Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber has announced two new visa categories aimed at faster turnaround times for events and meetings as well as the film industry.
During his budget vote speech, Schreiber announced the Screen Talent and Global Entertainment Scheme (STAGES) visa for the film sector – aimed at simplifying visa access for film production companies.
“Currently, outdated and paper-based systems hinder the industry. In just one example, a major Netflix production from Mexico was lost due to visa delays, costing South Africa an estimated R400 million (€19 million) in lost income,” he said.
STAGES will allow companies to apply for visas online, receive decisions “within hours” and applicants will not be required to visit missions in-person.
According to data from the National Film and Video Foundation, the film industry contributed R7.2 billion (€344.8 million) to the economy in 2019/20. Today, this figure is around R3.8 billion (€181.9 million).
Statistics and projections by Film Industry Visa Assistance and the Commercial Producers Association of South Africa indicate that, between November 2023 and August 2024, foreign film crews booked 59 000 bed nights, generating R148 million (€7 million) in revenue.
Schreiber said another new visa – Meetings, Events, Exhibitions and Tourism Scheme (MEETS) – is designed for the MICE industry, allowing attendees at major international conferences and events to apply online for visas with rapid turnaround times.
While he did not give timeframes for the introduction of either visa, he said the MEETS visa will support events “such as the SA20 cricket tournament and the World Rugby Sevens, allowing global talent to arrive without delay and injecting further growth into our economy”.
South Africa’s MICE industry was valued at over R120 billion in 2023 (€5.7 billion), according to an Allied Market Research report, with significant room for growth. The country hosted 98 internationally accredited meetings in 2024.
“Together, STAGES and MEETS are set to transform South Africa into a leading destination for film, tourism, sports, arts, culture and events – all sectors with enormous potential for growth and job creation,” Schreiber said.
The Trusted Tour Operator Scheme, since its introduction in February, has obtained 17 000 visas for groups travelling from China and India, he added. With the second intake of approved operators up from 65 to 100, he said “we can look forward to a further acceleration in tourism from these two burgeoning source markets”.
