Part of Investing: guides on bringing capital into South Africa, investing your own money, and the rules that apply.
A South Africa business visa lets a foreign national live here while running a business they have started or bought into, provided they put in the prescribed capital, hire mostly local staff and obtain a recommendation from the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic). The dtic recommends. The Department of Home Affairs decides.
This guide is for foreign entrepreneurs, and the South African partners and accountants working with them, who want the real rules before paying for a business plan. It separates what the law requires, what changed in 2025 and 2026, what is only proposed, and where official sources say nothing.
This guide was last reviewed on 29 September 2026 and is general information, not legal, immigration, tax or investment advice.
Try it on your own numbers: the free Business Visa Planner tests your capital and local staffing against these rules, dates your dtic and Home Affairs steps, and builds a document checklist.
What the business visa is, and who it is for
The business visa is a temporary residence visa under section 15 of the Immigration Act 13 of 2002. It may be issued to a foreigner intending to establish or invest in, or who has established or invested in, a business in South Africa, with visas for immediate family for the same period. The detailed requirements are in regulation 14 of the Immigration Regulations, 2014, last substituted in full from 1 December 2018.
The Act sets three conditions: the foreigner invests the prescribed financial or capital contribution; it forms part of the intended book value of the business (the value of its assets in its accounts); and the foreigner undertakes to meet SARS registration requirements and to employ the prescribed share of citizens or permanent residents within 12 months of the visa being issued.
It is a visa for owner-investors. Section 15(2) says the holder “may not conduct work other than work related to the business”, so it is not a general work permit. Employees need a work visa, people working for a foreign employer use the Remote Work Visa (see our comparison of visas for investors, entrepreneurs and remote workers), and short business trips fall under visitor’s visas.
It is a niche route. Home Affairs’ December 2025 draft White Paper records 435 business visa applications between April 2021 and March 2025, against 12,944 critical skills applications.
The capital and local hiring requirements
R5 million, and how it may be held
The amount is set by ministerial notice, not in the Act. Government Notice 560 of 15 July 2014 fixes the cash to be invested at R5,000,000, “originating from outside the Republic”, for a new or existing business and for the business route to permanent residence. It adds that “the capital contribution must be new machinery and or equipment”. As at 29 September 2026 we found no later notice changing the figure.
Regulation 14 lets the amount be shown as cash, or as cash plus a capital contribution, certified by a registered accountant. On the notice’s wording, money raised locally does not count, used equipment does not count, and the contribution must end up in the business’s books rather than the investor’s personal account. Because the money crosses the border, keep the inward transfer paperwork and read our guide to exchange control for foreign investors.
Reducing or waiving the R5 million
Section 15(3) lets the Director-General of Home Affairs reduce or waive the contribution for businesses prescribed to be in the national interest, “or when so requested by the Department of Trade and Industry”. The sectors are in Government Notice 562 of 15 July 2014, a long, specific list that includes agro-processing, business process outsourcing, metals and machinery, software and mobile applications, textiles, automotive components, green economy industries, advanced manufacturing, tourism infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, film and design, oil and gas services and ICT.
Being in a listed sector is not an automatic discount. The dtic’s form has a section on waivers for “investment less than 5 million” that asks for a written motivation on feasibility and national interest. No official source publishes a minimum below which a waiver will not be considered.
Businesses that cannot get a business visa
Government Notice 561 of 15 July 2014 lists three undesirable undertakings: importing second-hand vehicles for export to other markets, exotic entertainment and the security industry. A notice published the same day lists hospitality, fast-food outlets and franchises, and cosmetics and beauty, but that list applies to corporate visas. Several websites mix the two up.
The 60% local employment requirement
A first-time applicant starting a business undertakes that at least 60% of the total staff complement will be South African citizens or permanent residents “employed permanently in various positions”. Proof is due within 12 months of the visa, as a letter from the Department of Employment and Labour. An applicant who has already established or invested in a business must prove the 60% up front, and on extension the dtic asks for UIF declarations showing it.
Two consequences follow. Part-time staff are unlikely to help, because the wording is “employed permanently”. And the percentage is of total staff: a founder plus one local hire is one of two people, or 50%.
The dtic’s role and the online Visa Recommendation System
Regulation 14 requires a letter of recommendation from the dtic on the feasibility of the business and its contribution to the national interest. The dtic’s own form says the recommendation “is not a decision that can be taken on appeal or review” and that the visa decision rests solely with Home Affairs.
On 10 March 2025 the dtic announced its Visa Recommendation System (VRS), replacing email applications. It covers first, extension and permanent residence recommendations, and offers online submission, document upload, real-time tracking and automated notifications.
