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Permanent Residence — retired person (section 27(e))

South AfricaLiving from your own income

Explore the five recorded questions, answers and sources for this pathway.

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Is this aimed at retirees, pensioners, financially independent people, passive-income holders or another profile?

This route is aimed at retired persons. The Immigration Act 2002, section 27(e), provides for permanent residence for a foreigner who intends to retire in the Republic and who proves that he or she has the right to a pension or an irrevocable annuity or retirement account which gives him or her a prescribed minimum payment for the rest of his or her life, or a minimum prescribed net worth.

See recorded sources
  • Section 27(e) of the Immigration Act 2002
    intends to retire in the Republic, provided that such foreigner proves to the satisfaction of the Director-General that he or she- (i) has the right to a pension or an irrevocable annuity or retirement account which will give such foreigner a prescribed minimum payment for the rest of his or her life; or (ii) has a minimum prescribed net worth;

Which types of income/assets are accepted according to the official source?

The accepted financial sources are a pension, an irrevocable annuity, a retirement account, or a minimum prescribed net worth. The net worth must be a combination of assets realising a prescribed monthly amount.

See recorded sources
  • Regulation 24(11) of the Immigration Regulations
    (11) The payment contemplated in section 27(e)(i) of the Act shall be, per month, the amount determined from time to time by the Minister by notice in the Gazette and the net worth contemplated in section 27(e)(ii) of the Act shall be a combination of assets realising, per month, the amount determined by the Minister by notice in the Gazette.

What income, savings or financial-resources threshold applies and how does family affect it where officially specified?

The minimum payment per month from a pension, irrevocable annuity or retirement account is R37 000,00. The minimum net worth is R37 000,00. The source does not specify how family size affects the threshold.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • The official source does not state whether the threshold varies with family size.

Can the holder work locally, run a business or perform other economic activity? What is the family position?

The holder of a permanent residence permit has all the rights, privileges, duties and obligations of a citizen, except those explicitly ascribed to citizenship by law or the Constitution. The official source does not explicitly state whether a section 27(e) holder may work, run a business or engage in other economic activity, or the family position.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • The official source does not explicitly state activity rights or family position for this specific permanent residence category.
  • Section 25(1) of the Immigration Act 2002
    The holder of a permanent residence permit has all the rights, privileges, duties and obligations of a citizen, save for those rights, privileges, duties and obligations which a law or the Constitution explicitly ascribes to citizenship.

How long is the status granted, what is required for renewal, what physical-presence obligations matter, and what longer-term residence direction exists?

The route leads to a permanent residence permit, issued on condition that the holder is not a prohibited or undesirable person and subject to section 28 of the Act. Under section 28 the Director-General may withdraw the permit if, among other grounds, the holder has been absent from the Republic for more than three years; on good cause and prior application the Director-General may extend this period in specific cases.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • The captured sources state no fixed duration and no renewal procedure for the permanent residence permit itself.
  • Section 28 lists other withdrawal grounds (convictions, failure to comply with permit conditions); only the absence rule is summarised here.

These are the answers currently recorded in the catalogue. A missing or partial answer is not an eligibility decision.

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