What papers do you need for your extension?
Eight papers extend a visa in South Africa. The visa office’s list names them. We read the list on 29 August 2026. Bring one more paper: bank statements. The list does not name them. But the law does. And people say bring them.
This page is for one case. You hold a visitor’s visa. You ask for three months or less. Most visitors are in this case. Papers are half the job. Your date is the other half. First check your date.
What is on the official list?
The visa office is VFS. VFS takes your papers for Home Affairs. Its list has eight things. We read it on 29 August 2026.
- Your passport, and a copy of it.
- The online form. Its name is Form 10.
- A short letter from you. Say why you stay. Say until what date.
- A signed paper: the affidavit. More on this below.
- Your entry stamp, easy to read.
- A ticket out of South Africa. Booked or reserved.
- Your address here. Your host’s address too.
- Proof you paid the fees.
That is the full list for this case. No medical paper. No police paper. Those are for longer stays only.
How much money must you show?
Now the money question. The law asks for proof of money. How much? The law names no amount. It names no currency. We read the law on 26 August 2026. Some sites give you a number. That number is not in the law. Any number you read online is a guess.
One traveller was refused over money. The officer read euros as rands. That is one report, not a rule. So write your currency on a cover page. Add the amount in rands too.
Why bring bank statements at all?
Here the two lists do not agree. The law asks for bank statements. Its rule is r.11(3). Bank certified statements, for the last three months. The VFS web list does not name them. We read the law on 26 August 2026. And the VFS list on 29 August 2026.
So what should you do? Bring the statements. One family renewed four times, 2020 to 2023. They handed in bank statements every time. Travellers online report the same thing. That is practice, not a rule. But the law asks for them too. Bringing them costs you one bank visit.
Your bank has to stamp your statements. A stamp from the bank’s system counts too. Stamped by hand? Ask for a stamp and a signature. On every page. A home print is not enough. Read the full money page: bank statements for your visa.
What is the affidavit?
The affidavit is a short paper. You say you kept your visa rules. You sign it. A commissioner of oaths signs it too. Police stations do this. Post offices, banks and attorneys too. It is free by law.
One traveller got the wrong stamp. The police used their own stamp. The office wants a commissioner of oaths stamp. Ask for it by name. That is one report, not a rule.
Read: what the affidavit is.
Can you fill the form by hand?
No. Old blank forms float around online. Home Affairs will not take them. You type your answers on the VFS site. VFS makes the form for you. Check it, then sign it at the centre. Read: what Form 10 is.
What about your children’s papers?
A child applies too. Each child has their own visa. The list adds one line for children. Proof of the parent tie. Or the other parent’s written yes. Read what your child’s visa needs. And how a family extension works.
More small questions? Read: quick answers about your visa extension.
We can get your papers ready today. Your list, your letters, your dates.
Three more answers
How much money must be in my bank?
The law names no amount. No currency either. We read it on 26 August 2026. Any number you read is a guess. Bring three months of statements. Ask your bank to stamp each page.
Can I print my bank statements at home?
A plain home print is not enough. Your bank has to stamp your statements. A stamp from the bank's system counts too. Stamped by hand? Ask for a stamp and a signature. On every page.
Where do I sign the affidavit?
At a commissioner of oaths. Police stations do this. Post offices, banks and attorneys too. It is free by law. Ask for that stamp by name. One traveller got the wrong stamp there. That is one report, not a rule.
The law: read 26 August 2026. The visa office’s list: read 29 August 2026.