Greece visa requirements for South Africans
Applying for a Schengen visa for Greece is one of the easier ones to do. However, the Schengen visa is still a difficult one to do for South Africans and it’s important to be clued up properly on it before wasting time queuing at the embassy.
Requirements for the Greek Schengen visa:
A South African applicant must present:
- fully completed application form – check the next section on the page
- passport, valid for at least 3 months after your return from the trip
- Two recent colour passport photos (instruct the photographer to take visa quality photos)
- a return air ticket (it must be fully paid)
- Letter of employment from your boss OR 3 months bank statements and a proof of income if self-employed
- Travel insurance covering at least €30,000 for hospitalisation and repatriation
- confirmed hotel booking OR a sworn affidavit of invitation by a resident of Greece with a copy if ID
- Proof of foreign exchange OR credit card statement showing a suitable limit (usually €40 per person per day is sufficient)
Greek visa application form:
Click to download the application form for South Africans
Cost of Schengen Visa for South Africans:
- Persons over 12 years: €60
- Persons from 6 and 12 years: €35
- Persons under 6 years travelling with family: Free
Fee must be paid in Rands at precise amount of date of application’s exchange rate. Suggestion: contact consulate on date of application to get precise exchange rate, take many small notes with you (R10′s and R20′s) so as to have the right change.
Where in South Africa you can apply for the Greek visa:
- Cape Town: (021) 424-8160/1 > 19th Floor Reserve Bank Building, 60 St.George Mall (cnr. Hout str.)
- Johannesburg: (011) 214-2300/2309 > Orbach Place, 261 Oxford Road, Illovo 2196
- Pretoria: (012) 430-7351/2/3 > 1267 Pretorius Street, Hadefields Offices Block G, Hatfield
The above information was correct at time of publishing, the information was taken from the Cape Town Greece consulate’s website. We always suggest enquiring through a reputable visa agency.
Click here to send through a visa enquiry with Visa Express.
Photo from aitorgavi on Flickr.
How to apply on our website – Video
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Thank you – it helped a lot!
Pleasure Sue! Hope you have a fantastic time in Greece!
We intend to go on a boat cruise, departing from Venice. Sail to Croatia, Greece, Turkey and then back to Rome. I have already applied for a visa via the Italian embassy. I am not sure if we need to apply for a Greece Schengen visa in additional? Can you maybe advice. Turkey is fine. It is visa on arrival.
Many thanks
Hi Reno! Sounds like you’ve done the right thing. Greece is part of the Schengen Area so the visa applies there too. For Turkey you can get the visa on arrival, however, with cruise ships, 9 times out of 10 if you enter via the port and show your cruise card you won’t even need to get a visa for Turkey as the cruise company counts as surety for you. Hope this helps!
Thanks NP, I also spoke to the Greece embassy today. The multi entry Schengen visa applies. The lady that did our bookings had the same answer as you, however the cruise operator requested that I also inquire from the various Embassies. The only one left now is Croatia. I live in Qatar, Middle East, the embassy that is servicing this area resides in Cairo. Maybe you can also advice just as a back-up in case the ship’s cruise card is not valid. Many thanks for the assistance. Best Reno
Hey Reno! Croatia might be the only one who says you need a visa, but to be honest, if the cruise company says you won’t need the visa for Croatia then you will be fine. Try to get it in writing if possible, just in case there is any confusion, but I don’t think there will be.
I was just wondering do I need to make an appointment (via telephone) before visiting the embassy or is it possible to just show up and hand in all my necessary visa documents?
Hi Claire, from my information one doesn’t need to make an appointment before visiting the embassy. To be honest they’re not the most organised consulate in the world – not sure the idea of appointments has even crossed their minds yet! Everyone who I know of who has applied for visas has always just arrived. As far as I know the only requirement they have for visits is that you come between 9am and 12 midday.
