South Africa: permanent residence for the financially independent

South Africa's Immigration Act 13 of 2002 provides several routes to permanent residence. The financially independent category in section 27(f) is the closest to a wealth-based programme: the applicant must show, through a certificate from a chartered accountant, a net worth of at least R12 million, and must undertake to pay R120,000 to the Director-General of Home Affairs once the application is approved. The figure is set by the Minister and can be changed by notice in the Government Gazette. No funds need to be transferred into South Africa or invested in a particular asset, and no minimum age applies. Applications are lodged through VFS Global centres in South Africa or through South African missions abroad, and processing times of 12 to 18 months or more are common.

Permanent residence carries few presence obligations, but they matter. The holder must take up residence within one year of the permit being issued, and the status can lapse after an absence of more than three years. For tax, South Africa taxes its residents on worldwide income and capital gains. An individual is resident if ordinarily resident in the common-law sense, meaning South Africa is their real home, or if they meet the physical presence test: more than 91 days in the current tax year and in each of the five preceding years, and more than 915 days in total over those five years. A newly arrived permanent resident who keeps their main home abroad may therefore remain non-resident for several years, while one who settles fully becomes resident at once. There is no non-domiciled or flat-tax regime, and estate duty applies to the worldwide estate of persons ordinarily resident at death, so estate and succession planning should precede the move.

Spouses, including life partners in a good-faith relationship, and dependent children are generally included by applying as relatives of the principal permit holder under section 27(g); children under 21 are treated as dependants, and parents of a permanent resident may qualify under the same relative category. Each family member must submit their own medical, radiological and police clearance documents. Those who intend to work or run a business should note that the conditions of the permit and the business visa rules still apply.

Naturalisation under the South African Citizenship Act 88 of 1995 generally requires five years of ordinary residence after permanent residence is granted, good character, knowledge of an official language and an intention to remain. South Africa permits dual nationality, and in May 2025 the Constitutional Court struck down the rule under which South Africans automatically lost their citizenship on acquiring another; whether an applicant may keep their original nationality depends on that country's law. The government's revised draft White Paper on citizenship, immigration and refugee protection, published on 12 December 2025, proposes points-based naturalisation and replacing the financially independent category with an investment-linked visa. These remain proposals as of October 2026.