Schengen visas for South Africans, some basic info
Simply getting your passport stamped seems to be becoming a thing of the past (photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ikkoskinen/)
Over time it seems that two terms are quickly becoming dirty phrases, and even more so when they are combined: “Schengen Visa” & “South African Passport”. For those of us unlucky enough to possess only the unfortunate green book, we know all too well the mission it has become to get to Europe for any reason – increasingly too, we are being made to appear in person at consulates some of which are over 1000km away (if you live in Cape Town) to give biometric data or be interrogated by a self-important government official. Below is a brief summary of how things currently work at the various European consulates who are part of the Schengen agreement, sadly the information can go out of date within no time, so we still advise to fill out a visa inquiry form (Click here) for the most up-to-date expert info.
Some general rules of thumb for South African passport holders going to Schengen Europe:
- you can’t apply more than 3 months in advance for the visa
- you need a detailed daily itinerary
- you need decent travel insurance (the insurance we offer is more than sufficient)
- you need to have flight tickets to Europe
- you need to have enough money (as stipulated by the specific consulate) for the duration of your trip
- the maximum length of a visa granted is about 30 days, it may be longer, it may be shorter, this is up to the consulate you apply through
- you always apply through the country you are spending the longest time in on that trip, if you are spending equal time in more than one, the country you enter first issues the visa
- the visa costs 60 Euros payable in Rands to the embassy directly (check with them for their rate of exchange)
Austria:
Available in Cape Town, Joburg and Durban, you have to apply in person at the following addresses:
Cape Town:
Office 504, 5th Floor, 47 On Strand
Strand Street, Cape Town
021 423 0233
Durban:
Swift Center, 565 Corner of Peter Mokabe & Crescent Road
2nd Floor, Suite 8, Morningside Durban
031 207 6331
Joburg:
2nd Floor, South Block
Thrupps Centre, 204 Oxford Road, Sandton
011 268 2276
Port Elizabeth:
26 Newton Street
Newton Park
Port Elizabeth
+27 41 3651260
Belgium:
Available in Cape Town and Joburg only – you have to apply in person. The Belgian consulate accepts no cash payments of visa fees and provides bank details for a deposit of fees instead.
Cape Town consulate info, including contact details and application process. This consulate accepts no appointments for consultation and services customers on a first come, first served basis.
If you apply through the Johannesburg Consulate yourself, you will need to make an appointment by calling 082 828 0256 between 14:00 and 15:00 weekdays only.
Czech Republic:
Available in Pretoria ONLY – you’ll need to appear in person and you have to prepay for you visa by depositing money into their account. If you do not live in Gauteng, you may now apply through one of the following agency: Visas International. Click here for Visa information.
Denmark:
Available in Pretoria via VFS which costs an extra R250, at the Durban consulate (please make an appointment by calling 031 202-9396/7/8) and at the Cape Town consulate (no appointment necessary), the Danish Embassy no longer allows one to apply through visa agencies.
Estonia:
The Estonian Embassy won’t issue any visas in South Africa, you need to apply through the Swedish Embassy.
Finland:
Available in Pretoria and Cape Town – you should still be able to apply for a visa through an agency.
France:
Available by appointment only in Johannesburg through Copago and Cape Town by calling 086 7 444 003 – you will need to appear in person to give biometric data. Be careful, waiting times for French visa appointments are often extremely long and consular officials are notoriously pedantic and unhelpful, you must have everything in the best order possible before submission.
Germany:
Available in Pretoria, Cape Town and Durban.
Durban: You need to apply through the consulate in Durban who forward your application to Pretoria (there is a charge for this) you must apply in person, unless you have visited the schengen area at least twice in the last two years.
Cape Town & Pretoria: you need to book an appointment online or by calling 0861 00 22 45 at a fee of R75 for an appointment should you not want to use a visa agency. For Cape Town, you can use visa express if you stay more than 200km outside of the city.
Greece:
Available in Pretoria, Joburg, Durban & Cape Town – they should still allow you to apply through a visa agency. This is one of the easiest Embassies/Consulates to apply through.
Hungary:
Available in Pretoria only – applicants must appear in person unless they use an accredited agency. The Hungarian Embassy also issues visas for Latvia and Lithuania for South African Passport holders only.
Iceland:
Represented by Denmark
Italy:
Available in Pretoria, Joburg and Cape Town – applicants must appear in person, individual consulates MAY waiver this depending on the distance the applicant lives from the respective consulate. Cape Town applicants may apply through visa express. Check out our specific Italian Schengen Visa blog post for more info.
