South Sudan raises work permit fees for foreign nationals

March 6, 2017 (JUBA) – South Sudan has increased work permit charges for foreign nationals seeking to acquire identification cards, passports, visas and other documents required for employment.

The new fees seeks foreign nationals working as professional and/or business class to pay $10,000, blue class workers $2,000 and casual workers $1000.

The order did not, however, specify how the new fees would be paid as nothing indicates whether such a fee would be paid on weekly, monthly or annual basis.

This follows a launch of new fees structure by the Directorate of Nationality and Passports, which raised from SSP 315 to 4,410 the fees for a regular passport.

Finance, labour and interior officials said the new charges are meant to generate revenues for the government as it was proposed in the 2016 and 2017 budget.

The new fees charged for the nationality identification card increased from 45 SSP to 4,000 SSP. The entry visa fees also rose from $50 to $100 for foreigners. But the new directive did not affect foreign nationals from neighbouring Kenya and Uganda.

An entry visa for Kenyan and Ugandan nationals costs $50 for a month.

The 2 March letter attributed the rise in the fees to parliament’s decision to amend the Taxation Amendment Act in compliance with the Financial Management Act.

All the directives, according to the circular from the ministry of Public services, labour and human resources development takes effect from Wednesday, 1 March, 2017. All directorates for nationality, passports and immigration have been instructed to implement the new order without hesitation.

(ST)