In case you are planning to travel to South Africa in the future, there is some good news you may want to be aware of. Apparently, the government of South Africa decided to adopt the electronic visa system.
The measure is supposed to boost tourism because travelers will enjoy a more efficient and convenient visa application process. South Africa’s economy should also know some positive outcomes because the electronic visa is supposed to bring more investors in South Africa.
Since the eVisa had improved many countries’ tourism sections, there is no reason to believe that it will not work for South Africa too.
Eligible nationalities
Since the South Africa eVisa is not live yet, we do not know many details about it. The citizens of Kenya, however, are the ones to profit from the pilot program. Apart from them, we still do not know which nationalities will be eligible for a South Africa eVisa. We have to wait for the South African government to make public more information on the matter.
The online application process for electronic visas
The rule of the thumb says that the online process of getting an electronic visa should be as accessible as possible. That is true in most cases. After all, we are talking about a simplified application process, one that the applicant should have an easy time going through. If you have ever applied for an eVisa before, then you know how easy it is.
While we do not have a complete list of requirements, we do know that applicants will need a valid passport. The document must be valid for at least another month from the date of the intended departure from South Africa and have at least 2 blank pages.
As far as the application form is concerned, we know that it will require you to provide personal and passport information, but you will also be asked to answer a few security-related questions. The payment must be made online as well.
According to the South African Department of Home Affairs, the applicant should receive their visa in about 5 days since application, which goes to say that the electronic visa system is supposed to be fast and as less time-consuming as possible. The validity period of the eVisa is said to be of 10 years, and its holder will be allowed multiple entries. Again, we are not absolutely sure about this information since we are waiting for more updates.
People who are interested in getting a South Africa visa in the future will be able to make a choice between using the government’s website or referring to a third-party online visa service. Each of both options come with their pros and cons, but at the end of the day, it is the applicant’s choice which kind of services they want to use.
Needless to say, the fact that South Africa will implement the electronic visa system in its visa policy is an excellent choice. Tourists will be more likely to choose the country as their vacation destination knowing that the visa application process does not require much time and energy. The South African government set a target of 21 million visitors per year by 2030. The electronic visa is supposed to help them achieve that goal.
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