Application For A Permanent Residence Permit For The Republic of South Africa
Application For A Permanent Residence Permit For The Republic of South Africa
Application For A Permanent Residence Permit For The Republic of South Africa
A foreigner, who intends to immigrate to the Republic of South Africa, may apply for a permanent
residence permit. The Republic of South Africa can however, only accommodate a certain number of
immigrants. There are valid reasons for this. In the first instance the country has a vast reserve of
unskilled and semi-skilled workers who are entitled to employment opportunities and to an economically
viable lifestyle for themselves and their families. For this reason no one in the unskilled and semi-skilled
categories will normally be accepted as an immigrant worker.
Because of the considerable need for the creation of job opportunities for South African citizens and
permanent residents, as well as for their training and development, it will be understood and appreciated
that the Republic of South Africa cannot afford to grant permanent residence permits to persons who are
not seriously committed to settle in the country permanently and to investing their skills, assets,
knowledge and experience for the benefit of themselves and the people of the Republic of South Africa.
One of the most important aspects of immigration control is therefore that a visible connection be
maintained between foreigners working in the country and the training of South African nationals.
A permanent residence permit for the Republic of South Africa can only be issued upon application from a
foreigner, and such an application can only be considered if the applicant qualifies for either direct
residence or qualifies for residence on other grounds. A permanent residence permit shall be issued
on condition that the applicant is neither prohibited persons nor undesirable persons, in terms of the
Immigration Act as amended.
In the interest of good and proper administration, control, management, law enforcement etc, the
Department of Home Affairs may attach reasonable individual terms and conditions to a permanent
residence permit. The holder of a permanent residence permit has all the rights, privileges, duties and
obligations of a citizen, save for those rights, privileges, duties and obligations, which a law or the
Constitution explicitly ascribes to citizenship.
1
DIRECT RESIDENCE (SECTION 26)
Subject to section 25 of the Immigration Act, as amended, and any prescribed requirements, the Director-
General of the Department of Home Affairs may issue a permanent residence permit to a foreigner who –
a) has been the holder of a work visa in terms of the Immigration Act, as amended, for five (5)
years and has proven to the satisfaction of the Director-General that he or she has received an
offer of permanent employment;
Please note that an applicant who applies for a permanent residence permit in terms of section 26(a) of
the Act shall submit proof of a work visa contemplated in section 19 of the Act, for a continuous period of
five years.
b) has been the spouse* of a South African citizen or permanent resident for five (5) years and the
Director-General is satisfied that a good faith spousal relationship exists, provided that such
permit shall lapse if at any time within two (2) years from the issuing of that permit, the good faith
spousal relationship no longer subsists, save for the case of death;
Please note that a foreigner contemplated in section 26(b) of the Act who has been issued with a
permanent residence permit shall, within the last six months of the second year following the issuing of
that permit, avail himself or herself for an interview at any office of the Department of Home Affairs.
c) is a child under the age of 18 of a South African citizen or permanent resident, provided that
such permit shall lapse if such foreigner does not submit an application for its confirmation within
two (2) years of his or her having turned 18 age; or
Please note that in the case of an application under this category, the South African citizen or permanent
resident shall satisfy the Director-General that he or she is able and willing to support and maintain the
foreign relative making the application.
Please note that in the case of an application under this category, the South African citizen shall satisfy
the Director-General that he or she is able and willing to support and maintain the foreign relative making
the application.
2
RESIDENCE ON OTHER GROUNDS (SECTION 27)
The Director-General of the Department of Home Affairs may, subject to any prescribed requirements,
issue a permanent residence permit to a foreigner of good and sound character who –
Please note that the permanent residence permit under this category shall be issued on condition that the
holder of that permit shall remain employed for a period of five years in the field in respect of which the
original offer of employment was made.
b) taking into account any prescribed requirement, has demonstrated to the satisfaction of the
Director-General that he or she possesses extraordinary skills or qualifications*, and to those
members of such foreigner’s immediate family determined by the Director-General under the
circumstances or as may be prescribed;
i. proof that the applicant falls within the critical skills category (see
http://www.suedafrika.org/downloads/Critical_Skills_Categories.pdf) in the form of – ;
a certificate from the professional body, council or board recognised by SAQA in terms of
section 13(1)(i) of the National Qualifications Framework Act or the relevant Department
confirming the skills or qualifications of the applicant; and
(ii) if required by law, a certificate of registration with the professional body, council or
board recognised by SAQA in terms of section 13(1)(i) of the National Qualifications
Framework Act;
ii. proof of post-qualification experience of at least five years;
iii. testimonials from previous employers and a comprehensive curriculum vitae; and
iv. a letter of motivation indicating that the critical skills possessed by the applicant will be to the
benefit of the South African environment in which the person intends to operate and which
relates to the critical skill in question.