Latvia:
Apply through Hungary Embassy.
Lithuania:
Apply through Hungary Embassy.
Luxembourg:
Apply through Belgian Consulate.
Malta:
Apply through the Italian Consulate.
Netherlands:
Available in Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town – applicants must apply in person for the visa unless they have visited the Netherlands in the last 3 years. Appointments must be made online unless the applicant is elderly and has no access to a computer where they must be made telephonically.
Norway:
Available in Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town – extra fees are levied for applicants applying through Durban (about R220) or Cape Town (about R300) for couriering. You can still apply through a visa agency.
Poland:
Available in Pretoria – you can still apply through a visa agency if you live anywhere else in South Africa.
Portugal:
Available in Pretoria, Joburg and Cape Town – first time applicants must appear in person, for others it may still be okay to use a visa agency. Cape Town may insist you appear in person each time, unless you live far away – this is at their discretion.
Slovak Republic:
Available in Pretoria only, you should still be able to use a visa agency for this application.
Slovenia:
It may be possible to apply through German consulate.
Spain:
Available in Pretoria and Cape Town, there are often delays in obtaining a visa through Spain, do applying in advance is strongly advised.
If you use the Pretoria consulate, it must be your closest consulate, you may appear in person or use a visa agency to do the application on your behalf.
If you use the Cape Town consulate, it must be your closest consulate, you must appear in person if you live within 400km of Cape Town and make an appointment to do so on (021) 422-2415. If you do not, you may apply through a 3rd party like a visa agency.
Sweden:
Available in Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town, those of us in Durban and Cape Town will need to pay extra courier fees (R300) as the visa is issued only in Pretoria, you should still be able to apply through an agency for this visa. The visa is not payable in cash for Sweden and money must be deposited into their account if you do the application yourself. Visa applications for Sweden are often delayed too so applying in advance is advised.
Switzerland:
Available in Pretoria and Cape Town – applicants will likely have to apply in person and collect documents themselves, unless they have visited Switzerland in the last 2 years, where they are permitted to use visa express.
NB: Please bear in mind that this information above is for South African passport holders and is intended for blog and informational purposes only which acts as a rough guide. This information can change without any notice whatsoever. For precise and accurate information click here to fill out a visa inquiry form and speak to the experts.
The above information was updated as of 10 December 2010. If you have any questions, please ask in the comments below and we’ll see if we can answer them!
More Visa Posts
How to apply for a visa – Video
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Hi Nick, Thanks for this awesome site. Helped me with lots of questions. I do have one though. My brother is working in Spain and has requested for us to go and visit him in June next year for a week or two. About 9 years ago a was convicted of a criminal offence but since then have been clean. Do they consider people with records at all if you have pulled yourself together or ar they like America where they will not let you in?
Hi Kez! Thanks for getting in touch! I don’t see anywhere on the application form where one needs to state past criminal offences. I would think though that if the offence was very serious it may be on some sort of international record where embassies would have access to that kind of info. In that case it might be up to them as to whether or not they allow you in. They do consider applicants with criminal records from my knowledge, so it’s worth a try, just bear in mind that if they deny your visa, you don’t get your money back, also you may not get much of a refund on your tickets either. The airline who’s most lenient with refunds in case of denied visas is Lufthansa, so maybe get in touch with our consultants about booking a ticket like that. You can reach them travelbar@travelstart.com
Nick
Thanks Nick! Your site and comments are fantastic!
G’Day Nick
We are going to UK to visit our Children and grandchildren in June 2012 for 3 months. While we are there we would like to go across to Netherlands to visit my sister for a few days, what would our procedure be to get a shengen visa, and how much would it cost please.
Regards
Dave
Hi Nick. My family and i are planning a trip through europe next year. Our itenary: 2 nights in london, 6 nights in spain, 4 nights in italy, 2 nights in france and then back to london to catch our flight home to south africa. I am very confused with regards to the visa’s, do we apply for uk visa’s (transit visa/visitor visa/etc) as well as schengen visa and do you know the fees of each.
Thank you Veronica
Hi Veronica! Yes it can be quite confusing! Right, lets try make this simple for you. Spain, Italy & France are all part of the Schengen Visa area, meaning you apply for 1 visa for all of them. The embassy/consulate of the country you apply to is the country you’re spending the longest time in, in your case, that’s Spain. That visa should be around R592 (it fluctuates depending on exchange rate)
For the UK, you’ll need to apply for a visitors visa as well. That currently costs R1022. For more info and to apply for this visa visit: http://www.vfs-uk-za.com/ .