Hi Claire
I recently had a business trip to Pau, France. In order to apply for a visa, I had to make an appointment via the internet. A day and appointment number was forwarded to me. Nick is correct that most of the embassies have some limited morning times to submit the application and collection is usually in the afternoon. They will inform you. I do not know where you are going to but follow the application requirements on the letter and have cash ready. For some reason the Embassies also do not take any credit cards and are not very helpful when it comes to making copies.
Hi, if we are applying for visa for kids, is it necessary for them to be there for the application or can one just take the necessary documentation along?
Hi Ann! This is up to the consulate in question. Most of the time they don’t mind too much if the child is not there – sometimes they ask that the child be present when the passport is collected, some will insist the child be there at the application. I would call the consulate before (or when) making an appointment to ask them what they require. Make sure you take the persons name and when you spoke to them in case they dispute anything.
Hi Nick,
If you are intending to visit multiple countries that fall under the Schengen states, which Country do you actually apply for the schengen visa through ? Thanks in advance.
Hi Justin! You’ll need to apply through the country you’re spending the longest time in. If your stay is going to be exactly equal in all, then it’s the first country you are going to. Hope this helps!
Hi Nick
The click to download the application form for South Africans brings up a Greek message…any idea what this is? I’ve just realized I need travel insurance, where do I get this (I bought my ticket from Travelstart)
Thanks
Alex
Hi Alex, sorry, I only noticed your message now! I hope you came right with your insurance etc etc. I’ve fixed the link in the blog post above to reflect the correct form.
How do you apply for a visa for Greece if you want to travel from place to place but do not know where you will stay over except for the first 2 nights and then the last night
Hi Johann, essentially the consulate/embassy will want you to say where you are going to be staying for the duration of your stay, they don’t like applicants to arrive in the country without a plan. I have heard of embassies granting visas for people without a clear plan if they have enough money to cover their stay and can prove they’re definitely coming back – as to how much money that is, they don’t really say as it seems to be determined on a case to case basis.
You can always book hotel accommodation in one or two places for the duration of your stay and once you’ve got your visa, cancel that accommodation, most places will have a small cancellation fee (or possibly none at all if you cancel long enough in advance), then you can do as you please once you arrive. This is essentially still a way to buck the system, so while it generally works, it’s technically not allowed, so we can’t officially say we advise it, if you know what I mean.
Hope this helps!
Hi,
Just a quick note to let you know the office in Durban has closed. I am trying to get a visa to join my ship. I have a multi entry schengen visa issued from the French Embassy and am being told that I need to reapply to transist thru Athens? A little concerned because I have 4 weeks left before I am due to fly.
Hi Wayne,
Thanks for letting us know about the Greek Consulate closure in Durban. If your multiple entry Schengen Visa is still valid I don’t see why you’d need a second Visa to transit Athens. I’d contact http://www.visaexpress.co.za for more info on this.
Cheers,
Russell
hii i have indian passport and living here in south africa limpopo province…..tell me what is requirement to get whole europe multiple visa……and what document they looking for….
Hi Ashish, you’ll need to apply through the Schengen country you’re spending the longest time in. You can also only apply here in South Africa if you have residency here I believe. The requirements are listed in the article above. I would suggest getting advice from a visa handling service like http://www.visaexpress.co.za and see if they can’t help you with your application as they would have a lot more experience in handling foreign passport visas.
Hi Nick
Ill be traveling to Berlin for world debating competition from 26 December 2012 till 4 January 2013. Will definately buying my ticket from travel start. Please advice me on purchasing travel insurance. Im a student and its the first time traveling to europe. What type of insurance do i need and cost range if possible.
Thank you for your help.
Tumelo
Hi Tumelo! Thanks for getting in touch. Travel insurance can be bought when purchasing your ticket online, or through our consultants, I checked on our website and for that stay it should be in the region of R435. We have our own insurance product which is underwritten by Regent Insurance and it is sufficient cover for a Schengen Visa (R10,000,000.00 cover).
Hope this helps!
Hi Nick
We are planning a trip to Macedonia but need to fly to Greece and take a shuttle from there to Skopje. I already have a multiple entry visa for Austria. Would I need a separate visa for Greece?
