Written by new-contact on Jun 5, 2014. Posted in On Location

Homeland location filming in South Africa delayed by new visa regulations

Cape Town filming for the fourth season of US terrorism drama Homeland has been rescheduled because of delays caused by new work visa regulations. Foreign talent and crew coming into South Africa must now make visa applications in person in their home country.

The changes were introduced by the government last week and mean that foreign nationals are now unable to change their visa status while in South Africa, creating potential problems for the country’s production industry.

Confusion is rife regarding how the new rules will be implemented and the specific immigration requirements for international cast and crew.

“The day [the regulations] were implemented, they created problems. Unfortunately the negotiations have gone on with limited interaction with the industry,” said Denis Lillie, head of Cape Film Commission, in comments to Cape Town’s Independent Online.

Added Tim Harris, Head of Investment in the City of Cape Town: “Any news that dis-incentivises people from coming to Cape Town is a problem for the whole economy.”

Authorities in Cape Town have announced they’ll be seeking a review of the new visa regulations.

“In the current tough global economic environment, the country needs to remain competitive in as many sectors as possible,” said Cape Town Councillor Garreth Bloor: “The film production sector adds value to a wide range of additional sectors in the local economy by creating a demand for products and services - with particularly strong links to the tourism sector.”

South Africa is a top global production hub partly because of its base 20% filming incentive. Homeland’s producers announced in May that they would be relocating the show to Cape Town after three seasons of filming in North Carolina.