Retirement
Retired Person Visa vs Financially Independent Permit: which suits a UK couple retiring to South Africa?
Two visa routes dominate the shortlist for British retirees moving to South Africa: the income-tested Retired Person Visa and the asset-tested Section 27(g) Financially Independent Permit. Choosing between them depends on how your wealth is structured.
Reviewed by Katja Haslinger
Migration rules change regularly. Treat this article as a policy snapshot and confirm current requirements with a licensed advisor before relying on it.
If you are a British couple in your sixties weighing up a retirement move to South Africa, two visa routes will dominate your shortlist: the Retired Person Visa (temporary, income-based) and the Section 27(g) Financially Independent Permit (permanent, asset-based). The right route depends on three factors: how your wealth is structured, how long you intend to stay, and how patient you are with the Department of Home Affairs (DHA). In most cases, retirees with reliable monthly pension income apply for the Retired Person Visa first; those with substantial liquid assets and a long horizon apply for the Section 27(g) permit, often in parallel.
The two routes at a glance
The Retired Person Visa is a temporary residence permit issued under the Immigration Act, 2002. It tests monthly income, not net worth. It is renewable but does not convert automatically into permanent residence.
The Section 27(g) Financially Independent Permit is a permanent residence permit issued under Section 27(g) of the same Act. It tests audited net worth and carries a one-off DHA levy on top of the standard application fee. Once granted, you may live in South Africa indefinitely.
Both routes prohibit employment in South Africa. Neither requires English-language testing. Both require a medical and a radiological clearance from a DHA-approved practitioner.
Retired Person Visa: the income test
The Retired Person Visa is the most common retirement route into South Africa for British clients. The DHA assesses one core question: can you demonstrate qualifying retirement income above the monthly threshold, paid from outside South Africa?
The current monthly minimum is ZAR 37,000 . That income may come from one stream or a combination:
- a state, occupational, or personal pension
- an annuity
- regular draw-downs from a retirement account or investment portfolio
- a combination of the above, where each stream is documented and verifiable
For a British couple, both spouses’ pensions and annuities can usually be combined to meet the threshold, although the DHA expects a clear paper trail for each stream.
Two points trip up most applicants:
- The income must originate abroad and be paid into a South African bank account. UK pensions paid into a UK account, then transferred ad hoc, do not satisfy the DHA. Set up a standing arrangement before you apply.
- South African-sourced income (for example, rent from an SA property) does not count toward the threshold.
Processing typically takes between 8 and 20 weeks once the file is lodged, in line with DHA published guidance and our own caseload data.
What the Retired Person Visa is not
It is not a route to permanent residence on its own. Many retirees assume that several renewals lead automatically to a permanent permit; they do not. If you want permanent status, you apply separately, either under Section 27(g) or by holding a long-term temporary residence visa for five continuous years and then applying under Section 26(b).
Section 27(g) Financially Independent Permit: the net worth test
Section 27(g) is South Africa’s permanent residence route for individuals whose financial position alone justifies their settlement. There is no points test, no occupation list, and no employer sponsorship requirement. There is one number that matters.
The current net worth threshold is ZAR 12 million . Your net worth must be evidenced by an audited statement prepared by a chartered accountant or registered auditor. Informal valuations, spreadsheet summaries, and unaudited bank statements are refused.
There is also a one-off DHA levy payable on submission, in addition to the standard application fee. Both are quoted in writing in your service proposal.
You must give a written undertaking that you will not seek employment in South Africa. This is the binding constraint: if your retirement plan involves consulting work, board roles, or any income-generating activity inside South Africa, Section 27(g) is the wrong route.
The processing-time reality
Section 27(g) carries the longest adjudication window in the South African system. Current practice runs from 52 to 156 weeks (one to three years). You must hold valid temporary status for the duration; most clients run a Retired Person Visa concurrently to cover the wait.
This is the single most important planning point. If you arrive on a Retired Person Visa and lodge a 27(g) application in the same year, expect the temporary visa to be your operative status for at least the next two years and possibly longer.
