Up-to-date South Africa visa requirements, processing time, and embassy info for Nepali passport holders. Yatra handles the full application — document review, dummy ticket, and tracking.
Tourism, sightseeing, holiday, leisure travel within South Africa.
Business meetings, negotiations, conferences, exhibitions -- no employment in South Africa.
Transit through O.R. Tambo (JNB) / Cape Town (CPT) airports en route to a third country.
Receive medical treatment / consultation in South Africa. South Africa is a regional medical-tourism hub for Sub-Saharan Africa with high-quality private hospitals in Johannesburg / Cape Town.
Visit relatives or friends resident in South Africa (typically Indian-origin SA citizens / SA Permanent Residents).
Full-time study at a South African accredited educational institution -- primary, secondary, or tertiary (university, technikon, FET college).
Employment in South Africa for occupations NOT on the Critical Skills List. Requires Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) certification that no SA citizen / Permanent Resident is available for the role.
Employment in South Africa for occupations on the Critical Skills List (revised 2022) -- ICT specialists, engineers, healthcare professionals, agricultural scientists, etc. Faster than General Work Visa.
Transfer of an employee from a foreign branch of a multinational company to its South African branch. Common for Indian-origin IT companies + global consulting firms.
Live in South Africa as a retired person on passive income (pension / dividends / annuities / rental). Suitable for Nepali retirees with steady passive income.
Spousal: live with a SA-citizen / SA-Permanent-Resident spouse. Business: establish or invest in a business in South Africa (minimum capital + job-creation requirements).
Nepali passport bio-page (30 days validity beyond intended departure + 2 blank pages)
Recent passport-size photo (35x45 mm, white background)
DHA-84 Visitor Visa application form + VFS Delhi appointment confirmation
Bank statements (last 3 months, USD 50/day equivalent)
Confirmed return ticket
Hotel booking confirmation OR South African licensed-tour-operator voucher
Travel medical insurance (recommended, USD 30,000+ medical cover)
Cover letter explaining purpose + day-by-day itinerary
Yellow Fever vaccination certificate (mandatory if travelling from / through yellow-fever endemic country in last 6 days; not required for direct Kathmandu-Doha-Johannesburg routes)
Travel from Nepal to VFS Delhi for biometric capture
ANY ONE income bundle -- Business / Salary / Pension / Rental (only one needed)
Income Details & Supporting Documents (For Visa Application)
Important Notes: (1) All documents issued in Nepali language must be translated into English and notarised (certified by a notary public). (2) The applicant is required to provide documents for any ONE source of income only from the categories listed below.
1. Business Income
Applicants involved in business must submit the following:
PAN Certificate
Permanent Account Number certificate issued by the Inland Revenue Department (IRD).
Business Registration Certificate
Submit ONE of: (a) Company Registrar Certificate (for private/public limited companies), (b) Cottage / Small Industry (Gharelu) Registration, OR (c) Municipality / Ward (Wada) Registration Certificate.
Additional Registration Certificates (if applicable)
Sector-specific endorsements: (a) Tourism Board Registration for travel-related businesses, (b) Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) Registration for financial institutions, (c) Contractor License from Municipality / Ward Office.
Latest Audit Report
Signed by a Nepal Chartered Accountants Institute (ICAN)–registered auditor, with company stamp.
Tax Clearance Certificate
Issued by the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) for the latest fiscal year.
2. Salary-Based Income
Applicants who are employed must provide:
Salary Certificate / Salary Letter
On employer letterhead, signed and stamped — stating designation, joining date, monthly gross / net salary, and tenure.
Leave Approval Letter
Confirming sanctioned leave dates covering the full trip plus a buffer; signed by HR / authorised signatory.
No Objection Certificate (NOC) from employer
Confirming the employer has no objection to the trip and the applicant will return to duty after the leave window.
