So sorry about this.

The reality that DHA does not want the public to know is that their evisa system which they promised to be efficient is in fact technically flawed and inefficient. They will not admit this in the media, that is why they quietly engaged VFS on a short term contractual basis to manage the short term/visitors visa processing. If you’ve noticed, there is no publication on this arrangement with VFS, it’s not even on VFS’s official SA-Nigeria website. This is deliberate as publicizing it would confirm that their evisa system is not working. So they left applicants to decide on their own what platform to use (DHA and/or VFS - as some people have applied to these platforms simultaneously for fear of delay). People have found out about the VFS site based on word of mouth which May have been shared by VFS staff verbally (I stand to be corrected if this is not the case).

Here’s a report to shed more light on the issue: https://www.businessinsider.co.za/amp/south-africa-e-visa-work-with-vfs-global-2022-11

My advice to all interested tourist/business travelers on short term SA visa application is to disregard DHA’s evisa site for now and focus on only VFS’s site (which may not last long if DHA does not renew its contract with them LOL).

Jiol:
Applied via DHA since 27th JULY 2022, they just sent me a rejection mail this morning. (Reason: travel date has lapsed) when it's almost 6 months!

Myst77:
So sorry about this.

The reality that DHA does not want the public to know is that their evisa system which they promised to be efficient is in fact technically flawed and inefficient. They will not admit this in the media, that is why they quietly engaged VFS on a short term contractual basis to manage the short term/visitors visa processing. If you’ve noticed, there is no publication on this arrangement with VFS, it’s not even on VFS’s official SA-Nigeria website. This is deliberate as publicizing it would confirm that their evisa system is not working. So they left applicants to decide on their own what platform to use (DHA and/or VFS - as some people have applied to these platforms simultaneously for fear of delay). People have found out about the VFS site based on word of mouth which May have been shared by VFS staff verbally (I stand to be corrected if this is not the case).

Here’s a report to shed more light on the issue: https://www.businessinsider.co.za/amp/south-africa-e-visa-work-with-vfs-global-2022-11

My advice to all interested tourist/business travelers on short term SA visa application is to disregard DHA’s evisa site for now and focus on only VFS’s site (which may not last long if DHA does not renew its contract with them LOL).

it’s not an evisa it’s the sticker visa, but this guys are wicked oo

Jiol:
Applied via DHA since 27th JULY 2022, they just sent me a rejection mail this morning. (Reason: travel date has lapsed) when it's almost 6 months!

If your travel date has lapsed before getting to your application, its an automatic denial.

Apply again, this time use VFS E-visa route and make your travel date at least 1 month from your submission date.

Jiol:
Applied via DHA since 27th JULY 2022, they just sent me a rejection mail this morning. (Reason: travel date has lapsed) when it's almost 6 months!

sorry about that, was your application based on evisa?

Offsetdrip:
sorry about that, was your application based on evisa?

Yes it was Evisa.

Hello guys... I'm going for a commercial diving training, it will last for 3 months.

Please can I apply through the VFS evisa?

I believe you can. You just have to prove that your planned training activity is for a 3-month duration and you need to be in SA for that period. See suggestions below:

Cover/self intro letter:
Submit a cover letter detailing your program of activities for 3 months. You should make reference to your supporting documents e.g training program (as explained below), estimated expenditure (as detailed below), where you’ll be staying (as detailed below) etc. I like to give the visa officer context as opposed to just attaching documents. It makes their work easier especially the lazy ones

Training Details:
Attach the training institute’s confirmation of training addressed to the embassy with training activities for the 3-month period (a timetable basically) + confirmation that you’ve paid for the full cost of training.

Your bank statement (6 months stamped and signed by the bank) - I recommend 6 months for DHA since Abuja embassy is the active office for now.
If staying in a hotel: must cover full cost of hotel stay for 3 months + feeding and transport.

If staying with a host: Same as above to be safe but, if you don’t have that kind of balance, ensure your balance + your host’s balance can cover 3 month’s stay. Explain this in your cover letter (if you can, please do the maths for the embassy - explain your budget for the 3-month stay). Leave no stone unturned.

