South Africa FAQ

There are 3 capitals Bloemfontein, Cape Town and Pretoria. At Bloemfontein the Supreme Court is located and at Cape Town, the Parliament is situated, while at Pretoria, one comes across the administrative center.

The entire year is a holiday year in South Africa. Much would depend upon your activities and what sort of experiences you so desire. For game watching, one can visit during spring (August-October), for whale watching one can plan a visit from mid-June to end of October, for diving as well as surfing from April to September. As far as summers are concerned, that is from November to February, one can spend time at the gorgeous beach front.

The normal banking hours are from 9.00 am-15.30pm from Mondays to Fridays and on Saturdays, it is from 8.30 Am-11.AM. Banks are of course closed on Sundays and also on public holidays. Credit cards are accepted widely such as Visa, American Express and Diners Club.

South Africa is considered to be casual country and therefore people like to usually dress up causally. T- Shirts, denims as well as skirts, which are fine to wear during the day time. To work one wears semi-formal attire and that applies to upper class clubs and restaurants. In most of the restaurants, pubs and bars one can wear casuals. For swimmers at the beach 2 piece or 1 piece swim attire will do. In other words, jeans, sneakers shirts, sneakers, blouses, skirts as well as pants.

The entry is pretty straightforward. Certain nationals, like those from Scandinavian countries, and USA and most of Europe need not apply for a visa. On arrival the visitor is provided with a free entry permit sticker which furnishes details about the duration of their stay. This permit is valid up to 90 days, In case, one wants to stay longer than 90 days then one is required to apply for a visa.

Visitors visiting the country for the first time prefer to visit Johannesburg and Pretoria, Gauteng, where Soweto Township is situated. The cosmopolitan and urban lifestyles attract people to these places. Kruger National park is worth visiting and one can take some time off and visit Western Cape, especially Cape Town and also spend their leisurely hours at Garden Route.

Certainly, Johannesburg is a sprawling city much wider than New York and London. One comes across 5 -star accommodation and there are 4 star hotels as well at Sandton and Emperors Place quite close to the airport. One comes across several cosmopolitan restaurants.

Very easily as they are friendly and easy to converse with. They speak in English and are frank and open and receive foreigners well.

Decade ago this was burning issue, but now South Africans have successfully managed to overcome their racial biases by putting them aside. Now, the South African government reflects all races.

Certainly it is in fact, some establishments are child- friendly.

The currency is Rands and cents.

There are markets catering to local handicrafts, gold and diamond jewelry, leather goods, carvings, paintings , sculptures, bead work as well as woven articles. In fact, South Africa is a tourists delight.

One must not leave ones luggage unattended in the hotel or perhaps in the lobby. One must keep ones valuable in the safety locker in the hotel. One can go for stroll alone at night but not walk around in deserted places.

If yes, please provide me Visa fees, Visa duration and Opulentus charges.
Yes, we can process your visa. Since you already have a job offer in hand, you can go for General Work Permit. The General Work Permit is issued in the name of the employer, and it shall lapse if, within six months of its issuance, and within every year thereafter, its holder fails to submit satisfactory proof that he or she is still employed and of the terms and conditions of his or her employment, including the job description. For VISA processing, you should be able to get all the required documentation from future employer in support of your employment. Visa fee payable to the Minister of Home Affairs is R1520 (i.e. INR 9822, approx). Its also mandatory to go for qualifications assessment by SAQA. Application fee for SAQA can cost anywhere from R440 to R880 (INR 2843.00 to INR 5686.00) depending up on how fast we want the processing to be done. Postage and handling charges will cost up to additional R365 (INR 2358). Opulentus charges for South Africa General Work Permit is INR 35,000.