Visa information

If you are simply planning a short-term stay in South Africa, without any intention of working or practicing any other activity for which a residence permit is required, you may qualify for a visitor’s visa.
This includes short term studies, e.g. language courses not exceeding 3 months in total.

Depending on your home country and nationality, a visitor’s visa must be obtained through the local consular authorities in your home country prior to leaving for South Africa.

However, citizens of most European countries as well as the UK, USA and Australia are exempt from this and will be issued a visitor’s visa on arrival in South Africa and upon
presenting a valid return ticket (within 90 days).

A visitor’s visa is issued for between 30 and 90 days; depending on your country of origin.
A once-off extension of the visitor’s visa is possible in South Africa, for another period of maximum three months (90 days) and it needs to be done within 60 days arriving in South Africa!

If you plan to study longer than 90 days you must apply for a study permit before arrival!
If you plan to do a volunteering or internship after your language school course you have to apply for the correct visa at the airport of your arrival in South Africa.
To obtain the correct visa at the airport of entrance in South Africa can be tricky and often students get issued the wrong visa which leads to problems afterward.

To avoid any visa problems, Kickstart cooperates with Starzmann Consulting (www.starzmann-consulting.com) to organize the correct visa for 90 days.
An additional fee of Eur 60 is applicable and is not included in our placement or language school fee.

All visa relevant documents need to be issued to Kickstart or Starzmann Consulting 14 days prior your arrival!

A visa extension in South Africa costs R425 if you organize it yourself or, if you prefer a hassle free extension, you can use the services of Starzmann Consulting for R500 (+R425) again.

If you require assistance or advice concerning any immigration or visa matters, even if not covered above, please contact Starzmann Consulting directly on kstarzmann@starzmann-consulting.com. They are more than happy to assist you on an individual basis!
Kickstart is not responsible or liable for your visa.