# Permit Application for Children in Zimbabwe



## Ebenezar1 (Jun 30, 2016)

Hello, Could anyone please advise on how i can apply for permits for my children in Zimbabwe. They were born here in SA and apparently i need to apply for their permits in Zimbabwe. The embassy in Zimbabwe does not have a website. Could anyone assist with info and also advise on the processing times.


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## Bwixie (Mar 11, 2014)

Ebenezar1 said:


> Hello, Could anyone please advise on how i can apply for permits for my children in Zimbabwe. They were born here in SA and apparently i need to apply for their permits in Zimbabwe. The embassy in Zimbabwe does not have a website. Could anyone assist with info and also advise on the processing times.


Hi there 
Check the VFS website for requirements. If you are a work permit holder, they will get a long term visitor visa. If you are a PR holder they will get a relative visa. If they are of school going age however, I believe you need study visas for them. You can apply for their visas within SA, they will get a port of entry visa when they enter the country and you can quickly file their visa applications. That's what I did for my son.


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## Ebenezar1 (Jun 30, 2016)

hi did u really apply for them here in south Africa??? when was that? i have a work permit and where did u apply for your kids.


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## Bwixie (Mar 11, 2014)

Ebenezar1 said:


> hi did u really apply for them here in south Africa??? when was that? i have a work permit and where did u apply for your kids.


Yes I applied within SA. My son got a 3 moth port of entry and then I filed his visa app in 2013 Harrison Street, I was still on work permit. Got PR in 2014 and I applied for a change of conditions to relative visa for him at the beginning of this year while I wait for his PR.
His relative visa was issued in under 4 weeks at VFS Rivonia.


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## Ebenezar1 (Jun 30, 2016)

OH ok. In 2013 the new regulations had not been implemented since you applied at the home affairs office. The new regulations state that all new applications need to be done at the country of origin. i believe this was implemented in 2014. VFS does not accept first time applications .


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## Bwixie (Mar 11, 2014)

Ebenezar1 said:


> OH ok. In 2013 the new regulations had not been implemented since you applied at the home affairs office. The new regulations state that all new applications need to be done at the country of origin. i believe this was implemented in 2014. VFS does not accept first time applications .


I don't think that's quite right, if you look in other threads on this forum, people have done this for their kids. If my son had not been a dependent he would have been expected to go back to zim to get his relative visa but that did not happen because he is a dependent. There are exceptions.


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## Ebenezar1 (Jun 30, 2016)

Really. I will check on other threads and see what others have done. I really hope it works.


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## Kloe (Mar 11, 2016)

Ebenezar1 said:


> Hello, Could anyone please advise on how i can apply for permits for my children in Zimbabwe. They were born here in SA and apparently i need to apply for their permits in Zimbabwe. The embassy in Zimbabwe does not have a website. Could anyone assist with info and also advise on the processing times.


Hi Ebenezar1

If your child is born in south africa,has not yet left SA and you have applied for his/her Zim passport whilst in SA through the Zim Consular Centre then you can apply via VFS but once your child has left SA and is in Zim then you need to apply through SA Embassy. The requirements are the same as on the vfs website the only difference is that you will have to live your child's passport at the embassy. The process does not take a long time though.

Wish you all the best.


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## Ebenezar1 (Jun 30, 2016)

Thank you. They have left south Africa so I guess will have to apply at the embassy.


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## zizebra (Mar 11, 2012)

Kloe said:


> Hi Ebenezar1
> 
> If your child is born in south africa,has not yet left SA and you have applied for his/her Zim passport whilst in SA through the Zim Consular Centre then you can apply via VFS but once your child has left SA and is in Zim then you need to apply through SA Embassy. The requirements are the same as on the vfs website the only difference is that you will have to live your child's passport at the embassy. The process does not take a long time though.
> 
> Wish you all the best.


Applying in zim has the best advantage. That will definitely work. Applying in SA requires witchcraft, magic or luck. The rules/laws are not consistent depending on who is processing your application. 

