South Africa · Official Resources
Government portals
- South African Government — Central portal for departments, services and official documents.
- SARS — South African Revenue Service — Tax number registration, income tax filing season and customs.
- Department of Home Affairs — Visas, critical-skills and work permits, permanent residence and civil records.
- CIPC — Companies and Intellectual Property Commission — Company and co-operative registration, annual returns, trademarks and patents.
Banks
- Standard Bank South Africa — Africa's largest bank by assets — present in 20 African countries; core financial corridor for China-Africa trade and investment
Official forms
- South African Visa and Permit Application — The Department of Home Affairs visa and permit categories — all immigration applications are submitted through VFS Global. Checked against the official page on 2026-09-23
How to file
- Pick the category first — business, general work, critical skills, intra-company transfer, corporate, study, exchange, retired persons, relative’s, medical treatment, crew and treaty visas are listed separately, alongside temporary and permanent residence permits
- Note the routing: the department states that all immigration-related applications are done by VFS Global, so the application is lodged at a VFS office rather than at Home Affairs
- For short visits, check the eVisa portal, which is a separate online route
- eHome Affairs is the online portal for the civic services that sit alongside the immigration ones
- Check the department’s "Turnaround times for Visas and Permits" page before planning around a date