South Africa will begin testing their new electronic visa system this November starting with Kenyan nationals, which is good news for Kenyans.
“The pilot will be conducted with Kenya first at the OR Tambo and Lanseria airports,” Siya Qoza, a spokesperson for the South African Department of Home affairs said. “At the end of the month, we will evaluate the project and look which other countries to expand the e-Visa system to.”
The new application system will eliminate the need to go to a South Africa embassy or consulate to obtain a visa.
South Africa is beta testing the e-Visa system to test the effectiveness of the system. They estimate that the entire application process should take around 20 minutes.
Kenyans who apply for the e-Visa are required to have the South Africa e-Visa requirements in hand when completing the online form. There are three steps to acquire an e-Visa: Fill the online application form, pay the e-Visa fee and receive the e-Visa at the email address provided on the application form. The applicants must also be in possession of a valid passport that won’t expire for at least 6 months past the date of travel, have a valid email address and a credit card in order to pay the fees online.
The eVisa is only a short term visa and will not grant the Kenyan to remain in South Africa for extended periods of time. If Kenyans wish to work, live or study in South Africa, they are still required to apply through the embassy.
The system is not live yet so prospective Kenyan tourists will have to wait if they want to enjoy the convenience of applying for a South African visa online.
