• New STAGES platform digitizes visa processing for creative productions
• Qualified companies can submit requests online and receive a reply within 24 hours
• Reform comes as foreign film investment and international tourism rise

The South African government announced last week the publication in the official gazette of the Screen Talent and Global Entertainment Scheme (STAGES), a reform presented earlier this year as a full digitalization of immigration policy for the creative sector. According to the statement, STAGES transforms how production companies access the local market.

Paper files, long queues, uncertain timelines, and other delays are now resolved. Qualified companies can submit an expression of interest through a digital platform and receive a response within 24 hours. Approved applicants will sign an agreement with the Department of Home Affairs to ensure proper governance of the system.

For Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber (pictured), STAGES is part of a broader digital transformation. Visa-related administrative hurdles have long held back South Africa’s potential as a key destination for creative productions. Recently, a 400 million rand (about 23 million $) Netflix production was lost to Mexico. The reform aims to eliminate these obstacles by offering quick and predictable processing times.

The announcement comes at a favorable moment. According to the Film Industry Visa Assistance and the Commercial Producers Association of South Africa, the film industry attracted 2.52 billion rand in foreign investment between November 2023 and June 2024 thanks to international productions. Over the same period, the country welcomed 7,634,261 international tourists between January and September 2025, an increase of 1,108,222 visitors compared with the same period in 2024, according to official data.