So, to wrap up, you need 2 visas each, one for the UK and one for the Schengen States which you will apply for through the Spanish consulate/embassy.
Hi,
I’am going to visit my son in UK and while there, we want to visit my daughter-in-law’s parents in Poland.(She is a Polish citizen). Please advise me on applying for Schengen visa (maybe we’ll visit more countries, for day or 2day trips). I’am from Port Elizabeth, and would like to know what to expect once my on-line application is done. Can’t find ANY PE AGENT, to assist me with this. Where do I go from here?? Thank, Nick Paul!!!
Hi Estelle! You’re going to have to apply for two visas, one for the UK and one for the Schengen states. FOr the UK visa, you have to apply via VFS here: http://www.vfs-uk-za.com/ it costs a little over R1000 for that visa and you can apply in PE.
For the Polish visa, you’ll have to apply via: https://secure.e-konsulat.gov.pl/ I see that the Polish Embassy does handle applications which come via couriers (in some instances, particularly if you’ve been to a schengen state in the last 2 years). In this case I would suggest contacting a visa agency to ask if they can assist, try http://www.visaexpress.co.za
Hi Nick, my friend and i, are going on Contiki and we will be spending the most amount of days in France so hence we need a schengen Visa from the French consulate, i unfortunately live in Durban and told that i have to go to Pretoria to apply for this Visa. Is this true? if not, is there any other way i can apply for it? through a agent or so, based in Durban?
Hi Jerome! It seems it’s indeed true for the moment that you need to apply in person in Johannesburg. However, the handling company for French Visas (Copago – http://www.myeuropevisa.com/FR-ZA/) has offices they’re planning to open in Durban for their handling of Italian visas, I’m not sure if there’s a plan in place for those offices to handle French visas as well. Since they’re handling the visa, it’s best to get in touch with them on 087 751 3800.
Hi Nick, I have never travelled overseas before, I live in Durban and I have to visit France on business. I dont know how it works, how soon can I get a Visa? Because the business meeting is urgent.
Kind Regards
Menzi
Hi Menzi, certain consulates do have a facility for urgent visa applications, this is the handling company for French Visas, you will need to get in contact with them to organise it: http://www.myeuropevisa.com/FR-ZA/ you may need to go to Johannesburg to apply though!
Hi Nick
Myself(Kegan) and my partner(Jineane)are excited about the idea of working abroad for a year. We have to choose a location which will cater for our separate professional needs but Visas is our main concern.
Is there a list of countries which allow attainable working visas for south africans?
just for a year or less.
Main thanks in advance
I am in need of some serious advice on traveling Abelard. Europe mainly. I would like to have no set plans so that I can be free to move around at will. I am 61 years old but not afraid to travel alone.
I want to spend some time in Italy researching my family roots. At this stage I don’t have a contact person for an place to stay. But I will be booking a stay in Italy. Then I would like to go to Belgium. Been there before and my cousin lives there and is a citizen.
I would also like to go to Germany to follow up more family research. Holland is another port of call. France is also on the agenda.
I. Would like to leav south Africa say mid March and returning June.
As you can see a lot of plans but very lost.
Do hope to hear from you
Regards
Yolande
Hi Yolande! That sounds like quite an adventure you’ve got planned. It’s rare to see Schengen visas issued for that length of stay, but not unheard of. The obvious solution would be to get your visa via the Belgian consulate and get your cousin to help you with an invitation. You’ll likely need to show that you and he have enough money for the duration of your stay. Ask for a multiple entry visa too as you’ll be visiting other schengen states while living in Europe. I would seriously consider getting advice from a visa agency who have a lot of experience in these matters, try http://www.visaexpress.co.za
Hi Nick,
I’m organising visas for my colleagues who will be visiting Spain in January. The web is a bit confusing with applying for a visa. If I’m correct, they need to have a Shengen visa, right? They will be going for business, so they still need to have the normal Shengen like for a general visit? Also, must they go into the consulate office to apply for a visa, because I saw another website that said, as from May 2011 you are only allowed to apply via an agency. Don’t know if they were only trying to make money. Please can you help?
Thanks,
Ilanda
Hi Ilanda, so sorry for the delay in response. For some reason your comment only showed up now. Sincerest apologies! I suspect by the above info that you’ve likely travelled already! I hope you travelled safely!
Which schengen visas can be issued in Durban without a extra fee ?
How can i get a 5 year multi entry schengen visa ? requirements.