Considering both routes? A 30-minute consultation with one of our DHA-registered advisors will give you a written eligibility verdict on which route fits your circumstances. The fee is credited against full service if you proceed.
How to choose: a decision framework
The choice usually resolves on four questions.
1. Is your wealth in income or assets?
If your retirement is funded by pensions and annuities producing reliable monthly income above ZAR 37,000, the Retired Person Visa is the natural starting point. If your wealth sits primarily in property, investments, or the proceeds of a business sale and produces lumpy or reinvested returns, Section 27(g) fits better.
Many British retirees qualify for both. The question then becomes one of horizon and patience.
2. How long do you plan to stay?
The Retired Person Visa is renewable indefinitely, but each renewal involves fresh income evidence and a new application fee. If you envisage 15 or 20 years in South Africa, the cumulative renewal burden makes the permanent route more attractive.
If you are testing the water for three to five years before deciding, the Retired Person Visa is the lower-commitment option.
3. How will you manage exchange control?
The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) operates exchange control rules that affect both routes. As a temporary resident on a Retired Person Visa, you remain a non-resident for exchange control purposes. Capital flows in and out are largely unrestricted but must be reported through an authorised dealer.
As a permanent resident under Section 27(g), you become a South African resident for exchange control. That changes your annual offshore allowances and your reporting obligations materially. For couples with substantial UK assets remaining onshore, model this with a tax adviser before submission.
4. Will either of you want to work?
If the answer is yes, even occasionally, neither of these visas is right. You would look instead at a General Work Visa or Critical Skills Visa, or, if one spouse is a South African citizen or permanent resident, a Section 11(6) Spousal Visa with work endorsement.
Common mistakes that cause refusals
Across our retirement caseload, the same five errors recur. Avoid them.
- Using outdated threshold figures. Both the ZAR 37,000 monthly income and ZAR 12 million net worth figures are subject to revision in the Government Gazette. Do not rely on a number quoted on a forum or in a blog post older than 12 months. Verify with a registered immigration adviser before lodging.
- Submitting unaudited net worth statements for Section 27(g). A bank statement showing ZAR 15 million is not evidence of ZAR 12 million in net worth. The DHA wants an audited statement signed by a chartered accountant or registered auditor, listing assets, liabilities, and the methodology used to value each line.
- Funding the income test from South African sources. Rental income from a Cape Town apartment, dividends from a JSE-listed share, or interest on an SA bank account do not count toward the Retired Person Visa threshold. The income must originate abroad.
- Assuming the Retired Person Visa converts to permanent residence. It does not. Plan for either a parallel Section 27(g) application or a Section 26(b) permanent residence application after five years of continuous temporary residence.
- Underestimating the medical clearance. Both routes require a medical and a radiological report from a DHA-approved practitioner. UK NHS records are not a substitute. Build four to six weeks into your timeline for these examinations.
Where most British retirees land
For couples retiring in their early sixties with a paid-off home and combined pensions in the region of £4,000 to £6,000 a month, the practical pattern is this:
- Apply for the Retired Person Visa first. It is faster, less document-intensive, and gets you into the country.
- Once settled, prepare the audited net worth statement and lodge the Section 27(g) application in parallel.
- Run the temporary visa through the long 27(g) adjudication window.
- On grant of permanent residence, re-plan your tax and exchange control position around your new residency.
This is not the right path for everyone. Couples whose wealth sits below the Section 27(g) threshold but who comfortably clear the income test usually stay on renewing Retired Person Visas indefinitely; in 2026, that remains a viable long-term arrangement.
What to do next
If you have read this far, you are at the research stage of a decision that will reshape the next decade of your life. The next step is a structured assessment of your specific income, asset, and timing position against both routes.
A typical engagement with Intergate Emigration begins with a 30-minute paid consultation with a DHA-registered advisor, followed by a written eligibility assessment and a customised service proposal. The consultation fee is credited against full service if you proceed.
Both threshold figures in this article are accurate to the most recent published schedule and are flagged where DHA may have revised them since. Confirm with your advisor before you commit.