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Long TermVerified 9 Jun 2026Long-term study visa for Indian students enrolled at a South African school or higher-education institution. Applied on Form BI-1738; processing is a minimum of 90 days. Apply via VFS Global India.
Professional filing · fee back if refused
Not included in our fee: a flight reservation (from ₹708) and a confirmed hotel booking (₹590 per hotel). Book them separately, only if your visa needs them:
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What you get
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Visa refused — 100% of our fee back, initiated within 7 days. Embassy and visa-centre fees are collected by the authority and are not refundable by anyone. Refund policy
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✓ The ₹499 report is fully refundable · our refund promise
Check the official requirements
Guide last reviewed 2026-06-09. Fees, documents and appointment rules can change.
The South Africa Study Visa is the long-term visa for Indian students admitted to a South African learning institution. It is applied for on Form BI-1738 (DHA-1738) and is issued for the duration of the course (up to 4 years for higher education; longer caps apply for school). Unlike visitor visas, the study visa carries a visa fee of ₹2,342 plus the VFS logistic charge, and processing takes a minimum of 90 days. The application is submitted at a VFS Global South Africa Visa Application Centre, with the decision resting with the South African High Commission, New Delhi or the Consulate General, Mumbai.
What it costs
Paid directly to South Africa / VFS — these are not our service fee, and we never mark them up.
Figures per VFS Global, last verified 9 Jun 2026. Fees change without notice — the official page is final.
The study visa carries a visa fee of ₹2,342 per applicant (unlike the gratis visitor visa), plus the VFS logistic charge (₹2,040 at Delhi/Mumbai, ₹2,301 elsewhere) and a ₹160 convenience fee for multiple payment modes. Optional services (SMS ₹55, courier ₹885, premium lounge ₹2,000) are extra. All fees are non-refundable and non-transferable. The INR visa fee is set at the current exchange rate and can change without notice — confirm live amounts on the VFS Global South Africa India page before applying.
Flights · Hotels · Insurance · Itinerary
South Africa assesses purpose, funds and your reason to return — this paperwork exists to make those three answerable.
0 of 4 are compulsory for South Africa
Where people slip: Dates that do not match the application form.
Book for ₹708 (+₹472 per family member)Where people slip: Nights with nothing shown against them.
Confirmed hotel booking, ₹590 per hotel: message us firstWhere people slip: A policy that does not cover the full length of the stay.
Where people slip: A plan longer than your approved leave.
The letter your itinerary attaches toWe can arrange the flight reservation, the hotel and the itinerary for your South Africa file — each sold separately.
We are a B2B travel agency as well as a visa consultancy, working with partners including Riya Travel — so the flight reservation and the confirmed hotel booking both come from us, and you deal with one team. Every booking is a real one under your own name. We do not sell travel insurance: buy the policy directly from an insurer.
None of them is part of our visa fee: each is bought on its own, at the price below, with or without our visa service.
Flight reservation ₹708 (+₹472 per extra family member) · Confirmed hotel booking ₹590 per hotel · Travel itinerary ₹1,499. GST included.
Delivery. Usually within 30 minutes during office hours, Mon–Sat 10:00–18:00 IST. Confirmed hotel bookings are not bought online: message us first on WhatsApp or email info@sureshotvisa.com with the city, dates and travellers.
Tell us your dates — we will say which of these you actually need
What to gather
Having a document isn't the same as presenting it right — that's the part we handle.
In BLACK ink, signed by the applicant. For minors (below 18), a parent signs.
Valid at least 30 days beyond intended departure, with at least 2 unused/blank visa pages.
One photo for North & East India; two for South & West India. 35mm × 45mm (3.5cm × 4.5cm), colour, white background, no border, face 70–80% of frame, looking directly at the camera, ≤1 month old. No headgear (except on religious grounds with face fully visible), no hat/cap, no staple marks. Scanned/photocopied photos are NOT accepted.
Indian passports.
Stating the purpose of visit and the applicant's home address and contact details.
From the learning institution where you intend to study.
To provide proof of registration within 60 days, notify Home Affairs of failure to register within 7 days, of de-registration within 30 days, and of completion/extension of study.
To the value of about ₹13,650 per month (South & West India). If a sponsor bears costs, a notarised sponsorship letter + the sponsor's bank statement (SA statements certified by SA bank and SA police; Indian statements with bank stamp and signature).
