I'm going to be traveling to South Africa in the fall, as a part of a five week volunteer program. I'll be working on a wildlife sanctuary. As an American citizen, I wouldn't need a visa for tourism under 90 days; however, apparently I would need one for any kind of volunteering/internship activities. This poses a problem, since the only way to get this visa in in person at the embassy in DC, about 1,000 miles from where I live. I'm in school full time so there's really no way that I can see going to DC in the near future.
So, for any Americans who've been to South Africa, or any guys from South Africa, what would you say are the chances that I could slip through without a visa, claiming to be there for tourism? I studied abroad in the past and claimed tourism to avoid extra paperwork that would have came with studying abroad, and everything went smoothly. That was in the UK though, and I don't know how different it would be in South Africa. From what I gather, if I went and claimed to just be a tourist, all I would need to do is present my return ticket and give the address where I'll be staying, and that should be enough. I don't know how much they actually look into everything.
What are your thoughts on this? If absolutely necessary I can get a visa, but it would be a huge inconvenience.
So, for any Americans who've been to South Africa, or any guys from South Africa, what would you say are the chances that I could slip through without a visa, claiming to be there for tourism? I studied abroad in the past and claimed tourism to avoid extra paperwork that would have came with studying abroad, and everything went smoothly. That was in the UK though, and I don't know how different it would be in South Africa. From what I gather, if I went and claimed to just be a tourist, all I would need to do is present my return ticket and give the address where I'll be staying, and that should be enough. I don't know how much they actually look into everything.
What are your thoughts on this? If absolutely necessary I can get a visa, but it would be a huge inconvenience.