Do you want to travel to south of Africa? South Africa is the country of vivid nightlife, parks, wine farms, and safari! Take a look at this guide to find out South Africa's visa processing time in Nigeria and visa requirements!
South Africa Visa in Nigeria
Holders of Nigerian passport are required to provide a visitor's visa if they want to travel in South Africa. Nevertheless, it can be a very smooth process! You will need to apply for the nearest VFS Global Centre. These centers can be found in Port Harcourt, Abuja and Lagos.
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It's recommended to apply for South Africa visa from Nigeria in at least four weeks before traveling there. It will spare some stress from your travel.
Processing Time for South Africa Visitors
The South Africa visa processing time in Nigeria is minimum six working days. Nonetheless, every citizen of Nigeria should understand that every application is unique and may require more time for the processing. Therefore, it's recommended to apply for the visa for at least in the month before your trip. It will reduce the pressure you are given from the trip.
If you want to withdraw the application form after the submission, you will need to get through the following process:
You should get the withdraw form from the nearest VFS Centre, it's possible to get this form on the VFS global website.
You will be required to provide a covering letter which should include the reason for the withdrawal.
Collecting your Visa
You can collect your South Africa visa in Nigeria from any respective VFS Global Center. You can collect your visa from Monday to Friday. You can collect your visa from 11 AM to 3 PM, you can't collect your visas on public holidays.
Do not forget to bring along the receipt for your payment for the visa and passport. Without these documents – you will not be able to get your visa. You will be notified of the completion of your visa by SMS.
Types of Visa
There are three types of South African Visas available for Nigerians.
- Visitors Visa – It's a visa for short period of time. It's needed for short family or travel visits in South Africa. With the visitor’s visa, Nigerians can stay in South Africa for 90 days only.
- Long Stay Visa – It's considered to be the best stay visa, it's needed some serious documents to be provided to stay in the country. the period of stay can vary, from 3 months up to 3 years. Still, these terms are defined and controlled by the embassy of South Africa.
- Business Visa – the term of stay for this visa is completely dictated by the duration and motivation of traveling to South Africa. The validity for a business visa can be up to five years.
It's needed to provide a copy of international passport.
All the above-mentioned documents are required to be submitted to the South Africa Visa center. These documents can be submitted from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM. The withdrawal of your application may take at least two working days.
South Africa Visa Requirements for Nigerian Citizen
If you need to go through the process of getting your visa, you will need to provide the following documents:
- A valid passport that`s validity is at least 30 days from the intended stay in South Africa
- Two photographs. They should be identical to the passport size. It means 45*45mm. The background of each photo should be white
- It's needed to provide a BI84 application form. You can get it from the visa center. The form must be filled only in black ink.
- Copy of passport page (data)
- Copies of existing and previously issued visas
- You will need to provide a self-introduction letter. In this letter, you will need to provide your full biography with a physical address.
- Recommendation from the employer where he/she provides the necessary contact detail.
- Hotel reservation
- Tour reservation
- You will also need to provide a copy of international vacation card
- You should also provide a copy of your financial status. It means that you will need to provide the proof from your bank about your revenues for the last six months.
- If you travel for the business trip, then you should attach the business letter from your partner in South Africa. This letter should include all necessary information about the reasons for your trip. Moreover, your business partner should attach the full details of the company.
- If you travel with children, then you should provide their birth certificates. If you are not travel with your kids, you will need to provide a letter of their parents’ consent for traveling along with the parents’ documents (copies of passports).
- Marriage certificate
- Booking of the flights to South Africa
- Visa Fee which is non-refundable (N8,600).
Do not forget that every application is unique and may require more than six working days for the processing. When the processing is done, you will be noted in SMS.
After the SMS, you will need to go to the visa center and get your visa. You will need to bring the receipt and passport to collect your visa.
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Source: Naija.ng