Plus an undertaking by parents/guardian (for minors) to maintain cover for the full study period.
Issued by a registered medical practitioner on letterhead, not older than 6 months at submission.
From each country where you resided 12 months or longer since turning 18 (Indian PCC from the Regional Passport Office).
Proof of physical address and contact of the SA-resident guardian, with a confirmatory letter from that guardian; consent from both parents or the parent/guardian holding a court order.
Required · optional / if applicable
5 steps from intake to approval — never as linear as government sites pretend.
Secure admission
Obtain a provisional acceptance or acceptance letter from a recognised South African learning institution, confirming the course duration.
Arrange funds, medical cover & PCC
Pay tuition, arrange annually-renewable SA medical-scheme cover, complete the BI-811 medical report, and obtain your Police Clearance Certificate (if 18+).
Complete Form BI-1738
Fill the study-visa form in BLACK ink and sign it. For minors, a parent signs and the guardian/consent documents are prepared.
Book a VFS appointment
Book at your jurisdiction's VFS Global South Africa VAC at visa.vfsglobal.com/ind/en/zaf.
Submit at VFS
Submit the file and pay the ₹2,342 study-visa fee + VFS logistic fee + ₹160 convenience fee. Processing is a minimum of 90 days.
Biometrics and the visit to the visa centre are yours to attend in person — no consultancy can do those for you. How we work
What works
5 levers that flip a borderline case.
What kills cases
Top 3 refusal triggers we see.
Each link opens the official South Africa page on VFS Global (we never host third-party forms): pick your visa category there and use its "Download Form" section for the current version.
We're actively building per-visa quizzes. For now, the best way to assess your eligibility for South Africa Study Visa (Long Term) is a 1-on-1 consultation with our team.
A consultant at our licensed firm replies today
Frequently asked
The study visa is applied for on Form BI-1738 (DHA-1738), not the visitor Form 11. Unlike the gratis visitor visa, it carries a visa fee of ₹2,342 per applicant, plus the VFS logistic charge (₹2,040 at Delhi/Mumbai, ₹2,301 elsewhere) and a ₹160 convenience fee.
A minimum of 90 days from the date of submission at the VFS centre — significantly longer than the visitor visa. It can take longer at the discretion of the High Commission/Consulate, so apply well ahead of your course start date.
You must show bank-certified statements for the last 3 months demonstrating sufficient means — about ₹13,650 per month of living costs (South & West India guidance) — in addition to proof that your full tuition has been paid to the institution.
Yes. You need a medical report on the prescribed BI-811 form (issued by a registered practitioner, not older than 6 months) and proof of SA medical-scheme cover renewed annually. Applicants aged 18 and older also need a Police Clearance Certificate from every country they lived in for 12 months or more since turning 18.
A consultant at our licensed firm replies today
Reviewed by Paramjit Singh, SureshotVisa — a government-licensed consultancy (Licence 849/DC/PTA/PLA/LC-3/2024). Verify us.
A strong South Africa file clearly explains your travel purpose, funds, and ties to India. We structure and submit everything properly — so your case is presented clearly and professionally.
Our professional fee · GST included
₹24,999–₹34,999GST included
File-ready in 3–5 working days after documents
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Everything below — included, nothing extra
Not included in our fee: a flight reservation (from ₹708) and a confirmed hotel booking (₹590 per hotel). Book them separately, only if your visa needs them:
Not sure you qualify? Start with a refundable ₹499 possibility report — an honest Yes / Maybe / No, credited to this fee.
Price is for our consultancy service only and includes 18% GST. No agency can guarantee a visa — the final decision rests with the visa authority.
Your fee, in one glance
Government, VFS, insurance, ticket and hotel costs are separate and charged at cost. Read what each item means, in full.
Before you file
Filed on a guessed checklist, the government fee is gone on a refusal and the refusal follows every future application. Filed after a consultant at our licensed firm has read the papers against each other, the file answers the officer's questions before they are asked. Same South Africa rules, different outcome. How we do that is written once, in full, on the method page rather than repeated here.
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Source & Disclaimer
Data on this page is sourced from the official VFS Global South Africa website and Embassy of South Africa. Last verified 2026-06-09. Always verify with the official embassy before applying — fees and requirements change without notice.
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