South Africa · Digital nomad
Remote Work Visitor Visa
Open
Last verified July 2026
This was added to the Immigration Regulations on 28 March 2024, but it only became operational in March 2025. The income threshold was cut from the equivalent of ZAR 1m to ZAR 650,796 per annum, effective 9 October 2024.
This is a genuinely affordable way to spend time in Cape Town legally, at an income bar of roughly USD 35k. But it was built for salaried remote workers, not wealthy families. It deliberately builds toward nothing. There is no residence clock and no path to status.
Qualifying routes
650.8k ZAR
Remote employment or foreign clients
You will need a minimum gross annual income of roughly USD 35k. Both your employer and your income source must be outside South Africa.
The facts
- Minimum
- 650.8k ZAR
- Total landed cost
- Expect roughly ZAR 5-15k in official and professional fees.
- Route type
- Income requirement
- Timeline
- 2–8 months (This has been operational since March 2025, but processing still varies inconsistently from one mission to another.)
- Physical presence
- Issued for up to 3 years and renewable. But see the 183-day tax trap below.
- Family
- A spouse and dependent children may apply as accompanying visitors. This is not automatic, and dependants have no work rights
- Permanent residency
- There is no path here. Time spent on a visitor visa does not count toward permanent residence.
- Citizenship
- None
- Language test
- Not applicable
- Dual citizenship
- Permitted
- Requirements
- Gross annual income of at least ZAR 650,796.Three consecutive months of official bank statements.An employment contract or client contracts with a foreign employer or foreign clients.Police clearance.Medical insurance valid in South Africa.
What can go wrong
- The 183-day trap is really the whole story. Stay 183 or more days in a 12-month period and you become liable to register with SARS. You are then taxable on worldwide income at up to 45%, even though the visa itself is issued for 3 years. The visa's duration and the safe tax duration simply do not line up.
- Nothing accrues here. This is a visitor's visa under section 11(1)(b)(iv), and time spent on it counts toward no permanent residence or naturalisation clock.
- You may not work for a South African employer or earn income sourced locally.
- Implementation has been erratic. The visa sat on the statute book for a year before anyone could actually apply, and missions still apply it inconsistently.
- Dependants get no work rights, and their status is derivative. If the principal's visa fails, the family's status fails with it.