South Africa

Remote work visa (digital nomad endorsement). Work remotely for a foreign employer or your own foreign business while living in South Africa for up to a year at a time, for up to three years total.

Free, with the law behind every answer

Remote work visa (digital nomad endorsement)

A visa to live in South Africa and work remotely for more than three months and up to three years; it cannot be changed to another status from inside the country.

Who qualifies

The applicant must earn a minimum gross annual income of ZAR 650,976 (about $2,970 a month, $35,600 a year), reduced by gazette from the originally proposed ZAR 1 million, from work performed for an employer or clients outside South Africa.
Department of Home Affairs, Immigration Regulations gazette, remote work visa endorsement (October 2024, applications open from March 2025)
Work may only be performed remotely for foreign entities; taking local South African employment is not permitted on this visa.
Department of Home Affairs, remote work visa guidance

You keep your U.S. citizenship.

Does it fit your family?

2 questions, from the program’s own rules.

Steady monthly income, from any source?

Not legal advice.

What it takes.

Income: At least $2,970 a month, steady and documented.
Time: 6–10 weeks once applications opened in March 2025; uptake has been low so far (only 24 visas granted by April 2025), which may reflect slow processing as much as demand.
Cost: About $500–900 in visa and VFS fees.
The hard part: Meeting the roughly $35,600/year income floor with foreign-source income documented well enough to satisfy Home Affairs.

Dollar figures are converted from the local currency at the rate the program’s research used; the official figure is in the local currency.

This visa doesn’t lead to a passport.

2027
First residence permit
3 years, not renewable.

Language: Able to communicate in any one of South Africa’s official languages (English counts); proof is asked for since 2023.
Time away: Five years ordinarily resident in South Africa as a permanent resident, continuous and immediately before applying, with no more than 90 days away in any one of those years. Time on temporary visas does not count.
Two passports: It depends on the rules at the time and on your home country.

Time on this program does not count toward permanent residence or citizenship; the family would need to switch to one that does.
A visitor’s visa for remote work of more than three months and up to three years, which cannot be changed to another status from inside South Africa; temporary years do not count toward citizenship.

The law behind these dates

Department of Home Affairs — Remote work visa requirements (9 October 2024)

Living there.

Time you must spend there: No minimum days required; the visa is valid for a fixed term regardless of actual time spent in the country.
Tax: Staying more than 183 days a year can trigger South African tax residence even though the income is foreign-sourced; treaty relief may apply.

We never file a tax return. We tell you what applies and brief the professional who does.

Start today.

Start with the Department of Home Affairs immigration services page.Open dha.gov.za ↗
Gather these documents.
- Proof of steady income: at least $2,970 a month
- Request your FBI Identity History Summary
- Health cover for the move

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