South Africa eVisa - duration and validity

The South Africa eVisa is scheduled to go live in November 2019. The South African government has yet to release the official guidelines, so there is not much we can tell you about the upcoming electronic visa, including the list of eligible nationalities. All we know at this point is that Kenyan citizens will qualify for a South Africa eVisa, but only because they were selected for the pilot program. Other than that, we will need to wait for additional details.

Since the guidelines have not been made public yet, we do not have any information about the duration of the South Africa eVisa either. Even so, we will do our best to provide you with updated information as it becomes available. Until then, we think it is important that you understand the distinction between the eVisa’s duration and validity. You would be surprised how many people confuse the two.

We will begin by explaining the validity. This refers to the period in which a visa can be used. For example, let’s say that you hold a visa that has a period of validity of 1 year from the date of issue, and it was issued on December 1st, 2019. That means you can begin using the visa up to and including November 30th, 2020. You can even use it on the last day of validity. It does not matter if you are still in the country after the visa expires, as long as you enter the country before the validity period is over.

The visa’s duration, on the other hand, refers to the period of time you are allowed to stay in the country with your visa. For example, let’s say that you hold a visa that ensures a stay of no longer than 30 days. That means you have to leave the country before those 30 days expire. You cannot exceed your stay unless the visa policy of the country you are traveling to allows it under certain circumstances.

What happens if you exceed the duration of stay? This depends on the country. Some countries will give you a fine if you stay for longer than your visa allows. But whatever the country’s individual policy, you will be made to leave the country immediately.

Some countries allow visitors to extend their visa’s duration through predefined procedures. We do not know if the South Africa eVisa duration can be extended, but we will find out soon enough.

Unfortunately, we cannot provide you with more information at the moment; we are still waiting for further details on the South Africa eVisa. But as soon as new information comes to light, we will do our best to update you. In the meantime, make sure to check again with us from time to time. We will keep you posted.