Things to Consider
What’s inside the Arrival Pack
Most people arrive in South Africa having solved the visa and nothing else. Then the bank wants a proof of address they can’t yet produce, the school they liked closed its waiting list two years ago, and the money sitting in a London account turns out to be far harder to move than anyone mentioned.
The Arrival Pack is the sequence, in order — twelve chapters on where to live, how to buy, how to move your money and who to call, written for people who have already decided on South Africa and now need it handled properly.
01
Where to live
- Honest comparison of the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Inland
- Weather, schooling, flight connections, getting around and indicative property prices for each
- Where bush, beach and wine actually overlap — and where they don't
02
Schools
- How the IEB, state and Cambridge/IB curriculum routes differ, and which suits a family that may move on again
- Public, independent, international and group schools — fee ranges and how admission really works
- A shortlist of named schools per region, categorised by sector, intake and religious foundation
- The documents every school will ask for, and why you apply before you have an address
03
Property
- Foreigners can buy freely, in their own name — but you need a SARS tax number to transfer, buying or selling
- The purchase step by step, from offer to registration, and why there's no general cooling-off period
- Full cost picture beyond the price: transfer duty, conveyancing, bond registration, compliance certificates
- Bonds for non-residents, the conveyancing fraud risk, and three established agencies per region
04
Moving money into South Africa
- How exchange control actually works, and why resident, non-resident and temporary resident are three different things
- The paper trail to keep on every rand you bring in — the single thing that decides whether you can take capital out later
- Declaring foreign assets on taking up permanent residence
- Where the real cost sits: the spread, not the transfer fee
05
Tax
- The two residency tests SARS applies, and why one is about intention rather than days
- Worldwide income as a resident versus South African-source income as a non-resident
- Income tax, CGT, estate duty, the foreign pension exemption and the foreign employment income exemption
- Provisional tax and the exit charge — the two things almost everybody misses
06
Relocation & shipping
- Realistic door-to-door timings by origin, for sea and air freight
- The customs rebate on used household effects, and the ITAC permit your mover must apply for
- Why you should almost never ship the car
- Named international and South African movers, and how to compare quotes properly
07
Pets
- The fixed sequence — microchip, rabies, titre test, import permit, health certificate — and why the order matters
- Airline restrictions on snub-nosed breeds and temperature embargoes
- Ticks, biliary and the other risks nobody warns new arrivals about
- Pet insurance providers, waiting periods and age limits
08
Medical cover
- How South African medical schemes differ from insurance: open enrolment, community rating and Prescribed Minimum Benefits
- The three things that cost you — general and condition-specific waiting periods, and the permanent late-joiner penalty
- Why gap cover is not optional
- Which schemes and plan types suit newcomers, with indicative family costs
09
Medical care on call
- The numbers to save in every phone in your first week
- Private emergency services, armed response medical dispatch and the national poisons line
- When to use an emergency unit, a retail clinic or a virtual GP
- What to set up in your first month, including scripts and a family GP
10
Driving licences
- When your foreign licence is valid as it stands, and when it needs a translation or IDP
- The twelve-month conversion window that opens on permanent residence
- Traffic Register Numbers, testing centres and what conversion requires
- Practical notes on driving here, from tolls to rural roads after dark
11
Visas & immigration
- Every route mapped: Critical Skills, General Work, Intra-Company Transfer, Business, Remote Work
- Retired Person's, Spousal, Relative's, Study and Visitor's visas, with qualifying criteria
- Both doors to permanent residence, including the financial independence route
- The traps — overstaying, working on the wrong visa, document expiry, and where you must apply from
12
Travelling in Southern Africa
- Kruger, Madikwe, Zululand, the Cape, the Drakensberg and the Kgalagadi
- Namibia, Botswana, Victoria Falls and Mozambique — what's now a weekend away
- Three recommended travel companies
- What you need before you cross a border with children or a financed vehicle
Plus
Your first ninety days
A sequenced checklist from six months out to day ninety, with the items that block everything else flagged first.
Every purchase includes a complimentary 30-minute private consultation. Read the pack first, then bring your three hardest questions — we’ll work through your actual position, tell you plainly where the plan will break, and introduce you to the specialists you need by name.