Hi Peter, if you have a multiple-entry Schengen visa, it’s valid for whatever dates are stipulated on it for entry all Schengen states (this includes Greece). Hope this helps!
Hi there! We have a connecting flight in Dubai, do we need to get a visa for Dubai as well or necessary? (I know this might sound dumb, but iv’e heard of countries where you need a Visa for the airport)
Hope you can help!!
Hi Yolandi, not a silly question at all. On a permanent South African passport if you’re in Dubai airport, en route to somewhere else and are not leaving the airport and are not staying longer than 24 hours you don’t need a visa
Hi
I was just wondering that if we had a multiple entry schengen visa and we wished to do Macedonia, Albania and Montenegro from Greece and then go to Italy, are separate visas required for the non schengen countries or will we not require individual visas to the three countries since we already have the schengen multi entry visa?
This page mentions no visas required for macedonia if the foreign national has a multi entry schengen visa (in red).http://iaeste.org.mk/AC2012/Visa.aspx
Hi Ishan, you’ll need a multiple entry Schengen visa and it’s good that you’re going to Italy at the end as in order to enter Macedonia your Schengen visa needs to be valid for at least 5 days beyond you leaving Macedonia.
Albania has similar requirements, so your Schengen visa will suffice.
For Montenegro, you’re also allowed entry if you hold a valid Schengen visa, however you’re only allowed in for a maximum on 7 days.
Keeping your route as mentioned (South Africa – Greece – Macedonia – Albania – Montenegro – Italy) seems to be a good idea as you’re keeping a Schengen visit on each end of your trip. Bear in mind that you may not enter Serbia or Bosnia & Herzegovina on your Schengen visa.
Hi Nick and THANKS for this blog. Could you please advise if a family with 3 children – 17yrs, 14yrs and 11yrs – if all members have to appear at embassy to apply for visa or is it ok for just the mother to have all the necessary documents, to show up on behalf of the family.
Hi Sharon, currently you don’t need to apply for your visas in person for Greece. You should be able to use a courier or send one person to apply on everyone’s behalf.
aVisa for a south african family of 4.
hasband
wife
1 child 17
1 child 18
both children are mentaly handy caped.
How much money will the visa cost for a 7day holiday in greece
Hi Henri, thanks for getting in touch. The visa will cost approximately R650 per person over the age of 12 years. I hope this helps
Hi Nick. With the visa requirements for Greece, mentioned above, it says proof of foreign exchange or 3 months credit card statements. My wife doesn’t have a credit card, only a debit card ( Visa). Can we both qualify with the amount on my credit card or will her debit card statements be sufficient? We prefer to use our cards instead of exchanging currency in South Africa.
Thank you!
Hi Eghardt, thanks for getting in touch. The bank statements should be sufficient for you wife as well as the credit card statements for yourself. They must show sufficient funds available for the duration of your trip though. Just bear in mind that when using your debit and credit cards overseas you can often pay hefty exchange fees, so make sure you’ve budgeted for that too – check with your bank on these fees.
Hi.I live in Durban – where do I send my visa applications to and how do I may the payment of 60 Euro’s?
Thanks
Bianca
Hi Bianca, I suggest using a visa courier agency like ROSE visas as they will make the payment on your behalf and will take your application up to Joburg to be processed.
Reach them on the following:
Tel: 031 822 VISA (8472)
Email: thinus@visaservice.co.za
Regional Manager: Thinus van Tonder
Hi,
Do you know if the Greek Consulate office in Durban is still open? I tried calling the telephone number and it says the number does not exist. If it is closed, then how would I go about applying for a visa?
Thanks!
Hi Muhammad. I checked up on that for you and it seems it has closed, you will need to apply through the Joburg offices now. You can also use a visa agency and apply through them: http://www.roseadmin.co.za/index.php?mod=3&action=show&articleid=81
You are a great resource… Thank you very much. I will subscribe to this.
I’m going to apply for a Greek visa as well.