PS: Ensure your inflow is consistent- I prefer to submit salary statement showing consistent monthly payments that can be verified by my payslip and employer’s letter. But if you don’t have this, submit a statement that has consistent inflow that is supported by a verifiable source of income. Don’t pad your account!


Staying in a hotel
a. Book DIRECTLY with a hotel for 3 months - DO NOT USE a third party website to book (bookings.com, hotelbeds etc). Submit the booking confirmation letter (I prefer to contact the hotel directly and get my confirmation letter attached to an email from the hotel representative) to make it easy for the embassy to reach the person.


Staying with a friend/family/host
Submit:
a. Letter of invitation from your host in SA with physical address and phone number (plus if applicable, confirmation of your living expenses that would be borne by your host e.g feeding, transport etc.
b. Proof of his/her residence in SA in the form of a utility bill (Water and Electricity bills).
c. Certified copies of your host’s ID, if he/she is a Foreign National in South Africa, copy of the passport and the Permit legalising him/her to stay in SA MUST be attached.
d. Six months Bank Statement (signed and Stamped by the Bank) of your host.


PS: Refer to other documentation requirements on the main VFS website for your visa type. I’ve only focused on addressing your concern about your planned 3-month stay for training purposes.

Donrolex123:
Hello guys... I'm going for a commercial diving training, it will last for 3 months.

Please can I apply through the VFS evisa?

Myst77:
I believe you can. You just have to prove that your planned training activity is for a 3-month duration and you need to be in SA for that period. See suggestions below:

Cover/self intro letter:
Submit a cover letter detailing your program of activities for 3 months. You should make reference to your supporting documents e.g training program (as explained below), estimated expenditure (as detailed below), where you’ll be staying (as detailed below) etc. I like to give the visa officer context as opposed to just attaching documents. It makes their work easier especially the lazy ones

Training Details:
Attach the training institute’s confirmation of training addressed to the embassy with training activities for the 3-month period (a timetable basically) + confirmation that you’ve paid for the full cost of training.

Your bank statement (6 months stamped and signed by the bank) - I recommend 6 months for DHA since Abuja embassy is the active office for now.
If staying in a hotel: must cover full cost of hotel stay for 3 months + feeding and transport.

If staying with a host: Same as above to be safe but, if you don’t have that kind of balance, ensure your balance + your host’s balance can cover 3 month’s stay. Explain this in your cover letter (if you can, please do the maths for the embassy - explain your budget for the 3-month stay). Leave no stone unturned.

PS: Ensure your inflow is consistent- I prefer to submit salary statement showing consistent monthly payments that can be verified by my payslip and employer’s letter. But if you don’t have this, submit a statement that has consistent inflow that is supported by a verifiable source of income. Don’t pad your account!


Staying in a hotel
a. Book DIRECTLY with a hotel for 3 months - DO NOT USE a third party website to book (bookings.com, hotelbeds etc). Submit the booking confirmation letter (I prefer to contact the hotel directly and get my confirmation letter attached to an email from the hotel representative) to make it easy for the embassy to reach the person.


Staying with a friend/family/host
Submit:
a. Letter of invitation from your host in SA with physical address and phone number (plus if applicable, confirmation of your living expenses that would be borne by your host e.g feeding, transport etc.
b. Proof of his/her residence in SA in the form of a utility bill (Water and Electricity bills).
c. Certified copies of your host’s ID, if he/she is a Foreign National in South Africa, copy of the passport and the Permit legalising him/her to stay in SA MUST be attached.
d. Six months Bank Statement (signed and Stamped by the Bank) of your host.


PS: Refer to other documentation requirements on the main VFS website for your visa type. I’ve only focused on addressing your concern about your planned 3-month stay for training purposes.

pls what if the person is not a salary income earner, a self employed person,can the statement reflect just clients or individuals paying money into your acct while you do your normal transaction on it.cos I heard they must be able to trace the fact that probably the company or any agency you are working with is paying you maybe monthly or weekly depend on the agreement

It’s better to present a personal bank account statement showing salary received from your registered company or business name (sole proprietor or partnership). Essentially, be paying yourself salary from your company on a monthly basis. Prepare an employer’s intro letter + payslip under your company letterhead and indicate how much salary your company pays to you monthly and your net pay.

