SA considers tit-for-tat UK visa rules

[OrbitalDawn]

Johannesburg - Frustrated by Britain's apparent reluctance to lift its visa requirements for South Africans, government is considering playing tit-for-tat and demanding the same from UK visitors.

This comes against the backdrop of the British government’s decision to halt development aid to South Africa worth £19m (R271?million) from 2015.

Home Affairs Minister Naledi Pandor told MPs that there had been "no movement" after talks between the two nations.

"We had been given a promise that following the [London] Olympics, there would be a focus on whether this visa requirement can be lifted.

"There hasn't been any movement and I think the time has come for us to consider reciprocity."

Pandor was responding in a debate on her department’s budget vote in Parliament.

South Africa's visa-free status was revoked in 2009 amid concerns about corruption within home affairs and the ease with which foreign nationals could get South African passports.

The change affected thousands of South Africans suddenly confronted with steep fees to obtain visas to visit friends and family, and to do business, in the UK.

Diplomatic and official passport holders also have to apply for visas, making for cumbersome administration ahead of government visits.

It costs about R1?180 for a short-term visitor's visa for the UK.

In the wake of the new visa regime being implemented, home affairs redesigned the South African passport with new security features and introduced a more stringent issuing process.

Home affairs Director General Mkuseli Apleni claimed in February that the South African passport "cannot be forged".

Gary Benham, the head of communications at the British High Commission in Pretoria, told City Press that there had been "dialogue with the South African authorities since 2009", and that this was continuing.

"The issue was not so much whether or not the passport could be forged. It was more about people entering Britain on South African passports when they themselves were not South African citizens.

"There are concerns that South African passports are available to people who are not entitled to them."

If government decides to implement a reciprocal visa regime, UK visitors - including government officials and diplomats - would have to apply for visas.

The UK is South Africa's biggest overseas tourism market, and growing.

Link.

Seems very short-sighted.

 

[bwana]

Good move - make it harder for tourists to visit SA.

 

[Ockie]

Having had to pay and go through the process for a UK visa I almost want to say ja" screw 'em"...let them then do the same to come here.....BUT then my rationality takes over again from my emotions and this is obviously now going to be a cut of your nose to spite your face situation. We need the tourists....the UK dont.

This will be a bad move I think.

 

[Hosehead]

Wider repercussions if SA does do a tit for tat- UK homeowners and businessowners, landowners etc will most likely divest themeselves of holdings and the economic fall out will be acute- not that it won't be catastrophic anyway if SA does implement a visa system for UK Nationals. Unfortunately while I can see SA's justifiable anger, the SA Govt is wielding the proverbial toothpick against the UK's baseball bat

 

[zippy]

I think they should. I'm running out of excuses to avoid visiting family in SA and go jolling to Spain or Italy or Florida USA instead.

 

[w1z4rd]

I dont think we should do anything to them that they are not doing to us.

Treat them the same way they treat us.

Why people are going to a place with ugly teeth, ugly woman, ugly food and ugly weather is beyond me. I just use UK for stop overs at Heathrow. I got way better destinations to visit.

 

[bwana]

Schengen visa countries don't require a visa to come to SA - is the government intending to do the same to them?

 

[waynegohl]

I find this very interesting because some websites say you need a transit visa to climb off one plane in the UK and an hour or two later climb on a connecting flight yet another website says no, you don't need a visa if you have a certain ticket and or visa, so which is it?

 

[Jola]

Having had to pay and go through the process for a UK visa I almost want to say ja" screw 'em"...let them then do the same to come here.....BUT then my rationality takes over again from my emotions and this is obviously now going to be a cut of your nose to spite your face situation. We need the tourists....the UK dont.

This will be a bad move I think.

I have similar sentiments, however the UK Visas are far more expensive than anyone else.

Compare, for example, the USA Visas for about R1000 for a ten year visa, I seem to remember that the UK ten year Visa is R8000 ?

I would suggest that unless the UK drops the prices we should charge them USD 100 for each and every visit.

I don't believe that this will discourage tourism any more than what the government is already doing in this regard.

 

[isie]

I find this very interesting because some websites say you need a transit visa to climb off one plane in the UK and an hour or two later climb on a connecting flight yet another website says no, you don't need a visa if you have a certain ticket and or visa, so which is it?

you need a transit visa for UK if you are traveling onward to almost all countries.
The only ones you don't need a transit visa are for USA, Canada and Australia.
I guess the reason being those countries Visa process are so much more stringent.

