The Immigration Act provides for 12 different types of visitor visas exceeding three months up to a maximum of three years. These visitor visa categories are:
- Academic sabbaticals
- Voluntary or charitable activities
- Research
- Accompanying spouses and children accompanying their parents who are in South Africa on temporary residence visas
- Teachers at international schools
- For any work in films and advertisements produced in South Africa (including actors, camera men, hairstylist, makeup artists or lighting and sound engineers)
- Foreign journalists sent to South Africa by foreign news agencies
- For visiting professors or lecturers or academic researches
- Artists who wish to write, paint or produce sculptures
- For foreigners involved in the entertainment industry, travelling through South Africa to perform
- Tour hosts and leaders
- For foreigners required to remain in South Africa to testify as state witnesses in criminal court cases
The Immigration Act also enables foreigners to acquire work authorization on visitor visas, but these work authorizations are short-term limited to 3 months.
