Retiring in South Africa: Retired Person Visa, Required Income, Taxation of the French Pension and Access to Care

The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) issues a retired person visa (section 20 of the Immigration Act) to people who wish to retire in South Africa and meet the financial conditions. The conversions on this page rely on the ECB reference rate of 02/10/2026: 18.7839 rand (ZAR) per €1.

• Income: the right to a pension, an irrevocable annuity or a retirement account guaranteeing 37,000 rand a month (about €1,970) for life, paid from the country of origin. The DHA list also mentions a minimum net worth of 37,000 rand, which may combine assets that generate a monthly income: the DHA or its service provider specifies how this rule applies to the applicant’s case.
• Health: proof of medical cover and a medical report signed by a practitioner, less than six months old, together with radiological reports; a yellow fever certificate is requested from travellers who have stayed in an endemic zone.
• Documents: passport valid for at least 30 days after the planned departure date, police certificate from each country of residence, proof of income (bank statements or pension certificate), photographs and proof of payment.
• Duration and family: the visa is issued for four years at most at a time; the spouse and dependent children who accompany the holder may receive an appropriate visa.

The application is filed in person: it is made at least 60 days before the current visa expires when the applicant is already in the country. A scouting stay of a few weeks helps prepare the plan; see the page living in South Africa for cities, schools and safety advice.

Beyond the temporary visa, the DHA provides for permanent residence “on other grounds” (section 27 of the Act), which includes two categories relevant to a retiree: the retired person (27(e)) and the financially independent person (27(f)). These categories lead to a permanent residence permit, applied for with form BI-947.

• Financially independent person: proof of a minimum net worth of 12 million rand (about €639,000) and payment of 120,000 rand (about €6,390) to be paid once the application is approved. The file also includes a medical certificate, radiological reports, police certificates for those over 18, a full birth certificate and form BI-947, completed online.
• Retired person: the DHA page refers to form BI-947 for the financial evidence specific to this category; the thresholds do not appear on the page consulted and should be confirmed with the DHA before any step.

A permanent residence plan commits significant capital: legal or tax advice comes before filing the application.

The treaty of 8 November 1993, approved by the law of 14 October 1994 and in force since 1^st November 1995, shares the right to tax between the two states and covers taxes on income and wealth. Its article 18 provides that pensions and similar remuneration paid for past employment, as well as annuities, are taxable in the beneficiary’s state of residence and are not taxable in the other state if they are subject to tax in the first. Article 19 reserves public pensions to the state that pays them, unless the beneficiary lives in the other state and holds only its nationality.

Notice 2041-E of the French tax administration, in its table of pensions by country, applies this rule to a resident of South Africa: public pensions remain taxable in France, while private pensions outside social security and social security pensions are not, unless they are not subject to tax in the state of residence. This point needs checking: the SARS guide on the taxation of foreigners, in its 2014/15 edition, lists among exempt income pensions from a foreign social security scheme and certain foreign pensions. If the French pension is not taxed in South Africa under the legislation in force, the notice’s reservation may reopen France’s right to tax.

• Tax residence: article 4 treats as a South African resident a person who is “ordinarily resident” and, in case of dual residence, uses the permanent home, then the centre of vital interests, habitual abode and nationality. A retiree who keeps their home in France may remain a French tax resident.
• Other income: dividends are subject to withholding of at most 15% in the state of the paying company (5% for a company holding at least 10% of the capital); interest is taxable only in the state of the beneficial owner, if it is subject to tax there (articles 10 and 11).
• Double taxation: article 23 avoids it through a tax credit, in France as in South Africa.

The treaty covers income and wealth: inheritance duties are checked separately, with a notary who knows both legal systems.

For the tax year from 1^st March 2026 to 28 February 2027, SARS applies a progressive scale from 18% to 45%, with a primary rebate of 17,820 rand (about €949). Retirees benefit from additional credits: 9,765 rand from age 65 and 3,249 rand from age 75. The tax threshold thus stands at 153,250 rand (about €8,160) from age 65 and 171,300 rand (about €9,120) from age 75, against 99,000 rand (about €5,270) before 65.

The first rate of 18% applies up to 245,100 rand of taxable income (about €13,050), then 26% up to 383,100 rand (about €20,400), 31% up to 530,200 rand (about €28,230); the full scale is on the page working in South Africa. Tax residence criteria, the taxation of the pension and returns should be confirmed with SARS or a tax adviser before departure.

With no tax residence in France, the pension bears no CSG, CRDS or Casa contribution (French social levies). CLEISS indicates that a health insurance contribution is withheld instead: 3.2% on the basic pension and 4.2% on the supplementary pension, and 7.1% for self-employed workers’ pensions. The Assurance retraite (the French state pension fund) specifies that the rate of the health insurance contribution is 3.20% depending on the pensioner’s situation. The exact deduction is confirmed with the pension fund.

The retiree tells their fund their new address, their surnames, first names and social security number. The pension can be paid into a French or foreign account, with bank fees to check with their bank. The ASPA (the French means-tested solidarity allowance for older people) and the supplementary invalidity allowance stop being paid abroad and are applied for again on return to France.

The S1 form, which organises the cover of retirees in the European Union, does not work in South Africa, which is not among the countries that have concluded a social security agreement with France (CLEISS). CLEISS indicates three routes in a country with no agreement: voluntary CFE membership, the local scheme and private insurance. See the guide to retiree health insurance abroad and the S1 form.

• CFE: the retirees’ plan offers worldwide cover, with a starting price published on the fund’s site; see the CFE guide.
• Medical scheme: an open scheme accepts any application for membership, with possible waiting periods; penalties or waiting periods may apply to people who have never joined a scheme and enrol after age 35 (Council for Medical Schemes). The retired person visa requires proof of medical cover.
• Temporary stays in France: a retiree whose pension is based on at least 15 years of insurance in France is covered, provided they draw a pension from a French basic scheme and carry out no activity; a hospital stay of more than one month requires prior recognition of the need for care. Their spouse takes out insurance before travelling.

Access conditions for the public and private sectors are on healthcare in South Africa and the details of reimbursement on healthcare reimbursement. Retirement insurance abroad brings together the solutions.

The visa threshold of 37,000 rand a month gives a budget benchmark: it is compared with rents, energy and care in the targeted city. The destinations retirees look at are Cape Town, the Garden Route around George, Knysna and Mossel Bay, Johannesburg and Pretoria, and Durban; their schools, climate and the embassy’s safety advice are on the page living in South Africa. The guide to budgeting for health abroad completes these benchmarks.

Every year, the pension fund sends a certificate of existence, to be completed by a local authority and returned within the stated deadline (Assurance retraite). The guide to receiving your pension abroad and the page on retirement detail the steps; the guide to quarters worked abroad answers questions about acquired rights, and returning-to-France insurance prepares for a possible return.