Hi Khalil! From my information, the following embassies have consulates in in Durban, this should mean you don’t get charged an extra fee:
Denmark: (031) 202-9396/7/8
Germany: (031) 266-3920
Netherlands: (031) 266-9291
Hope this helps
Hi Nick
You a star. Thanks so much for the info.
One more question
Which consulates grant the longest schengen visa?
Schengen visa can be granted up to 5 years ( multi entry 90 days).
I applied for 5 years with the portugal embassy and was granted only a 6 month schengen visa.
I wonder what documents they need for a 5 year schengen multi entry ?
Regards
I am a South African working in the UK on a Ancestral Visa. I want to visit Europe from the UK. Where can I apply for a Schengen visa?
Hi Steve, to my knowledge, if you’re on an ancestral visa, the rules for travelling to Europe have not changed. You can apply for a Schengen Visa from the UK – you’ll apply through the consulate of the country where you will be spending the longest time.
My husband and i are planning to Europe next year. Our plans are something like this: from SA fly to London then take the train to Paris. From there its Switzerland, Venize, Bolonge, a few other places then end up in Rome then back to London. We have not finalised anything but its something like that. How will the Schengen visa work. Will i need a visa for London and europe? What will the cost be plus minus? thanx for the help.
Hi Monica. Wow! Sounds like an amazing trip, I am VERY jealous!
Okay for this trip, you’ll need 2 visas each, one for the UK and one for the Schengen States. Your UK visa will likely be in the region of R1000-R1100 per person, the Schengen visa will be between R600-R700 per person. These all depend on exchange rates.
For the UK visa, you apply via: http://www.vfs-uk-za.com/
For the Schengen visa, you’ll apply through the country where you are spending the most time – it sounds like it will be Italy in your case. If that’s the case, you will apply here: http://www.myeuropevisa.com/
Hope this helps!
Hi Nick, i live in Switzerland and my aunt is visiting me in March 2012. During this time i would like to take her to London and then we come back to Switzerland. My question is, does she need to apply for a multiple entry visa as she will be leaving Switzerland for London and then back to Switzerland again. Its been less than 2 years since she was last here, so I’m assuming that she can still apply whilst living in Durban. As far as i know the rules haven’t changed or has it?
Hi Michelle, she’ll need to apply for a multiple entry Schengen visa as well as a UK Visa. As far as I know, form Durban she can still apply through a visa agency who will courier her passport up to Pretoria etc to apply for the visa (try http://www.visaexpress.co.za ) to see if they can help or advise on the best way to do it. For the UK visa, she can apply in Durban through http://www.vfs-uk-za.com
Hi Nick. My friends and I are planning to road trip in Europe starting from Amsterdam then flying to Portugal and driving back through Spain, France and Belgium and finally back to Amsterdam. We plan to do this in 2 1/2 weeks. The concern is, we don’t want to book accommodation as we want it as unplanned as possible. How will this affect and how we obtain Multi entry visa and is this possible.
Hi Nikhail, thanks for getting in touch. For your visa and for them to know which consulate you should apply through, you’re going to have to show how long you’ll be in each country, to do this, you’ll likely need to show where you’ll be staying.
I have two suggestions:
1) is that you get all your transport booked, ie, all your flight tickets and your car hire. Then book accommodation is a couple of spots eg, some nights in Portugal, some in Spain, some in France and some in Belgium, much of the accommodation allows you to cancel without a fee or with a minimal fee. Make sure that at least one country sticks out as the longest – I suggest France or Spain and then apply with all the confirmations and cancel what you don’t need once the visa is approved.
2) Book flights into and out of the Netherlands, ask for a multiple entry visa and prebook accommodation in the Netherlands for the duration of your stay. Don’t mention the road trip or the flight to Portugal. Once you have your visa, you can cancel the accommodation you don’t need and travel as you please through the other countries.
My advice is based on previous experiences and experiences of others I know who’ve applied, so I really do suggest you get advice from a visa agency like http://www.visaexpress.co.za they may be able to help you apply and paying their extra service fees may save you a lot of trouble in the long run.
hi there i am living in the uk have a sa passport me and my husband who is a british citizen would like to visit lithuania for a friends birthday, would probably be staying with my friends mother there what visa do i need and how do i apply for it, can you please help and advise me, would be from 28 april till 1st may 2012, thank you
Hi Elske! Thanks for getting in touch. You’ll need a schengen visa for Lithuania. If you have a work permit of leave to remain in the UK or a study permit for the UK, you should be able to apply for a visa through the Lithuanian Embassy in London, click here to see more on where to go and what to bring with you: http://uk.mfa.lt/index.php?-1264736895
Nick
Hi Nick,
I’m SAfrican, living in the States – have greencard, and still SAfrican citizen. Anyhow – headed to SA for 3 week visit this coming May – flying back through Amsterdam and would like to spend 3 days seeing Amsterdam/Paris before heading back to the States. Do I just need the Schengen visa? And if so, where do I apply for it here in States. Do I need to book hotel, etc so at time of applying for visa, I can show them my flight time, where I will be staying in Amsterdam & Paris? How long does the visa process take? Thanks.
