The Presidency moved quickly on Wednesday to clarify that passports are still required. This followed what it called a misunderstanding of remarks President Cyril Ramaphosa made at the opening of the SA-Nigeria Bi-National Commission a day earlier.
Following his address, it was widely reported that Nigerian nationals no longer need a passport to apply for a visa to come to South Africa, but this is not the case.
The Presidency clarified in a statement that prospective travellers can apply for their visas without submitting their passports along with their applications. But they must submit a certified copy of the biopage of the passport with the application. The actual passport should be availed during the application process for verification and confirmation.
The passport will indeed be submitted once the visa has been approved for it to be affixed in the passport.
“Once a visa has been approved, they are required to submit their passports for the process to be completed and for the visa to be affixed in the passport. These changes have improved the customer experience while ensuring the security and integrity of the overall visa application process,” the statement read.
The initial misunderstanding apparently came when President Ramaphosa referred to the simplified visa process for Nigerian nationals. “In addition, tourists from Nigeria are now able to apply for a visa without submitting a passport,” he said according to the published speech.
According to the Presidency, the President referred to the work underway to modernise and streamline visa application processes worldwide, and said South African missions in Nigeria have improved the efficiency and convenience of applying for a visa. This is part of the visa reforms initiated by the South African government to enable economic activities and boost tourism while protecting the national security.
“The modernisation of the visa application process does not compromise the integrity of the visa system,” the Presidency said in the statement.
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