The government’s Department of Home Affairs is looking at granting visas on arrival for tourists who already have visas for travel to the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom or other countries where stringent security checks are applicable.
This change comes 18 months after the department hiked the number of regulations required to grant a visa, in a bid to ensure the nation’s security. However, after criticism from tour operators and a report from the tourism industry estimating that new regulations caused a loss to the nation’s exchequer of 7.5 billion rand or $473 million USD last year, the government is considering easing many of these requirements. David Frost, chief executive officer of the Southern Africa Tourism Services Association, said, “The government is striking the balance between the need for state security, which is paramount and important and balancing that with the important economic driver that tourism is in our country. We’re finally now beginning to work together. Hopefully we’ll be able to finally establish a proper task team to work together to solve blockages.”
The country will also forego the requirement that minors are required to carry detail birth certificate documentation when traveling to and from the country. The government is also considering waiving visa requirements completely for visitors from BRICS countries — Brazil, Russia, India and China. South Africa has significant economic cooperation with these countries, especially China. A number of South Africans are also of Indian-origin, thanks to past cultural contacts. This leads to lots of tourism and economic investment from India. South Africa, Brazil and India are also involved in military and naval cooperation.
Multiple-entry visas from three-month to three-year durations, and visa applications from accredited tour agencies are also on the anvil, besides a biometric information system that is being test at three international airports in the country. Once biometric identification is in place, transit visas will also be done away with in select situations. “Given this review, from 18 December 2016 travelers transiting through Lanseria, King Shaka, Cape Town and Tambo airports will not require transit Visas,” Director-General of the Department of Home Affairs Mkuseli Apleni confirmed.
