🇿🇦 For South Africans thinking of leaving
Know what it really takes to take the gap.
An honest planner for emigrating to the UK, Australia, Canada or the US — estimate your true cost to leave, check how ready you are, and understand tax & retirement before you go. Built by someone who did SA → Australia → the US.
Free tools below. No account needed.
Cost-to-leave estimator
🇿🇦 South Africa → 🇬🇧 United Kingdom. Indicative ranges, not a quote.
Estimated total cost to leave
£17,240 – £26,355
Fees reviewed 2026-06. Indicative FX. Not financial, tax or migration advice. Official fees ↗
Plus funds you must show (not spend): £3,810
You usually must show maintenance funds (≈£1,270) held for 28 days, unless your sponsor certifies maintenance. Official rule ↗
Should you take the gap?
A 60-second readiness check across timeline, visa, money, tax and family. Get a personalised score and your next three moves.
Compare your destinations
Honest signals on difficulty, timeline and what happens to your retirement money.
| Destination | Difficulty | Timeline | Retirement money | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | Moderate | 3–9 mo | Limited transfer | View guide → |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | Moderate | 8–18 mo | No direct transfer | View guide → |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | Harder | 9–24 mo | No direct transfer | View guide → |
| 🇺🇸 United States | Harder | 12–36+ mo | No direct transfer | View guide → |
Popular guides
All guides →Financial emigration from South Africa: the complete 2026 guide
Retirement · 6 minWhat happens to your retirement annuity when you emigrate
Tax · 7 minCeasing South African tax residency: how it actually works
Compare · 9 minAustralia vs UK vs Canada vs US: where should South Africans emigrate?
What happens to your retirement annuity?
You have (South Africa)
Retirement Annuity / Pension
In United Kingdom
UK pension (SIPP / workplace)
Direct SA→UK pension transfer is rarely practical (QROPS rules are restrictive and SA RAs generally don't qualify). Most cease SA tax residency and access funds under SA rules. Watch the UK's worldwide-income tax once you're resident. Specialist advice is essential.
Financial-emigration playbooks
Step-by-step, document-by-document — with the tax & money steps in the right order, the pitfalls to avoid, and what you can do yourself vs. pay a specialist for. Phase 1 of each is free.
Ready to actually do it?
Step-by-step financial-emigration playbooks (SARS tax residency, retirement annuity, forex clearance, banking) — plus intros to vetted specialists. Join the list to get launch pricing.