What the announcement does not say: it gives no processing time, no fee (or whether one is charged) and no document list. The VRS portal opens on a login and registration screen and publishes none of those either. As at 29 September 2026 the dtic has not published a turnaround time for recommendations.
The most detailed official guidance is still the dtic’s two forms dated 1 August 2024, for a first business visa and for an extension or permanent residence. They predate the VRS and still say to email the dtic. Use them as a guide to content and the portal for submission.
Naming confusion: the dtic’s “digital business visa” is not a digital nomad visa
The dtic’s March 2025 page is headed “Digital Business Visa Recommendation”. “Digital” means the online portal, not a new visa. Remote workers for foreign employers use the Remote Work Visa, run by Home Affairs with no dtic involvement; our visa comparison guide covers it.
What the dtic looks at when it reviews a business visa application
The first-application form asks for an executive summary inside the form and says “No separate business plans to be submitted”. It covers:
- Ownership and structure, and the management team’s experience.
- Products and services, the market, competitors and the business’s competitive edge.
- Goals, barriers to entry such as regulation, and suppliers.
- A personnel plan and the applicant’s qualifications and entrepreneurial experience.
- How the business addresses unemployment, inequality and poverty in sectors the dtic supports: manufacturing, advanced manufacturing, green industries, services, resource-based industries and infrastructure.
- A funding plan: the total investment, how much is the applicant’s “own foreign funds”, how the rest is financed, what the money will be spent on, and projections.
The form warns that “Incomplete submissions will not be considered” and that each foreign partner in the same business must apply separately. The dtic publishes no data on refusals or their reasons.
Document checklist
| Document | Required by | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Accountant’s certificate or factual finding report on funds available or invested | Home Affairs and dtic | From a SAICA, SAIPA or registered business accountant. The dtic also wants a representation letter and proof of the accountant’s registration. |
| Bank letters or statements behind the figures | dtic | Showing funds to be invested or already invested. |
| 60% undertaking (new business) or proof (existing business) | Home Affairs and dtic | Proof due within 12 months of the visa for a new business. |
| Undertakings to register, or proof of registration, with SARS, UIF, the Compensation Fund and CIPC | Home Affairs and dtic | Plus a SAQA-recognised professional body or industry body where applicable. |
| Audited financial statements (existing business) | Home Affairs and dtic | Regulation 14(3) says the preceding financial year; the dtic form asks for two years. |
| dtic recommendation letter | Home Affairs | Obtained through the VRS first. |
| Passport, CV, copy of current visa | Home Affairs and dtic | Passport valid at least 30 days beyond intended departure. |
| Police clearance certificate | Home Affairs | From each country lived in for 12 months or more after age 18 during the five years before applying; under six months old. On renewal, from SAPS. |
| Medical report | Home Affairs | Under six months old. The radiological report was dropped in May 2024. |
| Partnership agreement, proof of incentives, family documents | dtic and Home Affairs | Where applicable. |
Foreign documents must be originals or authenticated copies, with sworn translations where needed. The police clearance and medical changes come from the Second Amendment of the Immigration Regulations of 20 May 2024, which left regulation 14 itself unchanged.
Step by step: from business plan to visa
- Check eligibility. Confirm the business is not on the undesirable list and decide between the full R5 million and a waiver request.
- Set up the company, or undertake to. An undertaking to register with CIPC is enough for a first application. See our guide on how to register a company.
- Get the accountant’s report certifying the funds.
- Apply to the dtic through the VRS, with the executive summary, funding plan, documents and any waiver motivation.
- Lodge with Home Affairs. From abroad, regulation 9(2) requires an in-person application at the South African mission where you live or hold citizenship. Inside South Africa, applications must be in at least 60 days before your current visa expires. Home Affairs’ visa page names VFS centres as the lodging point for work visas but does not say so separately for business visas, so confirm when you book.
- Comply after approval. Submit the 60% proof within 12 months and your registration certificates, and under section 15(4) prove within 24 months, and every two years after that, that the investment requirement has been met.
Costs, timelines and validity
Home Affairs’ fee schedule, updated for Gazette 55209 of 17 August 2026, sets the business visa fee, including renewals, at R1,520. It also adds a R500 electronic processing fee “applicable to the ETA”, the online Electronic Travel Authorisation system. Home Affairs does not say whether business visas are yet processed on that system, so do not assume the R500 applies until asked. VFS charges its own service fee, which Home Affairs does not publish, and no official source prices accountants’ reports or professional help.
| Application | Official turnaround |
|---|---|
| Business visa (section 15) | 8 weeks |
| Business permanent residence (section 27(c)) | 8 months |
| dtic recommendation | Not published |
Home Affairs’ turnaround times count working days only and apply to applications submitted within South Africa and processed at head office. They are targets, not guarantees. A business visa may be issued “for a period not exceeding three years at a time” (regulation 14(5)), with multiple entries where the business requires it (section 15(5)).
