Full degree study

First time application for a study permit : requirements

  1. Department of Home Affairs application form (BI-1738).
  2. Valid passport which must be valid for at least 30 days after the end of your proposed stay in South Africa, otherwise your permit will only be granted for the period up to 30 days before the expiry date. It should also have at least one unused page left when arriving in South Africa.
  3. Application fee for the permit. This is non-refundable even if your permit is refused.
  4. An official letter from UCT confirming provisional acceptance and the duration of the course. This is a letter from the relevant faculty offering a study place, together with proof of your acceptance of the offer.
  5. Medical and radiological reports* (less than six months old)
  6. Yellow fever vaccination certificate if relevant
  7. Relevant certificate if married, widowed, divorced or separated
  8. Proof of medical insurance cover registered and/or recognised in South Africa**
  9. Details regarding arranged accommodation, if any
  10. Proof of sufficient funds to cover tuition fees, maintenance and incidental costs
  11. A police clearance certificate (less than six months old)
  12. A deposit (a cash amount not exceeding the cost of a single ticket to the applicant's country of origin). Students from other African countries are not required to pay this deposit provided that the government of their country submits a written undertaking to pay all costs relating to deportation of the student should it become necessary.

Please note that the documents must be originals or certified copies.

A certified copy is a photocopy of the original document with an original certified stamp indicating that the authorised person, e.g. a Commissioner of Oaths or police officer, has seen the original document.

An uncertified photocopy of the original or a photocopy of a certified copy is not sufficient.

We advise that applications for new study permits should be submitted at least five to six weeks before the intended departure date for UCT, as it takes time to process these applications.

Renewing an existing permit

NB: All applications for extension of a study permit should be submitted at least 30 days before the expiry date. Failure to do so will mean that you will have to satisfy the Director General that there was good cause, in order to have the late application accepted.

In order to extend your study permit you will need to take the following to Home Affairs:

  1. Valid passport (valid for at least 30 days more than the required extension period)
  2. Completed Home Affairs application form BI 1739
  3. Application fee of R425 (either by cash or bank-guaranteed cheque)
  4. Proof of sufficient financial means to cover tuition fees, subsistence and incidental costs (in the form of a bursary, or bank statement)
  5. Police clearance certificate less than six months old (anyone 18 years or older)
  6. Medical and radiological reports less than six months old* (forms are available at IAPO). Please see an important note on medical and radiological reports below
  7. Official letter from your faculty / department administrator / supervisor confirming that you will be continuing studies at UCT including the duration for which an extension is required.
  8. Proof of medical cover that is registered in and/or recognised in South Africa**
  9. Proof of repatriation undertaking or, in the case of African countries only, proof that your country has signed a written undertaking to pay costs for deportation should it become necessary
  10. Accommodation (copy of lease arrangement, letter from landlord, etc)

POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS

The visa renewal requirements above are also applicable to postdoctoral fellows who wish to extend a visa. Postdoctoral fellows require an official letter from the academic host at UCT confirming continuance of research at UCT, the terms of the fellowship, the amount of the fellowship award and the duration for which an extension is required.

Please note that it is student / fellow's responsibility to ensure that they proceed to the Department of Home Affairs with all the requirements for their visa application. It is your responsibility to ensure that your application is complete and has all the accompanying documentation required for processing through the Department of Home Affairs Offices in Cape Town or the South African Embassy in your home country before you go there. Whilst IAPO can help you to check your application, the ultimate responsibility for this remains with you, the applicant. IAPO does not accept liability for applications that are incomplete, returned, invalid or refused.

Department of Home Affairs contacts

The Home Affairs office nearest to UCT is the Cape Town office:

Cape Town
56 Barrack Street (2nd floor)
Cape Town
Tel: 021 462 4970

*Please note that if you applied for a study permit in Cape Town for the first time or you are extending a permit that was already extended in Cape Town before, you do not need to re-submit medical and radiological reports. The Department of Home Affairs requires that you provide a handwritten and signed undertaking confirming that you had already lodged these reports with Home Affairs in Cape Town previously and that the Department has copies of the reports on your record.
In case you applied for your study permit for the first time in your home country and are now applying to renew it in Cape Town, the Home Affairs Office will not have copies of your medical and radiological reports on record and you are therefore required to provide a medical report from a GP with regard to your general state of health and radiological report certifying that you do not have active signs of pulmonary TB.
**South African medical insurance companies that have international student medical insurance packages.

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