Before you start

A valid passport, plus a long-term visa or permit for a full resident account
Some proof of a Pretoria residential address, or a bank that does not ask for one
A South African mobile number for one-time passwords and app onboarding
Evidence of income or source of funds: payslip, employment letter, or three months of foreign statements

Step-by-step

1
Work out which onboarding track you are on
Most people go through ordinary FICA. If you are accredited to a diplomatic mission or an international organisation, ask your mission's administrator which bank it uses and whether the diplomatic desk will onboard you against your DIRCO identity card — the major banks all run one, and it removes the address problem entirely. Everyone else should plan the address document before setting foot in a branch.
In personWho: You, or your mission's administrative officerOne conversation
2
Produce proof of address, or choose a bank that skips it
A signed lease in your name is cleanest. Otherwise banks accept a letter of verification from a landlord, employer or estate agent, or a sworn affidavit — any SAPS station in Tshwane will commission one against your passport at no charge. If you are still in short-term accommodation, get a letter on letterhead from the property manager before you check out; chasing it afterwards is much harder than asking at the desk.
In personWho: You, with a landlord, employer or SAPS commissioner of oathsSame dayFree
3
Match the account type to your visa, not your salary
With a valid long-term permit you can open a normal resident account: Capitec Global One at roughly R7.50 a month is the cheapest big-bank option, FNB Easy is pay-as-you-use, TymeBank has no monthly fee. On a visitor's visa you generally qualify only for a restricted non-resident account, which may have no linked debit card and cannot simply receive a local salary. Confirm which one you are being offered in writing before you give the details to an employer.
OnlineWho: YouHalf an hour to compareCapitec ~R7.50/mo; FNB Easy ~R8/mo; TymeBank R0
4
Open it in a branch or at a supermarket kiosk
For the big banks, walk into a branch in Brooklyn, Menlyn, Hatfield or Centurion with your passport, permit and address proof; the account and card are usually issued the same day, and branches in the embassy belt handle foreign documents routinely. TymeBank is faster: a kiosk inside a Pick n Pay, Boxer or TFG scans your passport and permit, you set a PIN, and a personalised card prints while you wait.
In personWho: You, with a bank consultant or at a kioskSame day; TymeBank about ten minutesAccount opening free
5
Bring money in cleanly, and understand what happens on the way out
Foreign currency converts freely inward and, for a non-resident, the proceeds stay freely transferable back out. Wire it by SWIFT or a service such as Wise rather than carrying cash — banknote imports are capped at R25,000 and a wire creates the record you will want years later. Outward transfers are the regulated direction: South African Reserve Bank exchange control applies and larger amounts need a SARS tax compliance status PIN. Keep a file of what you brought in and when, from the first transfer.
Mobile appWho: You, with your bank's forex deskOngoingWise-style transfers roughly 0.5-1%; bank forex spreads are wider

Documents you’ll need

Valid passport
Long-term visa, work or study permit for a resident account, or a DIRCO identity card for diplomatic staff
Proof of residential address — lease, landlord or employer letter, or a free SAPS affidavit
Proof of income or source of funds
South African mobile number registered in your name

Things most newcomers don’t know

Two institutions remove the proof-of-address problem outright: Standard Bank's published FICA requirements for adult foreign nationals include no proof-of-address document, and TymeBank requires none at all.

The standard advice is to get a lease first, but landlords want a local account and a credit record, so week one becomes a loop. Opening at a bank that does not ask breaks it in an afternoon, and you can move to whichever bank you actually want once a utility bill exists in your name. This is worth more than any comparison of monthly fees.

Source: Standard Bank FICA — adult foreign nationals; TymeBank account opening

If you are accredited to a mission or international organisation, the major banks run diplomatic desks that onboard against a DIRCO-issued identity card rather than ordinary FICA address proof.

Pretoria has well over a hundred missions, so this affects a large share of arrivals here and almost nobody elsewhere in South Africa. The desk also understands the tax and exchange-control position of diplomatic income, which an ordinary branch consultant will not. Ask your administrative officer which bank the mission already deals with, because the relationship does the work.

Source: South African bank diplomatic banking desks; DIRCO accreditation

Your visa category, not your job offer, determines whether you get a resident or a non-resident account — and a non-resident account may have no debit card and cannot straightforwardly take a local salary.

People arrive on a visitor's visa with a signed contract and expect the bank to look at the contract. The bank looks at what is in the passport today. If your start date depends on being paid locally, the permit has to land first, which is one more reason the visa timeline governs everything else in a South African move.

Source: FNB non-resident banking; Financial Intelligence Centre guidance

Bringing money into South Africa is close to frictionless and stays repatriable for a non-resident; getting it out is the regulated leg and larger transfers require a SARS tax compliance status PIN.

Newcomers brace for the wrong direction. You may bring in any amount of convertible currency, though physical banknotes are capped at R25,000, and the Reserve Bank confirms non-resident proceeds are freely transferable. The friction appears at the exit, years later, and it is as much a tax-compliance check as a currency one — so document what you brought in from the first day.

Source: South African Reserve Bank — Currency and Exchanges guidelines for individuals

Common mistakes to avoid

Arriving with no plan for proof of address and being turned away at a bank that requires a document under three months old.
Expecting a full salaried resident account while still on a visitor's visa — the job offer is not what is being verified.
Failing to update the bank after a visa renewal, then finding the account restricted at the next FICA re-verification.
Carrying large amounts of cash in rather than wiring it, both for the R25,000 banknote limit and because a wire creates the record you need to move money out later.
Using isolated street ATMs and accepting a stranger's help at the machine — card-swap fraud depends entirely on that moment of confusion.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.