The Deputy Director General of Home Affairs recently announced that the Government and Republic of South Africa have entered into an agreement with the Government of the Republic of Angola to implement, with effect from the 1st December 2017 a Visa Exemption in respect of South African’s and Angolans visiting each other’s countries.
The technicalities of the exemption are that it will no longer be necessary for an Angolan or South African passport holder to obtain a Visa for their visits to these countries.
The Visa will be valid for a period of ninety (90) days per annum but is conditional upon each visit not exceeding a period of thirty (30) days.
The Visa exemption is applicable to visits other than those required for mainstream Visas in terms of Section 13-24 of the Immigration Act, being the various Visas relating to Study, Business, Work, and numerous others.
This is to be welcomed as it will be a boon for travellers between the two countries and also for those doing business.
Julian Pokroy is one of South Africa’s leading immigration specialist attorneys, immigration.org.za, and currently heads the Law Society of South Africa’s Immigration and Refugee Law Specialist Committee and the Immigration, Nationality and Refugee Law Committee of the Law Society of the Northern Provinces. He is a member of the South African Law Reform Commission Committee.