🇱🇸Lesotho Visa for South African Citizens2026 Requirements, Fees & Documents

Diplomatic / Official Visa

Issued free of charge to holders of diplomatic, official/service, UN, or Laissez Passer travel documents visiting Lesotho.

UN Passport holders, Laissez Passer holders, Diplomatic Passport holders, and Official/Service Passport holders are issued visas free of charge. UN Passport and Laissez Passer holders do not need a visa at all according to official source. Application process same as ordinary visa (email to VISA-Applications.Immigration@gov.ls).

Teacher's Permit

Residence permit allowing qualified foreign teachers to reside and teach in Lesotho.

Available as a two-year or indefinite permit. Processed at the Residence Permit Facilitation Centre in Maseru. Specific eligibility requirements and fees not published on official pages.

Doctor's and Nurses Permit

Residence permit allowing foreign medical professionals (doctors and nurses) to reside and practice in Lesotho.

Available as a two-year or indefinite permit. Processed at the Residence Permit Facilitation Centre in Maseru. Specific eligibility requirements and fees not published on official pages.

Study Permit

Authorises foreign nationals to reside in Lesotho for the purpose of studying at an accredited institution.

Valid for up to 4 years per official immigration page. Processed at the Residence Permit Facilitation Centre in Maseru. Specific eligibility requirements, supporting documents, and fees not published on official pages.

Joining Relative Permit

Residence permit allowing a foreign national to join a relative who is lawfully resident in Lesotho.

Available as a two-year or indefinite permit. Also referred to as 'Joining Relative Permit' and 'Spouse Joining Spouse Permit' (separate sub-categories). Processed at the Residence Permit Facilitation Centre in Maseru.

Spouse Joining Spouse Permit

Residence permit allowing a foreign spouse to join a partner lawfully resident or working in Lesotho.

Available as a two-year or indefinite permit. Distinct from the 'Married Women Permit' category, which the official Home Affairs portal lists separately (a foreign woman married to a Mosotho male). Processed at the Residence Permit Facilitation Centre in Maseru.

Married Women Permit

Residence permit issued to a foreign woman married to a Mosotho (Lesotho citizen) man who wishes to reside with her husband in Lesotho.

Distinct residence-permit category listed on the official VFS-operated Home Affairs portal (homeaffairslesotho.com), separate from the Spouse Joining Spouse permit. Issued to a woman married to a Basotho male to reside with him; available as a two-year or indefinite permit (Married-women-permit-Indefinite.html). Requires marriage certificate, medical certificate, police clearance from Lesotho and country of origin, sponsor (husband) national ID/passport copy, and proof of payment. M2,800 service/handling charge applies via the portal; statutory permit fees payable at the Ministry of Home Affairs per the Government Gazette.

Missionary Permit

Residence permit for foreign nationals engaged in missionary or religious work in Lesotho.

Available as a two-year or indefinite permit. Processed at the Residence Permit Facilitation Centre in Maseru. Specific requirements and fees not published on official pages.

Temporary Permit

Short-term permit for foreign nationals who require an authorised stay in Lesotho beyond a visa or for purposes not covered by standard visa categories.

90-day temporary permit listed as a distinct permit category on the official immigration page. Specific eligibility, requirements, and fees not published on official pages.

Indefinite Residence Permit

Permanent residence authorisation for foreign nationals who have met the long-term residence requirements in Lesotho.

Indefinite permit categories mirror the two-year permit categories: missionaries, business, joining relative, spouse joining spouse, returning former citizens, doctors/nurses, teachers. Minimum residence period and eligibility criteria not specified on official pages. Processed at the Residence Permit Facilitation Centre in Maseru.

Work Permit

Authorises a foreign national to take up general employment in Lesotho. The Lesotho-based employer sponsors the application and must demonstrate the position cannot be filled by a suitably qualified Mosotho national.

General employment work permit, distinct from the profession-specific residence permits (teachers, doctors/nurses). The sponsoring employer must supply a Business Permit, valid Trader's Licence, Tax Clearance Certificate and Letter of Invitation, and complete the general visa requirements. Issued via the Ministry of Home Affairs Department of Immigration with Ministry of Labour and Employment (Labour Commissioner) involvement. Fee and validity period not published on the official page.

Returning Citizens Permit

Residence permit for a person who was previously a citizen of the Kingdom of Lesotho and wishes to return and reside in the country once again.

Listed as 'Returning former citizens' on the official Ministry of Home Affairs immigration page; available as a two-year or indefinite residence permit. Applications submitted online via the VFS-operated Home Affairs services portal (homeaffairslesotho.com/Returning-Citizens-permit.html), which cites a standard residence-permit application fee of M2,800. Requires proof of previous Lesotho citizenship, medical certificate, police clearance and passport photos. Dependants under 21 are exempt from the fee; police clearance is not required for applicants under age 16.