on arrival.
On departure, you can also take out R5 000 in South African currency (rands), and up to the amount in foreign currencies and traveller's cheques that you declared when you arrived (provided you didn't stay for more than 12 months).
Vat refunds for tourists
Value-added tax (VAT) at a rate of 14% is levied on the purchase of most goods in South Africa.
Non-resident foreign passport holders, older than seven years of age and on a temporary visit to South Africa, are able to claim a VAT refund, provided that VAT was levied by the supplier, and the supplier is a VAT-registered vendor, who issued you with a tax invoice.
South African passport holders (irrespective of country of residence) and South African residents are specifically excluded from VAT refunds.
To apply, make sure you get tax invoices for your purchases. Present these to the VAT Refund Administrator at your point of departure. If he/she is not available, present your goods to a customs officer, who will inspect the goods, stamp your invoices and deliver them to the VAT Refund Administrator, who will correspond with you on the matter.
For full information on how and where to apply for VAT refunds, visit www.taxrefunds.co.za