Home › Guides › First 30 and 90 Days

Relocation Basics

Your First 30 and 90 Days in South Africa: What to Sort and in What Order

By The Expat Club · Updated October 2026

Sort a registered SIM and a proof-of-address pack in week one, then a bank account, SARS registration and medical aid in weeks two to four. Licence conversion, school registration and the conditions of your visa belong to months two and three. Start the slow items early: a Traffic Register Number can take up to six weeks.

The order matters because several steps ask for the same documents and some lead into others: a bank letter supports a SARS branch registration, and a proof of address sits behind almost everything. This guide sets out a sequence from the official pages, points to the detailed guide for each step and flags the visa conditions that carry deadlines of their own.

The order at a glance

Every item below links to the fuller guide. This page covers only how the steps fit together, and the dates and figures on it come from the official pages listed under Sources.

Week 1: SIM, RICA and a proof-of-address pack

The Regulation of Interception of Communications Act says a mobile operator may not activate a SIM card until it has recorded your full names, identity number and at least one address, and, for a foreign national, the country that issued your passport. The address verification rule in the Act, which lists documents such as a bank statement, a rates invoice or a lease, is written for citizens and permanent residents. A newcomer on a visa may therefore be asked for less, though the SIM guide notes that stores usually still ask for a proof of address, so bring your original passport and ask what the counter accepts. The SIM and mobile internet guide covers the practical side.

Build the proof-of-address pack in the same week, because later steps lean on it. SARS lists a rates, water or electricity account less than three months old among the documents it accepts, and wants your name and physical address on it. Where the proof is in someone else's name, SARS asks for a CRA01 form with that person's proof attached. The traffic register and licence pages ask for something similar: if the utility bill is not in your name, its owner makes an affidavit saying you live there, and the bill goes with it. The renting guide explains where that first document usually comes from.

Weeks 2 to 4: bank, SARS and medical aid

A bank account

The bank account guide covers what banks ask for and the proof-of-address problem that new arrivals meet, so this page does not repeat it. What matters for the order is what comes next. If you register for tax at a SARS branch, SARS asks for proof of bank details: an original bank letter not older than one month, or a statement not more than three months old, showing the account holder's legal name, the account number and type and the branch code. Open the account before the branch visit.

SARS registration

SARS says that if you register for eFiling and have no income tax number yet, it registers you automatically, but only if you hold a valid South African ID. Without one, its page lists other routes: the SARS Online Query System if you are already on eFiling, a USSD service, WhatsApp, registration through an employer, or a branch visit by appointment. The old IT77 form has been discontinued. A branch wants proof of identity (a passport is on its list), proof of address and proof of bank details (SARS page last updated 19 August 2026). Whether you need a tax number, and how residence is decided, is covered in the expat tax guide.

Medical aid

The Council for Medical Schemes says any person can join an open scheme and that a registered scheme cannot reject an application. A scheme can still impose waiting periods: a general waiting period of up to three months and a condition-specific one of up to 12 months, with exceptions for Prescribed Minimum Benefits. It may also charge a late-joiner penalty to anyone who joins at 35 or older. Waiting periods start when you join, so the date matters. A study visa requires adequate medical cover with a registered South African scheme, and the exchange visa checklist asks for proof of medical cover. The healthcare and medical aid guide explains how schemes and insurers differ.

Months 2 and 3: driving, schools and visa conditions

Traffic Register Number and licence

gov.za describes the Traffic Register Number as the main identification number for road traffic transactions on the national system for foreigners. You need one if you want to buy or register a vehicle and have no foreign identification document. You apply at a registering authority on the ANR form with a certified copy of your passport, two black-and-white photographs and proof of address. gov.za says it may take up to six weeks and tells you to ask the authority for the cost, so apply early if a car purchase is coming.

Licence conversion works differently. gov.za says a permanent resident must convert a foreign licence within a year of receiving the permit, and that after that the licence is regarded as invalid. Its page does not cover temporary visa holders. The licence guide covers that situation and the point on which official sources disagree about the deadline, and the guide for returning South Africans signposts the passport side of coming home.

School registration

Under the Schools Act, gov.za says, all children aged 7 to 15 must attend school. Parents can register a child who is due to start next year between April and October, and gov.za advises checking each province's own deadlines. International and private schools set their own application routes, which the Cape Town schools guide and the school fees guide describe.

Visa conditions to keep

Your visa carries conditions that a new routine can easily bury. These are the ones Home Affairs lists on its visa page:

• Extensions. The checklists ask for an application lodged in person at least 60 days before the visa expires. For a visa issued for less than 30 days, the limit is no later than seven working days before expiry.
• Study visas. Part-time work is limited to 20 hours a week. The learning institution undertakes to notify the Director-General within 30 days if you are no longer registered, or when your studies end or need extending.
• Work visas. The employer undertakes to tell the Director-General when the employee leaves or moves into a different role, so talk to your employer before a change of job or duties.
• Relative's visas. The holder may not work.

Which visa you hold decides which conditions apply. The critical skills, work visa and spousal guides cover them in turn, and the visa documents guide covers the police clearances, apostilles and six-month limits behind a new application.

A 90-day checklist

• Week 1: a registered SIM, originals and copies of your passport, and a proof of address in your name or backed by an affidavit.
• Weeks 2 to 4: a bank account, then a bank letter or recent statement for SARS if you register at a branch; a SARS registration if you need a tax number; a medical aid joined with the waiting periods in mind.
• Month 2: a Traffic Register Number if you plan to buy a vehicle, and the licence route that matches your status.
• By month 3: school registration under way, and your visa conditions and expiry date written into a calendar with the 60-day extension window marked.

Landing and finding your feet? The Expat Club is being set up for people settling in South Africa, and nothing is charged now. You can make a free profile at expatclub.co.za/members today, and once your email is confirmed the member directory and messages open up. Meetings start in Cape Town in January 2027, and Johannesburg and Durban are planned for around mid 2027.

Frequently asked questions

Sources, checked 17 October 2026

These are the official pages and documents behind the facts above. Each link was opened and checked on 17 October 2026.

• Regulation of Interception of Communications Act 70 of 2002 (Department of Justice): section 40 on what a mobile operator records and verifies before activating a SIM.
• Register as a taxpayer (South African Revenue Service): the registration routes and the identity, address and bank documents a branch asks for.
• Apply for a traffic register number (South African Government): who needs one, the documents, the six week processing time and the cost.
• Convert a foreign driving licence (South African Government): the one year rule for permanent residents and the documents.
• Admission to school (South African Government): the compulsory ages and the April to October registration window.
• Medical schemes and health insurance (Council for Medical Schemes): open schemes, waiting periods, Prescribed Minimum Benefits and the late-joiner penalty.
• Types of visas (Department of Home Affairs): the extension rule and the study, work and relative's visa conditions.

General information only, not immigration/tax/legal/financial advice: confirm current rules and consult a qualified professional.