South Africa General Work Visa Checklist

The General Work Visa is issued only where South African citizens with the relevant skills are not available. It is employer-driven and submitted through VFS or a South African mission. Based on the official guidance (dha.gov.za), September 2026.

Eligibility

You have a job offer where no South African citizen with the relevant skills is available.
The employer documents are complete and in good standing.

Core documents

Completed and signed application form.
Passport plus a certified copy from the issuing authority, with a valid endorsement showing current status, valid for at least 30 days beyond the intended departure date (Regulation 9(1)(a)).
Apply in person, normally at least 60 days before the visa expires; if the endorsement has less than 30 days, within 7 working days of expiry.
Medical report signed by a practising doctor, not older than 6 months.
Police clearance from countries where you lived more than 12 months in the past 5 years, not older than 6 months.
Yellow fever vaccination certificate if arriving from or via a yellow fever area.

Employer documents

Full employer details, including CIPC registration where applicable.
Employer's written undertaking to cover repatriation costs (including accompanying family).
Employer's written undertaking to ensure the passport stays valid.
Two employer undertakings: to notify the Director-General of any employee transgression, and of any employee leaving or changing role.

Qualifications

Qualification assessed by SAQA and translated into an official language by a sworn translator.

Family documents (where applicable)

Marriage certificate, or official recognition of a foreign marriage.
Spousal affidavit plus proof of cohabitation, shared finances or children.
Divorce decree, child custody court order, or deceased spouse's death certificate.
Both parents' written consent plus full parental rights (for minor children), adoption certificate, or legal separation order.

Why applications are refused

You did not show that no South African citizen with the relevant skills was available.
The employer documents are incomplete (no CIPC or registration proof).
No employer repatriation or notification undertakings.
Qualifications not SAQA-assessed or not sworn-translated.
The medical or police report is older than 6 months.

A note on the official text

The official page mixes some business-visa clauses (for example the 60% local-employee and Department of Trade recommendation items) into the same passage as the work-visa requirements. This checklist does not present those mixed clauses as work-visa requirements. Confirm each item against the official text.

Frequently asked questions

What is the General Work Visa for?
It is issued only where South African citizens with the relevant skills are not available — it is employer-driven and submitted via VFS or a South African mission.

How long is the visa valid?
For the duration of the employment contract, or up to 5 years.

Do qualifications need assessing?
Yes. Qualifications must be assessed by SAQA and translated into an official language by a sworn translator.

How recent must the medical and police reports be?
Not older than 6 months at submission. The police clearance covers countries where you lived more than 12 months in the past 5 years.

What must the employer provide?
The employer's details including CIPC registration where applicable, two written undertakings (to notify the Director-General of any employee transgression, and of any employee leaving or changing role), and an undertaking to cover repatriation costs.

What is not published?
The page does not give a specific fee amount, and some business-visa clauses are mixed into the same official text; those are not asserted here as work-visa requirements.

Source: Department of Home Affairs, South Africa (dha.gov.za), "Types of visas" — retrieved 2026-09-29. Requirements change, so confirm the current position on the official page before you apply.