Lesotho residence permits

The ministry lists four types of residence permit: a temporary permit for 90 days, a residence permit for two years, a study permit for four years and an indefinite permit. The choice depends on how long and why you will stay.

Permits are granted in categories that reflect the purpose of residence: missionaries, business, joining a relative, spouse joining spouse, returning former citizens, doctors and nurses, and teachers. The category determines what the holder may do in Lesotho.

The ministry's visa requirement list shows what each family or study route asks for at the entry stage. A joining-relative visa, for parents, spouses or siblings, needs application letters from the applicant and the relative, both passport copies, the relative's residence permit where applicable, a birth or marriage certificate, three months of the sponsor's bank statements showing at least M10,000 per foreign relative, a medical report and medical insurance.

A student visa needs an application letter, an admission letter from the school, a passport copy, proof of sponsorship (a letter from the funder or a bank statement covering the whole period of study), a medical report, medical insurance and a return ticket. Government employees and expatriates coming to work add proof of their work permit application and the letter of employment offer, with a medical report.

Residence permits were administered manually until November 2018, when the Department of Immigration Services engaged a service provider to process applications online on its behalf. The ministry's eServices menu includes a permits link. Fees are prescribed by the Aliens Control (Amendment of Schedule) Regulations, 2018.

The Aliens Control Act, 1966, regulates entry into, stay in and departure from Lesotho and provides the fees and procedures for visas and residence permits. It allows immigration officers to refuse entry to people who violate it, to detain suspects and to expel unwanted persons. The Aliens Control Regulations, 1968, provide the forms and other requirements used to apply it.

Non-citizens who have resided lawfully in Lesotho for five years or more may apply for citizenship. The Eighth Amendment to the Constitution, enacted on 22 December 2018, allows dual citizenship, so applicants need not renounce their original nationality, and it sets the requirements for non-citizens who marry Lesotho citizens.

Questions about permits go to the Department of Immigration Services at the Ministry of Home Affairs, corner of Moshoeshoe and Lerotholi Roads, PO Box 174, Maseru 100 (+266 2221 5900 or 2232 7205; toll-free +266 8005 0074; info.homeaffairs@gov.ls). The department has offices throughout the country.