*An application for a permanent residence permit in this category shall be accompanied by a certificate or
a factual finding report issued by a chartered accountant registered with the South African Institute of
Chartered Accountants, a professional accountant registered with the South African Institute of
Professional Accountants or a business accountant registered with the South African Institute for
Business Accountants to the effect that –
i. at least R5 000 000,00 in cash, originating from outside the Republic, is available to be invested
in the business; or
ii. at least R5 000 000,00 in cash and a capital contribution (must be new machinery and / or
equipment), originating from outside the Republic, is available to be invested in the business.
3
In terms of section 27(c)(i) of the Immigration Act, as amended, the Director-General may waive or reduce
the financial or capital contribution for businesses which are prescribed to be in the national interest, or
when so requested by the Department of Trade and Industry (see
http://www.suedafrika.org/downloads/Capitalisation_reduction_or_waiver.pdf). Applicants should contact
the Department of Trade and Industry directly to enquire about obtaining such capitalisation reduction or
waiver: vrecom@thedti.gov.za.
In terms of section 27(c)(ii) of the Immigration Act, as amended, the permanent residence permit issued
under this category shall lapse if the holder fails to prove within two (2) years of the issuance of the permit
and three (3) years thereafter, to the satisfaction of the Director-General, that the prescribed financial
contribution to be part of the intended book value is still invested as contemplated above.
An application for a permanent residence permit in this category by an applicant who intends to
establish a business in the Republic of South Africa shall, in addition to fulfilling the above-mentioned
prescribed financial or capital contribution, be accompanied by –
i. a business plan outlining the feasibility of the business, both in the short and long term;
ii. an undertaking by the applicant that at least 60% of the total staff complement to be employed in
the operations of the business shall be citizens or permanent residents employed permanently in
various positions: Provided that proof of compliance with this undertaking shall be submitted
within 12 months of issuance of the permanent residence permit;
iii. an undertaking to register with the South African Revenue Service; and
iv. proof of registration with the relevant professional body, council or board recognised by SAQA in
terms of section 13(1)(i) of the National Qualifications Framework Act, where applicable.
An application for a permanent residence permit in this category by an applicant who has established a
business in the Republic of South Africa shall, in addition to fulfilling the above-mentioned prescribed
financial or capital contribution, be accompanied by –
i. proof that at least 60% of the total staff complement are citizens or permanent residents who are
permanently employed in various positions in the operations of the business;
ii. proof of registration with the South African Revenue Service; and
iii. proof of registration with the relevant professional body, council or board recognised by SAQA in
terms of section 13(1)(i) of the National Qualifications Framework Act, where applicable.
A foreigner who invests or has invested in an existing business shall, subject to this regulation, submit
certified proof of investment in the business in respect of the preceding financial year.
A foreigner who invests or has invested in an existing business as a partner shall submit –
i. certified proof of investment in the business; and
ii. the partnership agreement.
d) is a refugee referred to in section 27(c) of the Refugees Act, 1998 (Act No 130 of 1998), subject
to any prescribed requirement;
e) intends to retire in the Republic, provided that such foreigner proves to the satisfaction of the
Director-General that he or she:
i. has the right to a pension, or an irrevocable annuity, or a retirement account which will
give such foreigner R37 000 per month for the rest of his or her life; or
ii. has a combination of assets realising R37 000 per month;
f) has proven to the satisfaction of the Director-General that he or she has a minimum net worth of
R12 million and has paid an amount of R120 000 to the Director-General upon approval of the
application;
g) is the relative of a South Africa citizen or permanent resident within the first step of kinship.
Please note that in the case of an application under this category, the South African citizen or permanent
resident shall satisfy the Director-General that he or she is able and willing to support and maintain the
foreign relative making the application.
4
THE ROLE OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN EMBASSY IN BERLIN / CONSULATE-GENERAL IN MUNICH
Only foreigners who qualify for one of the categories / sections and who intend emigrating i.e. moving
their main place of residence to the Republic of South Africa may apply for permanent residence permits.
