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SA Home Affairs working to secure visa-free travel to the UK

On October 30, 2019 / by Andrew Wicks / Leave a comment

Not too long ago, travel to the United Kingdom used to be entry-free for South Africans. Then claims of fraudulent South African passports surfaced, and the United Kingdom government implemented the visa rule.

Since then, the Department of Home Affairs has worked on the passport, making it hard to create fraudulent copies. They are hoping these new changes will mean a reconsideration on the visa process. Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi spoke to Refilwe Moloto from 702 about the changes to South Africa’s visa regime.

The Home Affairs Minister wants the UK to reconsider the visa regulations that currently hamper those booking their flights. According to the cabinet representative, South Africa’s new security protocol should be enough to help get the restrictions lifted.

Motsoaledi added that the department of home affairs is working with a number of foreign governments to allow for visa-free access but this does not guarantee reciprocal access for South Africans. The reciprocity is dependent on a number of factors and is not a ‘straight-line equation’

Not too long ago, we shared the happy news that South Africa is now able to travel visa-free or easy entry to 101 countries. The Passport Index releases the list every year along with travel rankings for each passport. While it is still harder to get visas than other countries, each year we get access to more and more countries, visa-free.

This isn’t the only iron in the fire aimed to please our holidaymakers, though: South Africa is also close to introducing electronic visas (e-visas). The Department of Home Affairs said the imminent introduction was “huge news” for the inbound tourism industry. On 7 October 2019, it was announced that the e-visa pilot scheme would launch in November. (Read more about e-visas here) (will add link)

If you’re looking to obtain a visa or permit for South Africa, it’s always better with the help of a qualified Immigration Consultant. Make sure you get in touch with one of our experienced Immigration Consultants today.

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Andrew Wicks

Andrew Wicks

Over the past 11 years, Andrew’s entrepreneurial spirit, as well as his business acumen, has led to the establishment of small to medium enterprises worldwide. Promising opportunities in the fields of IT, mobile distribution and advertising (amongst others) have been converted into successful business units in a variety of global markets. Andrew returned to South Africa after seven years in Europe to found Initiate International. He remains totally hands-on and has expanded the company across three continents.

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