With the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) not making any headway with clearing the backlog of visa applications a new directive was issued at the end of 2023. The directive provides as follows:

Applicants that have submitted waiver applications and which applications are still pending as at the 30^th November 2023 have been granted an extension until the 30^th June 2024. Applicants that need to travel may do so without being declared undesirable upon their departure, but they must travel with their VFS Receipt. If the applicant is from a non-visa exempt country then they must apply for a port of entry visa to re-enter South Africa.

Applicants that have submitted long term visa applications and whose visa applications are still pending as at 30^th November 2023 have been granted an extension of their current visa status until the 30^th June 2024. The same rules as per travelling out of South Africa apply as per those with waiver applications.

Short term visa holders whose visas expired on or before 30^th November 2023 and who had applied for extensions of such visas but whose applications had not yet been processed by the 23^rd February 2024 must make the necessary arrangements to depart South Africa by the 29^th February 2024.