The permanent residence permit application forms may be downloaded from the Embassy website:
A list of supporting documentation for the different categories / sections may be found on the last 5 pages
of the form DHA-947); please note that supporting documentation shall be original or certified
copies and, if not in English, translated into English and certified as a correct translation by a
sworn translator (beeidigter Übersetzer).
Prospective immigrants who reside in Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hessen, Mecklenburg-
Vorpommern, Niedersachsen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland, Sachsen, Sachsen-
Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Thüringen may submit their complete application for permanent residence
permits in person and by appointment at the Embassy in Berlin (see http://goo.gl/maps/4ra4a):
Appointments at the Embassy in Berlin may be made for Wednesdays only, at either 10:00 or 14:00, by
either calling (030 220 730) or by sending an email request to berlin.consular@dirco.gov.za.
Prospective immigrants who reside in Bayern and Baden-Wuerttemberg may submit their complete
application for permanent residence permits in person and by appointment at the Consulate-General in
Munich (see http://goo.gl/maps/bhbDh):
Appointments at the Consulate-General in Munich may be made by calling 089 231 163 0.
Please note that on the day of the appointment, only if the interviewing officer regards the application as
complete, will the compulsory interview take place on the same day. All the applicants shall be
interviewed; in respect of an application in terms of section 26(b), it is recommended that the
applicant’s spouse, who is a South African citizen or a permanent resident, join his or her spouse
i.e. come to the Embassy / Consulate-General on the day of the appointment.
APPLICATION FEE
A non-refundable application fee of €118,00 is payable in respect of a formal application for permanent
residence permits per individual applicant, but is not payable by a spouse or dependent child of a South
African citizen or permanent resident; further details regarding the payment would be provided at the
interview, if the application has been accepted. Please note that the application fee is non-refundable
irrespective of whether the application is refused or withdrawn by the applicant.
5
PROCESSING TIME
After the compulsory interview, applications for permanent residence permits are forwarded to the
Department of Home Affairs in the Republic of South Africa, where they will be adjudicated. Applications
are processed in the order they are received at the Department and recent experience shows that it may
take up to 18 months and longer. Permit numbers are allocated by the Department of Home Affairs in
Pretoria. Applicants who wish to await the outcome of their application for permanent residence permits
may consider applying for a temporary residence visa (see http://www.suedafrika.org/en/visa-sa-
documents/temporary-residence-visa.html).
Permanent residence permits are issued by the Director-General of the Department of Home Affairs in the
Republic of South Africa. In the case of applicants who are still residing in the Federal Republic of
Germany, the issued permanent residence permits are forwarded to the applicants via the office of
application (Embassy in Berlin or Consulate-General in Munich).
Please note that unless the applicant(s) enter(s) the Republic of South Africa for the purpose of
permanent settlement within twelve (12) months after its date of issue, the permanent residence permit(s)
shall lapse.
In terms of section 28 of the Immigration Act, as amended, the Director-General of the Department of
Home Affairs may withdraw a permanent residence permit if its holder –
(a) is convicted of any of the offences –
(i) listed in Schedules 1 and 2 Immigration Act, as amended; or
(ii) in terms of the Immigration Act, as amended,.
(b) has failed to comply with the terms and conditions of his or her permit;
(c) has been absent from the Republic for more than three years, provided that –
(i) upon showing good cause and upon prior application the Director-General may extend this
period in specific cases;
(ii) the time when such holder –
(aa) was residing abroad while in the service of the State;
(bb) was residing abroad while a representative or employee of a person or association
of persons resident or established in the Republic;
(cc) was residing abroad while in the service of an international organisation of which the
State is a member;
(dd) in the case of the spouse or dependent child of a person referred to in subitem (aa),
(bb) or (cc), such spouse or child was residing with such person; or
(ee) in the case of the spouse or dependent child of a person who is a South African
citizen, such spouse or child was residing with such person,
shall not be computed within such period;
(iii) the Minister may grant an exemption from the requirement of residence in respect of certain
residents or class of residents;
(iv) the period of absence may only be interrupted by an admission and sojourn in the Republic;
and
(v) the requirement of residence in the Republic shall not affect any foreigner to whom
exemption has been granted under section 31(2)(b) as a member of a category of persons,
unless such foreigner previously entered the Republic or sojourned therein for the purpose of
permanent residence under the authority of such exemption; or
(d) has not taken up residence in the Republic within one year of the issuance of such permit.