Hi all,
My girlfriend is from Brazil, I am South African. We were in SA for 3 months at the beginning of the year and then started a trip around Southern Africa by crossing into Namibia. We then visited Botswana and Zimbabwe and are now about to cross into Mozambique. In a month or so we plan to cross back into SA. My girlfriend will have been out of SA for more than 5 months by then. Does anyone know how long the immigration official is likely to grant her upon return to SA?
On previous visits to SA she received another 3 months each time she crossed the border but according to the new rules she is apparently only entitled to a week upon re-entry without returning to her country of residence. When crossing into Namibia we asked the immigration official about the situation and she apologetically confirmed that she would only be permitted to grant 7 days upon return. However other travellers we have spoken to have said that they received another 3 months when flying into Jozi or Cape Town despite having been in SA for 3 months previously and not having returned home.
Does anyone have any recent practical experience of crossing a land border with a similar circumstance? We are genuine travellers and are not trying to perform a visa run (we've been out of SA for 5 months upon return). My girlfriend has a plane ticket back home within 3 months of our expected return. Do immigration at land borders also regularly grant 3 months in this case or is she far more likely to receive 3 months flying in?
Any help is much appreciated.
Thanks,
Charlie