 

[Jola]

I find this very interesting because some websites say you need a transit visa to climb off one plane in the UK and an hour or two later climb on a connecting flight yet another website says no, you don't need a visa if you have a certain ticket and or visa, so which is it?

You need a transit visa, unless you have a onward booking to the USA (and Canada, I think ?).

My sister needed a UK transit visa for a onward flight to France, for which she also needed a Schengen Visa.

 

[waynegohl]

you need a transit visa for UK if you are traveling onward to almost all countries.
The only ones you don't need a transit visa are for USA, Canada and Australia.
I guess the reason being those countries Visa process are so much more stringent.

That's the info I saw online too, I thought Americans were arrogant but it seems the poms are worse, thanks isie and jola.

 

[Ockie]

I have similar sentiments, however the UK Visas are far more expensive than anyone else.

Compare, for example, the USA Visas for about R1000 for a ten year visa, I seem to remember that the UK ten year Visa is R8000 ?

I would suggest that unless the UK drops the prices we should charge them USD 100 for each and every visit.

I don't believe that this will discourage tourism any more than what the government is already doing in this regard.

Those prices are crazy. I paid R900.00 for my 6th month holiday visa. 6 months is the shortest and cheapest I could take. Or was it a 3 month...cant remember now. Point being that R900.00 I could have used to take my friend I was visiting to dinner (even if it was just to a damn pub or something) and treated him a little.....instead, with the plane tickets (had to rebook from BA to SAA) and the penatlry in that blah blah...I had almost no money left when I got there. He said I must not worry...I must just getmyself there. That R900.00 would have been very useful to me.

 

[Jola]

... I thought Americans were arrogant but it seems the poms are worse,...

That ^

But to excuse the Poms a bit, the SA Dept of Home Affairs precipitated this whole thing with their gross incompetence and corruption, ie by employees selling valid passports to random Pakistanis, etc.

My main gripe is with the cost of the UK Visas, they have turned the whole thing into a money making exercise.

Why are 5 and 10 year visas so expensive, the processing costs the same, it is just a racket !

 

[OzzieCapie]

The americans and poms may well be arrogant, but if South Africans are not amongst the highest overstayers on visas then legitamate tourists wouyldn't have to jump through hoops to travel.

This is at least the motivation behind the visas to Australia.

 

[Shake&Bake]

Let them pay - they'll still come.

Yada yada.

 

[Thingyyyyyy]

The number of totsi's we have. that is why they don't want it to be easy.

 

[waynegohl]

That ^

But to excuse the Poms a bit, the SA Dept of Home Affairs precipitated this whole thing with their gross incompetence and corruption, ie by employees selling valid passports to random Pakistanis, etc.

My main gripe is with the cost of the UK Visas, they have turned the whole thing into a money making exercise.

Why are 5 and 10 year visas so expensive, the processing costs the same, it is just a racket !

Maybe their agenda is a money one.

If you apply for a USA visa you need a shyte load of documents to apply for one and that scares people into not applying so those that do are serious when it comes to going to the USA and besides when you stand at the little armoured plated window the people working at the consulate don't bother to look at your documents but the UK say we don't give a damn about paperwork, let's put a heavy price on our visa's that way we make money and have to read less when people apply for a Visa to visit the queen.

 

[bwana]

I've got US/UK passports and my kids have a US one, but my missus with her SA passport is a real hassle to travel with. We go to the UK once every 12-18 months and it's cheaper to get the 6month visa than it would be to get a 5-10 year one. Luckily there is an office in PE which means we don't have to travel to Cape Town like we would to get a US or schengen visa. Unfortunately because of her visa requirements we cant use the UK as a jumping off point to Europe unless we plan it in advance.

 

[Ockie]

I've got US/UK passports and my kids have a US one, but my missus with her SA passport is a real hassle to travel with. We go to the UK once every 12-18 months and it's cheaper to get the 6month visa than it would be to get a 5-10 year one. Luckily there is an office in PE which means we don't have to travel to Cape Town like we would to get a US or schengen visa. Unfortunately because of her visa requirements we cant use the UK as a jumping off point to Europe unless we plan it in advance.

Lord...might be easier and cheaper just to divorce this one and get a new one that was made in the US?