# Doctor moving from UK to South Africa



## Chester4 (Jan 23, 2013)

Hi everyone, Im a doctor from the UK and am in the process of planning on moving to South Africa to work. My fiance is South African so that is the main reason for me emigrating, aswell as the other reasons such as looking foward to a new start, lovely weather, great work experience etc

My question is how difficult is it to get a work permit? Will the fact that I am engaged to a South African work in my favour? Also, does anyone have experience of getting jobs in urban hospitals? I am open to the prospect of ending up in a rural hospital, but I would really prefer somewhere bit closer to the cities, mainly in Durban.

Thanks for any advice 

Also lastly, has anyone regretted their decision to emigrate to SA? Im nervous about leaving the UK, but I think I will gain so much more be leaving


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## LegalMan (Dec 26, 2012)

You will need to apply for a Sec 11 (6) of the Immigration Act. You will be issued with a visitors permit with a work endorsement on the basis of accompanying a South African partner.

You would need to supply proof of cohabitation, shared financial responsibility and a job offer from a South African company/hospital. As long as you have the correct documentation proving your relationship, then you application should be fairly smooth.

In regards to moving from SA, someone I work with has spent over 10 years in England and still believe there is no place on earth as wonderful as South Africa, especially Cape Town. The crime rate is comparatively high on paper, however since 2003 it has significantly decreased (by ≈50%) and is hopefully still on the decrease. The quality of life is far higher, with more sunshine and outdooring living activities. The nation as a whole is friendlier than that of most countries. Anyway, I'm a SA optimist.

Good luck with the move!


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## punkypete77 (Jan 28, 2013)

Chester4 said:


> Hi everyone, Im a doctor from the UK and am in the process of planning on moving to South Africa to work. My fiance is South African so that is the main reason for me emigrating, aswell as the other reasons such as looking foward to a new start, lovely weather, great work experience etc
> 
> My question is how difficult is it to get a work permit? Will the fact that I am engaged to a South African work in my favour? Also, does anyone have experience of getting jobs in urban hospitals? I am open to the prospect of ending up in a rural hospital, but I would really prefer somewhere bit closer to the cities, mainly in Durban.
> 
> ...


Hi there,
I'm also a UK Doctor going through the same process, it is quite a long and drawn out procedure but manageable. I'm happy for you to contact me privately for a chat if you so wish and I can give you advice so far as I can!


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## punkypete77 (Jan 28, 2013)

but if you can't pm me, then put my then you can email me.


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## Emma234 (Apr 28, 2013)

Hi there!
Just saw this thread and was wondering how you got on registering as a doctor in South Africa?
I am currently doing my foundation years and hoping to move to SA when I'm done. Do you know if its easier to move after Foundation training or once trained as a specialist?
I've been looking at how to get into the country and what you have to do do to get a job. Its all quite confusing and seems as though there's a lot of hoops to jump through.
Any pointers would be much appreciated.
Thanks!


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## Johanna (Apr 13, 2009)

Have you looked at the following website?

HPCSA


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## punkypete77 (Jan 28, 2013)

Hi there Emma,
I have spoken off board to one of the other posters from this forum (above) - but figured that I should probably put the advice online. 

Basically the first thing you need to do and need to do now (if you haven't already) is contact Africa Health Placements because the process to get to SA is pretty complicated and long. The first thing and the lengthiest is to get validation of all your certifications etc from a company in America called EICS -ECFMG. this can take up to 6 months to get fully sorted so best start soon! These do the checking of your degree etc for the HPCSA. As long as you have sent this off and got the ball rolling it doesn't matter if the full form is not back - you can still gain full registration without it.
The next step is to get forms filled in for endorsement from the foreign workforce management programme of the department of health . This is a fairly complex form, with lots of certified copies of certificates etc.. this is fairly quick once you have filled it in. then you are offically allowed to look for work in SA.
Thankfully SA and the HPCSA recognise degrees from University of Southampton so I didn't have to sit the entrance exam - a big relief.

Now comes the tricky bit and the bit that I am still struggling with:
Where do you want to work when you come to SA?
If you are happy to work in rural SA, then AHP will find you a placement and a specific job and do all the leg work for you... however If you want to work in urban JHB/Durban/Cape Town rather than rural SA then as an NGO, AHP aren't funded to find work for you as supposedly (despite the shortfall in posts) cities like Durban/Joburg/CT are already seen as places that are oversubscribed already. As such, although AHP will help with all of the process with FWM/HPCSA etc they won't actually find you a job, that's up to you, and that can be hard going.
As a post F2 Doc, you will be looking for medical officer grade one posts. You probably are best off speaking to the superintendants or CEO of the hospitals that you want to work at. This is quite difficult to do from over here as these hospitals don't often have websites so finding out how to speak to is tricky. 
Once you magically get a job offer, AHP have a man in the UK will go through the process of getting a work permit - he is very helpful and it seems that the whole work permit process is pretty simple and not an issue.
There are also forms for the HPCSA that need filling in for gaining registration - these need notarised copies of certain documents and getting notarised copies can cost up to £65 per document!!

Are you looking just for a year abroad or as an emigration? 

If you have any more questions - feel free to ask.


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## john albert (Mar 30, 2013)

yeah,,,,,in ma knowledge,i think its dissicult.


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## 1767396 (May 19, 2021)

Not sure if this thread is still ongoing but I reside in Cape Town but originally from the UK and I am in need of a British Doctor over here for a medical to renew part of my Driving Licence.

Is there anyone on here that is a registered Doctor from the UK now living in South Africa?


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## jmgiba (Apr 11, 2016)

LegalMan said:


> You will need to apply for a Sec 11 (6) of the Immigration Act. You will be issued with a visitors permit with a work endorsement on the basis of accompanying a South African partner.
> 
> You would need to supply proof of cohabitation, shared financial responsibility and a job offer from a South African company/hospital. As long as you have the correct documentation proving your relationship, then you application should be fairly smooth.
> 
> ...


Hi, with the 
Hi there, with the support of an Immigration specialist this should not be much of a hustle. You welcome to contact me privately for further advices.


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## Peter Mott (Oct 18, 2021)

1767396 said:


> Not sure if this thread is still ongoing but I reside in Cape Town but originally from the UK and I am in need of a British Doctor over here for a medical to renew part of my Driving Licence.
> 
> Is there anyone on here that is a registered Doctor from the UK now living in South Africa?


Hi

I wondered if this query was still live?

I have a family friend stuck in SA with her terminally ill husband (who is unable to fly back to the UK due to his condition) whose renewal of her driving licence needs a review by a UK registered doctor.

They initially became trapped by COVID restrictions while on an extended trip to SA last year when her husband was diagnosed. The DVLA have been really difficult and insist that her medical cert from a SA doctor is not acceptable.

Any help will be gratefully received


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## simonpuma2710 (2 mo ago)

punkypete77 said:


> but if you can't pm me, then put my then you can email me.


 Hi are you actually now residing in South Africa as a Doctor?


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## simonpuma2710 (2 mo ago)

punkypete77 said:


> Hi there,
> I'm also a UK Doctor going through the same process, it is quite a long and drawn out procedure but manageable. I'm happy for you to contact me privately for a chat if you so wish and I can give you advice


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