Tax Clearance Certificate from IRD OR Tax Submission Letter from employer with tax statements
Either personal tax clearance from the Inland Revenue Department for the latest year, OR an employer letter confirming TDS deduction + remittance with attached employee tax statement.
3. Pension Income
Applicants receiving pension must submit:
Pension Certificate (Pension Patta)
Original Nijamati / armed-forces pension book issued by the Pension Management Office, plus copies of all entries.
Company ID Card (if available)
Photocopy of the former government / public-sector service ID card (front + back).
Recent Pension Bank Statement
Last 3–6 months of pension-account transactions showing regular monthly pension credits — original, signed and stamped on every page.
Pension Receiving Confirmation Letter from Bank
On bank letterhead, confirming the applicant's pension account, monthly credit amount, and account holder details.
4. Rental Income
Applicants earning rental income must provide:
Land Ownership Certificate
Original + copy of the Lalpurja (land title deed) for the rental-yielding land / property.
Building Completion Certificate
Issued by the Municipality / Nagarpalika engineering office confirming the building is completed and fit for occupancy.
Land and Building Tax Payment Certificate
Latest fiscal-year payment receipts from Municipality (Nagarpalika) and Ward (Wada) office (malpot / bhumi-ghar tax).
Machine-readable version: /visa/south-africa/markdown
Common questions Nepali citizens ask before applying for a South Africa visa — sourced from South Africa's embassy and Yatra's submission desk.
5-15 working days standard; can extend during peak season (Dec-Feb summer + Jun-Aug game-viewing).
USD 50 per day of stay minimum -- NPR-equivalent in bank statements covering last 3 months. Plus property / business / employment ties demonstrating intent to return to Nepal.
Up to 90 days per entry; extendable once in-country for additional 90 days. (Visitor Visa -- Tourist (Section 11)).
Lodge at VFS Global South Africa Delhi (Shivaji Stadium, Connaught Place). Online appointment booking via visa.vfsglobal.com/zaf/en/dha. Biometrics captured at Delhi centre. Application sent to South African High Commission New Delhi for adjudication.
Required documents include: Nepali passport bio-page (30 days validity beyond intended departure + 2 blank pages); Recent passport-size photo (35x45 mm, white background); DHA-84 Visitor Visa application form + VFS Delhi appointment confirmation; Bank statements (last 3 months, USD 50/day equivalent); Confirmed return ticket; Hotel booking confirmation OR South African licensed-tour-operator voucher; Cover letter explaining purpose + day-by-day itinerary; Travel from Nepal to VFS Delhi for biometric capture.
High Commission of the Republic of South Africa -- New Delhi (consular jurisdiction over Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives) — B-18, Vasant Marg, Vasant Vihar, New Delhi 110057, India. Phone: +91 11 2614 9411.
Yes — Visitor Visa -- Business (Section 11(1)(b)). Business meetings, negotiations, conferences, exhibitions -- no employment in South Africa. Processing: 5-15 working days..
Yes — apply online at https://visa.vfsglobal.com/zaf/en/dha/visa-type -- VFS Global South Africa (global, with India centres for Nepal applicants) -- https://www.dha.gov.za -- South African Department of Home Affairs visa-policy hub -- https://www.dirco.gov.za/india -- South African High Commission New Delhi (consular jurisdiction over Nepal) -- https://ehome.dha.gov.za -- DHA in-country online services (residence permits, visa extensions).
Visa fee in INR Demand Draft (drawn at VFS Delhi -- payable to "Department of Home Affairs Republic of South Africa"). VFS service fee in INR cash / card. Inside South Africa, ZAR (South African rand) cash / card at DHA offices for residence-permit fees.
Yes — Yatra provides end-to-end visa assistance for South Africa including document preparation, appointment booking, application review, and a PNR-backed dummy ticket (NPR 999) when the embassy requires proof of onward travel.
Last reviewed:
Document review, embassy submission tracking, and a real PNR-backed dummy ticket (NPR 999) when proof of onward travel is required — all in one place.