Last year when I got my kids passports, I booked online at VFS to apply for their permits when they were 4years old and had never left SA. The people at VFS advised me that I would be turned down because my kids are illegal because they were born here and that I was applying for the first time. DHA person had told me when I got their birth certificate that they were ok as long as they had not left the country. So I decided to smuggle them out and bring them on back on a visitors visa hoping to extend it. Today I have been to VFS, to apply for relatives visa and apparently VFS advised me not to go ahead with the application because iam trying to change conditions of their visas which is not allowed again in SA. When I asked if I could change my application to extending the visitors visa, they still claimed the same conditions would apply and recommended that I go back to apply in Zim. Iam on PR and these are my kids. So clearly there is some serious confusion at DHA. 

So I told them that applying for visa in SA is probably witchcraft. I asked them to still go ahead and the process the application. I will find out soon enough but I think you have less chance of rejection if applying in Zimbabwe. 

The only catch applying in Zim is that the embassy holds your passport when you apply in zim. If this is still happening then you need to plan your time carefully. Because if they take more than a month like they sometimes do then, you will be screwed.


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## Ebenezar1 (Jun 30, 2016)

I heard from another source that i can use the stamp at the port of entry as a visa which will allow me to apply here in south africa at VFS. Anyone ever experience this? PLease share.


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## zizebra (Mar 11, 2012)

Ebenezar1 said:


> I heard from another source that i can use the stamp at the port of entry as a visa which will allow me to apply here in south africa at VFS. Anyone ever experience this? PLease share.


It has been answered before. You can do that if you have valid work permit or permanent residence. However, there is no guarantee that your visa will be issued without hassles. But it can be issued. the law states that you can change the visa if you are a dependent or spouse of foreigner with valid work permit.


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## Ebenezar1 (Jun 30, 2016)

Thank you all. i will apply take my chances and apply here in SA if its unsuccessful then i will apply in Zim. at least here i will know in 12 weeks which is not that long.


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## Bwixie (Mar 11, 2014)

zizebra said:


> Applying in zim has the best advantage. That will definitely work. Applying in SA requires witchcraft, magic or luck. The rules/laws are not consistent depending on who is processing your application.
> 
> Last year when I got my kids passports, I booked online at VFS to apply for their permits when they were 4years old and had never left SA. The people at VFS advised me that I would be turned down because my kids are illegal because they were born here and that I was applying for the first time. DHA person had told me when I got their birth certificate that they were ok as long as they had not left the country. So I decided to smuggle them out and bring them on back on a visitors visa hoping to extend it. Today I have been to VFS, to apply for relatives visa and apparently VFS advised me not to go ahead with the application because iam trying to change conditions of their visas which is not allowed again in SA. When I asked if I could change my application to extending the visitors visa, they still claimed the same conditions would apply and recommended that I go back to apply in Zim. Iam on PR and these are my kids. So clearly there is some serious confusion at DHA.
> 
> ...


:lol::lol: witchcraft, I understand your frustration 100%. There are so many inconsistencies with VFS. In my case I nitially tried to extend my son's visitor visa then I was told I could not because I was now a PR holder. I was instructed to apply for a change of condition to a relative visa which I did and it was granted in under 4 weeks. And I also applied for the long term visitor visa from a port of entry visa but that was in 2014 before the VFS era.


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## joe117 (Sep 10, 2012)

Ebenezar1 said:


> Thank you all. i will apply take my chances and apply here in SA if its unsuccessful then i will apply in Zim. at least here i will know in 12 weeks which is not that long.


My son was born out of South Africa in March 2016. I came with him at the end of March 2016 to South Africa and he got a 90day visitors visa stamp. I went to VFS Rivonia and applied for a long stay visa and this was granted in April 2016. He now has a 3 year visa.


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## Ebenezar1 (Jun 30, 2016)

joe117 said:


> My son was born out of South Africa in March 2016. I came with him at the end of March 2016 to South Africa and he got a 90day visitors visa stamp. I went to VFS Rivonia and applied for a long stay visa and this was granted in April 2016. He now has a 3 year visa.


 Thank you . I was waiting for just a case. I will take my chances.


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## Princesskreationz (Jan 30, 2017)

Hi ebenezar, did you manage to apply a visa for your child within SA?


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