Try to strategically separate your personal income from your business income. Get your clients to pay into your business account (or any other type of account if you don’t have a registered company/business name) and maintain a separate personal account for receiving salary payments.

I don’t always recommend presenting company account statement as evidence of an individual’s source of income. A company has an identity of its own and its revenue does not automatically translate to the owner’s income. Only submit your company’s bank statement (plus CAC docs, Tax clearance certificate, letter from bank confirming your company’s statement) if in visa your application, you are presenting your company as a sponsor of your trip OR you want to demonstrate that you have strong ties to Nigeria. For the purpose of sponsorship, your company’s account balance must be more than your travel budget (x2 at least, to be safe)

Anu24:
pls what if the person is not a salary income earner, a self employed person,can the statement reflect just clients or individuals paying money into your acct while you do your normal transaction on it.cos I heard they must be able to trace the fact that probably the company or any agency you are working with is paying you maybe monthly or weekly depend on the agreement

Do you need to make payment in SA Or need rands in exchange for Naira?

Contact me at omisy019@gmail.com

Myst77:
It’s better to present a personal bank account statement showing salary received from your registered company or business name (sole proprietor or partnership). Essentially, be paying yourself salary from your company on a monthly basis. Prepare an employer’s intro letter + payslip under your company letterhead and indicate how much salary your company pays to you monthly and your net pay.

Try to strategically separate your personal income from your business income. Get your clients to pay into your business account (or any other type of account if you don’t have a registered company/business name) and maintain a separate personal account for receiving salary payments.

I don’t always recommend presenting company account statement as evidence of an individual’s source of income. A company has an identity of its own and its revenue does not automatically translate to the owner’s income. Only submit your company’s bank statement (plus CAC docs, Tax clearance certificate, letter from bank confirming your company’s statement) if in visa your application, you are presenting your company as a sponsor of your trip OR you want to demonstrate that you have strong ties to Nigeria. For the purpose of sponsorship, your company’s account balance must be more than your travel budget (x2 at least, to be safe)

If you or your sponsor is submitting a company’s bank statement, the most important document to attach is a signed or stamped or even both reference letter stating that you or your sponsor is the sole signatory of the bank account of that said company. The company name must be there and tally with the name of the bank statement and the number of years you have been banking with them. It is so important. The bank balance must be large as well as the inflow and outflow almost times two of your travel budget.

That reference letter from the bank Carries weight a lot even if you don’t even have a company it is sometimes neccesary to add a reference letter from the bank, it has saved a lot from being denied based forged bank statement or unrealistic bank statement when the statement is actually legit.

Then you can attach CAC Docs and other Tax Clearance whatever which might not be neccesary at all. But you can put it if you wish, the more convincing your documents are the more you are likely to be issued the Visa.

This people matter don tire me, since October no update from them.

bayfed:
This people matter don tire me, since October no update from them.

What category of visa?

Good day everyone. Please how can i apply for the e visa to SA. Please kindly help with the link and requirements.

shacore1010:
Good day everyone. Please how can i apply for the e visa to SA. Please kindly help with the link and requirements.

how many months are you wanting for your stay

Hi Everyone. Any News? Has anybody gotten their evisa?

Good morning house,

can I use an Ethiopian or Rwanda air reservation for my evisa application, I am having challenges booking on South Africa airways.
also, can I use an e-statement of account? can someone also help me with a hotel i can book without paying a deposit.

Thanks

Will I book for appointment if I wanted to apply for South Africa tourism sticker visa at VFS? sorry my last visa in 2021 I did walk-in. Is anyone know how many month South Africa stick visa comes out? I was told they didn’t collected int passport anymore.

djbaju:
Good morning house,

can I use an Ethiopian or Rwanda air reservation for my evisa application, I am having challenges booking on South Africa airways.
also, can I use an e-statement of account? can someone also help me with a hotel i can book without paying a deposit.

