For many immigrants looking to commence a new life abroad, their dream is purchasing a guesthouse in South Africa and establishing their own business.
Setting up a business under normal circumstances can be complex and somewhat daunting but when undertaking this exercise whilst immigrating to South Africa it represents even more of a challenge.
The INTERGATE Group provides the most comprehensive service for immigrants looking to establish their own business in the tourism market, combining the business support you need with the immigration requirements.
Our Free Immigration Eligibility Assessment
The first step towards achieving your goal is to ensure you qualify for a business visa to enter South Africa, remain here and conduct your own business.
INTERGATE Immigration, as the largest independent immigration service in Southern Africa, provides you with a dedicated client manager who will deal with your enquiry, guide you through the process and advise on your eligibility. We pride ourselves on our prompt and efficient service and most importantly, our empathy towards the rigours of immigration and setting up a business. With us you’ll be treated as a client from day one.
What if my free immigration eligibility assessment comes back positive?
INTERGATE will then proceed to assist you with the compiling of your own business visa application. Our immigration experts will guide you through each step of the process and advice and prepare you for the below important items:
Company structure – when applying for a business visa to immigrate to South Africa you are required to have a business structure in place. This is typically a closed corporation (CC) or Pty Ltd.
Business Plan – the business plan submitted with your own business visa application is a vital supporting document. In the first instance it proves a number of things such as planned activities, manpower requirements, financial investment, entrepreneurship and business analysis. Home affairs review this business plan as part of deciding whether to grant your business visa or not.
Furthermore its importance is not just with the initial application but also as time progresses. Should the need to renew your business visa arise the business plan submitted with the initial application, is the one referred back to in ascertaining whether such an extension may be granted.
For permanent residency applications the same business plan would also be expected to be submitted.
INTERGATE immigration service distinguishes itself in the preparation of business plans that meet with home affairs requirements. Each plan is individually written and you can be sure our team of experts research thoroughly your selected business sector.
Help in finding the right guest house or bed and breakfast
Purchasing a guesthouse is fraught with many pitfalls. In most cases the property not only serves as the business (guesthouse or bed and breakfast) but also as the family home.
For information buying a guesthouse please click here…
The Intergate Group has teamed up with SA Homebuyers; – a property consultancy, that differentiate themselves from a normal estate agency, by providing a service that is dedicated solely to the buyer.
Buying a property in South Africa is very different to making a purchase in many other countries. Most importantly it is essential to remember that they act for the seller of the property and are mandated to obtain the very best price, terms and conditions on the seller’s behalf.
When making an offer to purchase on your prospective guesthouse an “offer to purchase” document is completed – please note this is a legal and binding document that, if accepted, forms the basis for the purchase. Our experience shows us that the same offer to purchase is utilised for purchasing domestic dwellings as it is for commercial premises such as guesthouses. In reality the terms and conditions need to be very different and consider such items as zoning, existing bookings, fixtures and fittings, web sites, promotional material, the legal structure of the business etc.
SA Homebuyers provide the purchaser with support and expertise in the following areas:
Location – Where should your guesthouse be sited? It is imperative that that location be in an area that provides tourism or business clients for your guesthouse. A further consideration is the regulations associated with that particular area in regards to the zoning.
Budgeting and Financing – What price to purchase for and can finance be sourced if required? All the costs involved in buying and personal guidance and arranging of finance where required.
Property Sourcing – Often a daunting task with properties advertised in newspapers, web sites, estate agencies, show days and private sales. SA Homebuyers take the stress out of searching for property; with their high profile they also receive information on properties not always on the open market.
Formulating your offer – What should you offer and how do you know the correct price to pay? SA Homebuyers do not just use their in depth knowledge of the guesthouse marketplace to ascertain the correct offer but also access previous sales in the areas and prices achieved to provide you with a reasoned offer price. They will be aware how long the property has been on the market and will help negotiate on your behalf.
Legalities – As mentioned previously, a purchase in South Africa originates from an offer to purchase that once signed is legally binding. In many cases this is simply filled in with the estate agent and no formal legal representation or advice is received. SA HomeBuyers works for you, the buyer. They help to complete the offer to purchase with you and additionally their recommended solicitor checks through every offer before it is submitted.
Zoning – Whether buying an existing guesthouse or establishing a new one, prospective buyers must be careful of zoning issues. To operate an official guesthouse, permission has to be granted by the relevant authorities. Certain requirements are necessary for the guesthouse to fulfil and applications must be compiled and submitted. SA Homebuyers has a dedicated person to assist with these applications.
And the help does not stop there…
Our team of experts also are able to assist in the following fields:
Banking – for personal accounts and business accounts the immigrant normally faces a myriad of problems opening a bank account, Intergate Immigration Service will arrange it all for you.
Guesthouse and Bed and Breakfast licensing – SA Homebuyers offer a complete service that gets your guesthouse registered correctly with the minimum of hassle for the new owner. This not only ensures compliance with regulations and rules but increases the value of your business.
Research – not sure where to open your guesthouse when you immigrate to South Africa. Our research team will be happy to help.
Foreign Exchange – Intergate Immigration Service will point you in the right direction for the best rates, lowest charges and excellent service.
