Checklist Before You Fly to South Africa
The last things to check and pack before you leave India or Pakistan for your studies in South Africa.
Pre-Departure Checklist
Final Pre-Departure Preparation
Use this list in your last weeks at home. Tick off your papers, money, packing and travel.
When To Complete This Checklist
- When you accept your offer: After you accept your offer, apply for your study visa (the permit to study in South Africa). It can take 8 to 12 weeks or longer.
- When your visa arrives: Check every detail on it, then book your flight.
- Before you fly: Send your flight details if your university offers pick-up, and tell your bank at home you are travelling.
Comprehensive Checklist
Carry with you
Your passport must be valid for at least 30 days after the date you plan to leave South Africa at the end of your studies. Pakistan: more than 2 years of validity and 2 blank visa pages.
Your offer letter, and the letter of undertaking. In it, your university promises the Department of Home Affairs (DHA), the government office for visas, to report on your studies.
Medical aid is South African health insurance. For your visa, it must cover one year (renewed each year) or your whole course. It must come from a scheme (a health plan) registered with the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS). Health insurance from home is not enough.
Your offer for university housing (residence) or your rent agreement (lease). Banks ask for proof of address.
Baggage Allowances
- Passport with study visa
- Offer letter and letter of undertaking
- Medical aid card or letter
- Housing papers
- Prescription medicine
Initial Financial Planning
- The bank statements you used for your visa.
- Proof of any bursary or scholarship.
- The paper from your university that shows your fees.
Additional Support Resources
Police
10111
Call 10111 for the police.
Ambulance
10177
Call 10177 for an ambulance.
From a mobile phone
112
Call 112 from a mobile phone, for any emergency.
Call Before You Fly
Free, one callA call with a Qogent advisor to check your papers and plan your first weeks.
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