Thanks

AskGod07:

Will I book for appointment if I wanted to apply for South Africa tourism sticker visa at VFS? sorry my last visa in 2021 I did walk-in. Is anyone know how many month South Africa stick visa comes out? I was told they didn’t collected int passport anymore.

If you know you have the patience to wait for about 6 months to get the sticker visa, you can apply for it. Yes they don’t take passport again. Sept/October applicants are still waiting for a decision with the purpose of travel defeated. So I’d advise you to apply through E-Vfs and apply like at least three weeks to your date of departure.

One Month is Ok. Even If its Less. Just for Exploration. Thats all. Kindly help. Agent dey charge me over 500k.

Offsetdrip:
how many months are you wanting for your stay

shacore1010:
One Month is Ok. Even If its Less. Just for Exploration. Thats all. Kindly help. Agent dey charge me over 500k.

.

Anniebam:


.

Ahhh for waytin 500k Nigerians those agents hmmm

Good day, any one with info?

djbaju:
Good morning house,

can I use an Ethiopian or Rwanda air reservation for my evisa application, I am having challenges booking on South Africa airways.
also, can I use an e-statement of account? can someone also help me with a hotel i can book without paying a deposit.

Thanks

It shouldn’t be a problem provided that you’ll be landing at OR Tambo intl airport. SA evisa holders must arrive at OR Tambo and no other airport. Ensure that you book a direct flight from Lagos to Johannesburg with Rwanda Air or Ethiopian.

As for bank statement, please DO NOT submit an e-statement. Statement must be stamped and signed by the bank. You can then scan the original and upload on the evisa platform.

For hotel bookings, if you have a contact in SA who has a good relationship with a hotel there, you can ask them to help contact a hotel for a booking without payment IN YOUR NAME (there are no certainties though).

OR initiate a refundable booking IN YOUR NAME via a hotel’s website or by contacting them directly but they’ll need a USD card info to initiate (could be yours or someone else’s). They won’t deduct money from your card until your check-in date but you must cancel before the actual date if for any reason you won’t be using the hotel. In most cases, the hotel will specifically advise you on their refund policy.

djbaju:
Good day, any one with info?

The price is indeed outrageous. What kind of assistance do you need? Do you want to apply by yourself or do you need recommendations on a suitable immigration consultant/lawyer?

You can either put together your application by yourself by following the visa type document checklist on the main VFS website (https://visa.vfsglobal.com/one-pager/southafrica/nigeria/english/) and then upload the documents on the VFS evisa page (https://southafrica.vfsevisa.com/index.html). See how to apply on the evisa page here: https://southafrica.vfsevisa.com/information.

Many people have asked questions on areas they do not understand on this platform. You can read past posts or ask specific questions. As you may have read on past posts, the best way to apply is through VFS evisa platform and not the walk-in method - you have been warned .

OR you can apply using an immigration consultant/lawyer (at an extra cost for their service) if you are not confident in your ability to apply by yourself or in your documentation. The consultants will vet your documents to see if they are suitable, collate them and can also assist in uploading the documents. However, they cannot guarantee that your visa will be approved or the processing time. This is at the discretion of the embassy.

shacore1010:
One Month is Ok. Even If it’s Less. Just for Exploration. Thats all. Kindly help. Agent dey charge me over 500k.

I applied for student visa since 25th November 2022, my school is starting lectures on 6th February 2023 and I have not gotten any respond for my visa uptil now.
Please what should I do because I have to pay my school fees on or before 3rd February 2023 but I can't pay when I have not received my visa

mekuscato:
I applied for student visa since 25th November 2022, my school is starting lectures on 6th February 2023 and I have not gotten any respond for my visa uptil now.
Please what should I do because I have to pay my school fees on or before 3rd February 2023 but I can't pay when I have not received my visa

So sorry, I can imagine how worried you must be. It’s almost 8wks since you applied and within that period there were a number of SA public holidays (so, the embassy has spent only approx 34 working days which is like 4wks in the processing of your visa). I’d say give them an extra 20 working days to process your visa (till mid Feb) but, that would be beyond your resumption date unfortunately.

