Foreign nationals applying for a South African business visa must include a business plan in their application. It will serve as proof of the applicant’s entrepreneurial ability and the business’s acceptability. It is therefor not only important to include a business plan for a South African business visa application, but to get it right too.
Get the standard inclusions of a business plan right first
There are certain elements that should be included in any business plan, whether it is for a South African business visa or not. These are:
- An executive summary.
- A short description of the business opportunity.
- Details on operations, such as manpower, the premises, IT infrastructure and future expansion.
- The marketing strategy.
The information given in these sections of the business plan will demonstrate how the business owner plan on developing the business, name the role players and detail the financials.
Then concentrate on the specific considerations for a South African business visa application
To stand the best chance of a getting a South African business visa, special emphasis should be put on certain elements in the business plan. These are:
- The investment being made into the business.
- The amount of jobs the business will create and what the positions will be.
- The business sector in which the company will operate.
- Proof of the business’s chance of succeeding.
- The structure of the business.
- Reasons why the visa application should be granted a waiver, if applicable.
Including information on all of these elements is required to satisfy the criteria of a business visa.
To get help with putting together a business plan for a South African business visa, contact us
Intergate has helped thousands of business visa applicants draw up business plans. If you would like help with your business plan, please feel free to call us. Dialing +27 (0) 21 424 2460 will put you through to one of our Cape Town consultants. If you’d prefer to speak to someone in Johannesburg, you can call +27 (0) 11 234 4275. Alternatively, request a free call back for one of our consultants to contact you instead.
If you haven’t applied for your business visa yet, remember that you have to do that first. The consultant you speak to during your conversation about drawing up a business plan for a South African visa will be able to answer any questions about the visa too.