News
UK Clamps down on Visas for South African travellers
05 March, 2009
South Africans will need to apply for a visa to be granted UK entry rights as a passport alone will no longer guarantee entry.
The UK has embarked on its most drastic regulatory steps in order to clamp down on security, and the new visa system for South Africans falls into these new stringent policies.
Apparently South Africa was warned some 6 months ago by the UK officials to improve its passport security systems, and that failure to do so would result in more stringent entry measures.
The new policies will involve a lengthy administrative process for South Africans to obtain a visa for the UK along with a new biometric component involved in the new system. Fees are rumoured to be in the region of £65 for holidays visas and up to £600 for business visas as well as requiring finger printing and retina scans. The biometric scans will be sent to the British High commission along with the application for appraisal before granting of Visas.
South Africa is the 5th largest tourist group in Britain with 419,000 South Africans legally visiting the UK in 2007, made up of 168,000 tourists and 46,200 business visitors.
These clampdowns may not be as simple and straightforward as South Africans had hoped for. The new policies were instituted on the 3rd March and will be in full effect as from the middle of the year.
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