The standard processing time for study visa according to the VFS website is 6 - 8 wks but they do not stick to this time in most cases. In fact, the average processing time by the embassy based on past posts from similar applicants on this platform between 2021 & 2023 is 3 - 4 months and sometimes more, sadly (so, brace yourself).

You can try your luck by sending a very polite email to morifiJ@dirco.gov.za (someone shared this email on this platform in a past post); you may potentially receive helpful feedback. You can also ask the school to write to the embassy directly if they can. At least your application is not lodged with DHA in Pretoria like the Jan-Aug 2022 applicants, which is a good thing. So good luck!

Interesting discussion for anyone who has applied or is planning to apply for permanent residency or who is considering relocating to SA: https://www.capetalk.co.za/articles/464335/what-s-causing-the-delay-in-issuing-permanent-residence-permits-in-sa

mekuscato:
I applied for student visa since 25th November 2022, my school is starting lectures on 6th February 2023 and I have not gotten any respond for my visa uptil now.
Please what should I do because I have to pay my school fees on or before 3rd February 2023 but I can't pay when I have not received my visa

We are in the same boat o, I applied too in early November on the 7th same visa category, Nothing too. By 1st of February if I don’t hear from them I’ll be planning to withdraw my passport because I don’t even have patience for any kind of delay at this point. They said they have deployed extra staff members to Abuja to sort out and prioritize those going for Business & Study. It’s still very slow as those who even applied for long term in October are yet to receive a decision. I won’t even blame them because Lagos embassy have refused to process visa so the whole visa pressure is at the Abuja embassy. Try and message your school international office and send your VFS receipt & Passport to them, they should help you in a way

God bless you boss.

Thanks

Myst77:
It shouldn’t be a problem provided that you’ll be landing at OR Tambo intl airport. SA evisa holders must arrive at OR Tambo and no other airport. Ensure that you book a direct flight from Lagos to Johannesburg with Rwanda Air or Ethiopian.

As for bank statement, please DO NOT submit an e-statement. Statement must be stamped and signed by the bank. You can then scan the original and upload on the evisa platform.

For hotel bookings, if you have a contact in SA who has a good relationship with a hotel there, you can ask them to help contact a hotel for a booking without payment IN YOUR NAME (there are no certainties though).

OR initiate a refundable booking IN YOUR NAME via a hotel’s website or by contacting them directly but they’ll need a USD card info to initiate (could be yours or someone else’s). They won’t deduct money from your card until your check-in date but you must cancel before the actual date if for any reason you won’t be using the hotel. In most cases, the hotel will specifically advise you on their refund policy.

justwise:
Ask/make your South African visa contributions here, i have seen increasing number of different threads about South African visa recently hence the need to dedicate one thread for South African visa issues.

Good morning Just wise.. been following your contents and indeed you're a Gem.. pls I want to ask, how much is average tuition fee for masters degree program in Southie Universities? Pls if you can give me the approximate amount in Naira

Na wa o which one is do not submit an e-statement? Banks allow you to download exactly what you would get from the bank, and it is even "signed and stamped" on each page. Imagine having a business account and then going to print from the bank and scanning 40-plus pages. Then booking with the hotel directly, when UK/US/Schengen consulate accept booking,com and other third party websites? They should just say they want to be silly (By they I mean the DHA). I would like to know where you got these requirements from though, please.

Myst77:
It shouldn’t be a problem provided that you’ll be landing at OR Tambo intl airport. SA evisa holders must arrive at OR Tambo and no other airport. Ensure that you book a direct flight from Lagos to Johannesburg with Rwanda Air or Ethiopian.

As for bank statement, please DO NOT submit an e-statement. Statement must be stamped and signed by the bank. You can then scan the original and upload on the evisa platform.

For hotel bookings, if you have a contact in SA who has a good relationship with a hotel there, you can ask them to help contact a hotel for a booking without payment IN YOUR NAME (there are no certainties though).

OR initiate a refundable booking IN YOUR NAME via a hotel’s website or by contacting them directly but they’ll need a USD card info to initiate (could be yours or someone else’s). They won’t deduct money from your card until your check-in date but you must cancel before the actual date if for any reason you won’t be using the hotel. In most cases, the hotel will specifically advise you on their refund policy.