Kenyans to pay Sh2,100 less for SA visa, says Gordon Kihalangwa
What you need to know:
A South African High Commission spokesperson told Nation.co.ke that an official update would be made next week.
The Immigration Department says the five days will be the maximum waiting period and there won’t be any further delays.
Kenyans travelling through South Africa to its neighbours will not require a transit visa as has been the case before.
Kenyans wishing to travel to South Africa will now pay less for business, student and medical visas following an agreement between the governments of the two countries.
Immigration Director-General Gordon Kihalangwa said Kenya had reached a deal with South Africa to reduce the application fees from the usual Sh6,800 to Sh4,700.
“South Africa relaxes visa rules for Kenyan businessmen, students and patients cutting processing costs after talks with Kenyan counterparts,” Maj-Gen (Rtd) Kihalangwa tweeted on Friday.
But Kenyans will still have to apply for visas the same way: they must meet all the other financial conditions, apply through the third party firm VFS Global, and wait for a visa for five working days.
In addition, Maj-Gen (Rtd) Kihalangwa did not specify when the new rules would take effect.
A South African High Commission spokesperson told Nation.co.ke that an official update would be made next week.
The Immigration Department says the five days will be the maximum waiting period and there won’t be any further delays.
Further information also indicated that Kenyans travelling through South Africa to its neighbours will not require a transit visa as has been the case.
However, this condition will be pegged on the number of hours Kenyans will spend in South Africa awaiting transit.
The agreement was reached after a two-day meeting in Nairobi with a delegation from South Africa.
The meeting followed a series of complaints from Kenyans on South Africa’s tough visa regime.
While Kenya grants South Africans visas on arrival, South Africa doesn’t.
Last year, South Africa imposed tough rules for Kenyans seeking to visit that country, besides imposing a service charge of about Sh6,000.
Kenya had initially retaliated with similar sanctions but suspended them in August after South African authorities sought talks.
