SPOUSAL VISA in South Africa
If you are married to, or in a permanent life partnership with, a South African citizen or permanent resident, you may qualify for a Spousal Visa.
The Spousal Visa application will require proof of your spousal relationship. In the case of a civil marriage, whether concluded in South Africa or abroad, this will mean your marriage certificate. In the case of a life partnership, this will require proof of shared financial responsibility for a period of not less than two years.
The Spousal Visa can also be endorsed for work, business, or study purposes in South Africa.
Key Features of the Spousal Visa
- Valid for between two to three years at a time
- Initial application may be submitted from within South Africa*
- Renewable from within South Africa
- Allows you to change to a different visa category from within South Africa
- Provides a pathway to permanent residence
- Allows for work, business, or study in South Africa
*Following a landmark decision of the Constitutional Court in 2019, spouses and life partners of South African citizens and permanent residents may now apply for a Spousal Visa from within South Africa, while in possession of a short-term visitor’s visa. This was confirmed by Immigration Directive 07 of 2019.