If you already hold a business visa: renewals and permanent residence
Renewal needs a new dtic recommendation, now through the VRS, and a Home Affairs application at least 60 days before expiry. The extension form asks whether the business met its goals, plus current staff, sales and financial position, the investment brought in from abroad, two years of audited statements, a COIDA letter of good standing, UIF proof of the 60%, a SARS tax clearance certificate, CIPC registration showing you as director and owner, and previous dtic recommendation letters. If you last applied by email, keep those letters.
Permanent residence for business owners is a separate application under section 27(c) of the Act and regulation 24, not an automatic conversion. It uses the same R5 million figure and accountant’s certificate; a new business also needs a business plan and the 60% undertaking, while an established one proves the 60% and SARS registration. The Act sets no minimum years on a business visa first. The permit lapses if you fail to prove, within two years of issue and three years after that, that the contribution is still invested. See Home Affairs’ permanent residency page for general documents, and our guide to business compliance requirements for the SARS, UIF and CIPC duties the visa assumes you keep current.
What is changing: in force versus proposed
| Change | Status at 29 September 2026 |
|---|---|
| dtic VRS replaces email applications | In force since 10 March 2025 |
| Radiological report dropped; police clearance limited to the previous five years | In force since 20 May 2024 |
| New fee schedule with R500 electronic processing fee | In force from 17 August 2026; business visa fee still R1,520 |
| Business visa becomes an “investment visa”, with the capital amount gazetted regularly and a sector-based employment quota replacing the fixed 60% | Proposed; not law |
| Standalone start-up visa for highly skilled people with innovative business ideas | Proposed for “the new legislation” |
| Points-based permanent residence, with business visa holders eligible after a period to be prescribed | Proposed; not law |
| Trusted Employer Scheme | Operating for work visas, not business visas |
The proposals come from the Draft Revised White Paper on Citizenship, Immigration and Refugee Protection (Gazette 53853, 12 December 2025; comments closed 15 February 2026). It says current rules do not cater well for people starting a new venture. KPMG reported that Cabinet approved the revised White Paper on 3 April 2026. A White Paper is policy: until Parliament amends the Act and new regulations and notices are issued, the R5 million, the 60% and the dtic recommendation remain the rules.
Common mistakes
- Counting locally raised money or used equipment toward the R5 million.
- Treating the sector list as an automatic discount.
- Checking the corporate visa undesirable list instead of the business visa one.
- Emailing the dtic instead of using the VRS.
- Applying for renewal less than 60 days before expiry, or missing the 12-month and two-year proof deadlines.
Frequently asked questions
How much do I need to invest for a South Africa business visa?
R5 million in cash from outside South Africa, or cash plus new machinery or equipment, under Government Notice 560 of 2014. Home Affairs can reduce or waive it for gazetted national-interest sectors or at the dtic’s request. No lower limit for a waiver is published.
Does the dtic issue the business visa?
No. The dtic recommends on the business’s feasibility and national-interest contribution, and Home Affairs decides. The dtic says its recommendation cannot be appealed or reviewed.
How long does a business visa take?
Home Affairs’ published turnaround is 8 weeks, in working days, for applications lodged in South Africa. The dtic has not published a turnaround for its recommendation, so allow extra time for that stage.
Is the dtic’s digital business visa a digital nomad visa?
No. “Digital” refers to the online Visa Recommendation System launched on 10 March 2025. Remote workers for foreign employers apply for the Remote Work Visa through Home Affairs.
How long is a business visa valid?
Up to three years at a time, and it can be renewed. Each renewal needs a new dtic recommendation and proof that the capital and 60% staffing commitments have been met.
Can a business visa lead to permanent residence?
Yes, through a separate section 27(c) application; the dtic’s VRS handles those recommendations too. The Act sets no minimum years on a business visa first, the investment must stay in place, and Home Affairs’ turnaround is 8 months.
Can I open a restaurant or salon on a business visa?
They are not on the business visa undesirable list, which covers second-hand vehicle export, exotic entertainment and security; they are on the corporate visa list. Neither appears among the gazetted waiver sectors, so investing less than R5 million would depend on the dtic asking Home Affairs for a reduction.
