Tag Archive for: European Union

Andrew Stegmann
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3 Schengen Visa Changes That South Africans Should Know About

South Africans will be subject to several changes in terms of visa application procedures, rules and benefits, starting from February.

Due to the implementation of the Updated Schengen Visa Code, adopted by the EU Council in June 2019, all representative missions of the Schengen Countries located abroad are obliged to apply the new rules, including the ones in South Africa.

The Schengen visa is one of the most famous visas in the world, and one of the best to have.

Granting to its holder the possibility of traveling to 26 European countries, 22 of them part of the European Union, the number of Schengen visa applicants has been steadily increasing every year.

Currently, travellers from 104 countries and entities need to obtain a visa to enter the EU for stays up to three-months within the Schengen Zone.

Below BusinessTech looked at some of the most notable changes and what they will mean for travellers.

Price increases

The most notable change is increased prices for all Schengen visa applicants.

The fee visa is expected to increase from €60 (R958) to €80 (R1,277) per application. In addition, children over the age of six will now have to pay €40 (R638) instead of the previous lower fee of €35 (R559) per application;

Longer stays

Travellers who frequently visit the Schengen area will now be able to stay for longer periods of time, subject to certain criteria.

This criteria includes applicants who are arriving from a country with a good economic status and those who can show that they have a genuine intention to leave.

Should these criteria be met, applicants may be eligible to receive multiple-entry visas for five years

Longer application times

The new rules also permit South Africans to submit an application up to six months in advance of their trip, instead of the current three-month window.

 

For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, Remuneration, and Expat Tax needs, email info@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.

Sources: [1], [2]. Image sources: [1], [2].

Andrew Stegmann
,

The UK Has Agreed to a Post-Brexit Trade Deal with South Africa and Other Countries

Britain has agreed a deal with six southern African countries including South Africa, the continent’s most developed economy, that will ensure continuity of trade conditions after Brexit, the British High Commission in South Africa said on Wednesday.

Political turmoil in the United Kingdom has generated uncertainty over how, when and even if the country will withdraw from the European Union. Its current exit date is set for October 31.

But while the situation has left the future trade relationship between Britain and the EU in doubt, London has been working to minimise the impact of Brexit on other trading partners.

Britain initialled an Economic Partnership Agreement with the Southern African Customs Union (Sacu) – comprising South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, and eSwatini (formerly known as Swaziland) – and Mozambique on Tuesday.

“This trade agreement, once it is signed and takes effect, will allow businesses to keep trading after Brexit without any additional barriers,” Britain’s International Trade Secretary Liz Truss said in a statement.

The agreement is still subject to final checks. But once signed formally, it will mirror the trade conditions the southern African nations currently enjoy with the EU.

Trade between Britain and the six countries was worth 9.7 billion pounds ($12 billion) last year, with machinery and motor vehicles topping British exports to the region. The UK meanwhile imported some 547 million pounds worth of edible fruit and nuts.

Britain has already signed trade continuity agreements with countries accounting for 89 billion pounds of its external trade.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson says Britain must leave the EU on October 31, but parliament has passed a law compelling him to ask Brussels to delay Brexit until 2020 unless he can strike a divorce deal. Johnson says he will not request an extension.

 

For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, Remuneration, and Expat Tax needs, email marketing@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.

Sources: [1], [2]. Image sources: Adrian Pingstone [1], [2].