Expert Info
on 28 May 2014
Hello, I will be moving to South Africa from the UK on a 90 day visitors permit. I want to apply for a temporary residence permit whilst im in South Africa, does anyone know if this is possible? Or can you only apply for a TR permit in your home country? The other issue is my fiance is a South African citizen, so if we got married during this time whilst on my visitors permit, is it possible to apply for a TR permit when im in SA? Or would I still have to come back to the UK first to apply?? Thanks so much if anyone can help!
Unfortunatley, first time applicants are no longer permitted to arrive in the country on a 90 day tourist visa and then apply for temporary residency. It used to be the case that you could do this but a lot of changes came into effect on the 26th May,
I am not sure if the situation changes if you get married while on the tourist visa. From what I can gather, you will still need to return home and apply for your spousal permit from the SA embassy in the UK. It might be a good idea to consult an immigration lawyer to get the latest information.
You can use the Visas for South Africa page for a bit more information.
Best of luck,
Shantalie