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South African business travellers beware: countries on the continent are tightening their requirements for business visas

Source: Times live, 09/10/2016


Factbox
Everything South African business travellers need to know about
securing a business visa:
Q: Which countries require business visas? South African passport
holders don`t need business visas for Botswana‚ Kenya‚ Mozambique‚
Namibia‚ Zambia and Zimbabwe.


They do‚ however‚ require visas for Angola‚ the Democratic Republic of
the Congo‚ Ghana‚ Nigeria‚ Rwanda and Tanzania.


Q: There seems to be confusion about whether I require a business visa
for Namibia and Kenya? What is the true situation? Up until three to
four months ago‚ there was confusion over whether South Africans
required business visas for Namibia and Kenya. That has changed and
South Africans do not require visas for either business or tourism to
those countries.


You do‚ however‚ require a visa if you are going to work in Namibia‚
but you can only apply once you are there‚ because the embassy in
South Africa doesn`t process work visas.


Q: Do I have to apply from South Africa? Several countries‚ such as
Tanzania and Rwanda‚ allow you to procure your visa on arrival.


For others‚ such as Angola‚ Nigeria‚ Ghana and the Democratic Republic
of the Congo‚ you need to apply before you fly.


Q: What if I have a foreign passport? Then you generally need a
visa.

But you can get it on arrival in many countries‚
including Zambia and Zimbabwe.


Consult a visa expert for the requirements for your destination
country.


Q: Is a business visa more expensive than a tourist visa? There is
generally little difference between the cost of business and tourist
visas. However‚ for Tanzania‚ a business visa is 30% more expensive
than a tourist visa.


Q: How long does it take to process a business visa? Business visas
typically take longer to process than tourism visas because you are
required to produce more documentation.


Q: How do I pay? It differs from country to country‚ but the most
common is a bank transfer / deposit. Nigeria allows you to pay online‚
but you have to use your personal credit card. Ghana however deems
that the only acceptable proof of payment is a bank deposit slip and
does not allow electronic fund transfers (EFT).


You should contact the relevant consulate to find out which form of
payment is deemed acceptable.


Q: What happens if I don`t have much time to get a visa? Some
countries will allow you apply for an emergency visa‚ which is
typically more expensive. Ghana and Angola‚ for example‚ both offer
emergency visas. For Angola‚ it takes three days to process and‚ once
the visa is issued‚ the traveller has 72 hours to arrive in
Angola.

Travellers on emergency visas to Angola may only
stay for seven days.
Nigeria has two options: express and regular. The express option takes
anything from 48 hours to four days‚ while the regular option takes
between seven and 10 days. The difference in cost between the two
visas is about R500.


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