Medical Report for Visas waived – Directive 10 of 2026

*Update*

South Africa Waives Medical Report Requirement for Visa and Permanent Residence Applications

Home Affairs has scrapped one of the most persistent paperwork requirements in South African immigration: the medical report. Under Ministerial Immigration Directive No. 10 of 2026 (updated), signed by Minister Dr L.A. Schreiber, applicants no longer need to submit a medical report with certain visa and residence applications effective from 8 July 2026.

What Directive 10 of 2026 Actually Changes

The Directive waives the medical report requirement set out in regulations 9(1)(c) and 23(1)(f) of the Immigration Regulations, made under section 7 of the Immigration Act, 2002. It applies to:

• Temporary residence visa applications —  lodged within South Africa or abroad
• Permanent residence applications — lodged within South Africa or abroad

The waiver took effect on the date of signature, 8 July 2026, and applies immediately to new applications.  The update refers to the re-issuance of the same Directive amended on the same day although no reference in the circulated and published documents allows to distinguish one form the other [Previous Substituted Version]

Why the Medical Report Requirement Existed

The medical certificate dates back to an era when immigration systems worldwide leaned heavily on medical screening to guard against the cross-border spread of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis.

South Africa’s Immigration Act still protects that public health interest directly: section 29 already bars entry to anyone falling into prohibited categories, including those with certain serious infectious diseases. In other words, the legal safeguard already exists elsewhere in the Act, making a blanket medical certificate requirement increasingly redundant.

The Real-World Problem — Cost and Technical Rejections

In practice, the medical report added cost and delay without adding much decision-making value. Applicants had to book appointments, undergo examinations and pay for a document that, in the vast majority of cases, had no bearing on the outcome of their application.

Worse, many applications were delayed or refused over technical defects in the certificate itself rather than any genuine health concern, including certificates said to be:

• Improperly completed
• Incorrectly endorsed
• Insufficiently authenticated
• Outdated
• Otherwise non-compliant in form

These technical disputes generated avoidable rejections and unnecessary appeals, adding pressure to an already stretched immigration system.

Part of a Wider Trend — the Radiological Report Precedent

This development follows an important and similar earlier reform.

Until April 2023, applicants were also routinely required to submit a Radiological Report. That requirement was ultimately removed initially with the publication of 11 April 2023 of Immigration Directive 5 of 2023 (later incorporated in May 2024 in the Amended Regulations) and after it became increasingly apparent that it no longer reflected contemporary public health realities nor served any meaningful immigration purpose.

Key Takeaways

Directive 10 of 2026 came into operation on 8 July 2026.