Hi Tracy, thanks for getting in touch. You’ll need to apply for a Schengen visa if you’re not a US citizen with a US passport. You’ll apply at your nearest Embassy/Consulate. It will help if you can make sure you’re definitely staying in one country longer than the other (eg 2 nights in Amsterdam and 1 in Paris or vice versa), you’ll apply to the consulate/embassy of the country you’re spending the longest time in. You’ll need to have prepaid accommodation and show prepaid transport from Amsterdam to Paris when applying. You’ll also need to show sufficient travel insurance for your trip. The visas usually take a few days here in South Africa, I’m not sure how efficient the consulates are in the States so it’s hard to say how long it will take. Budget on around 1 month to be safe, though I’m sure they’ll be quite efficient. Hope this all helps!
Hi Nick – I am a South African Citizen and am going to England late April on a sports visitors visa. I will be in the UK for 4 moths and am keen to tour Europe especially Italy whilst there. The problem is that I need to apply for both Visas(UK sports and Italian) but there wont be enough time as I will be in South America in April until I leave for the UK. Is there any way I can get a Schengen visa while in the UK? Also I am keen to go to Italy for a week then back to England for the weekend to play cricket then go for another week to France and Spain. How do I go about that? Is that the multiple entry visa that I would require? Thanks very much.
Hi Lloyd, sorry for the delay in responding, I was quite sure the response had gone through last week. It seems it hasn’t though! Good news is that you can often apply for long-stay schengen visas (Continental Europe) if you can prove you’ve got a trip planned later in the year, that way you apply for 1 visa and you’re done for both trips.
The rules for Schengen visas is that you have to apply in your home country, unless you have leave to remain in or work in the UK. Your visa situation is very unique so I suggest contacting a visa agency for their advice (many of these agencies no longer deal with French, Spanish or UK visas, but they may have some advice for you. Contact visa express on 0861 289 270 or ROSA visas on 086 123 VISA (8472) to see if they can give you advice.
Hi Nick. We are travelling to Italy and France in April and are in the process of gathering the Visa documents. We will be applying for the Schengen Visa for Italy. One of the requirements is proof of residence. We are 4 adults travelling and all live in the same household. The utility bill is sent to my Dad and is under his name. I need to know if they accept a Bank Statement with the physical address on it as proof of residence. If not, then would they accept a sworn affidavit on the residential address or a letter from my Dad saying that we live in the household? My second question is around the Proof of funds. Do we have to supply all the info on proof of funds, i.e. foreign exchange receipt, Bank statement, etc, or would one of these be sufficient?
Hi Antonella, if you’re travelling with your dad it should be fine. He my need to write a letter stating that you all live with him. You could also get a police affidavit for each of you stating that you live at that address, your dad may need to be present for that.
The banks statement usually serves to prove that you have stable accounts in South Africa with sufficient flow of money, this can be used to proof of sufficient funds for the trip, but the most solid proof is still proof of purchase of foreign exchange as well.
Hi there. My 18-year-old son has an ancestral visa and is working in England as a gap student. He wants to travel on a Europe tour June/July, for which he will require a Schengan visa. Does he pay for this? I am a British Citizen and was told that if he had been applying in South Africa the usual visa fee does not apply. Is this true? Will it be the same in England when he applies there?
Hi Jill, if he’s there on a South African passport he will require a schengen visa and he will have to pay for it (about 65 Euro). To my knowledge the only time the visa fee doesn’t apply is if the traveller is a spouse of an EU citizen. He will need to enquire with the consulate of the country he is planning to spend the longest time in on his trip to continental Europe.
Hi Nick
I am going to London, Paris and Croatia. Is Croatia included in the Schengen visa, if so how do I go about this?
Hi Nikki, thanks for getting in touch. Croatia is not part of the Schengen agreement, but if you have a valid Schengen visa which is valid till after you are due to leave Croatia, you will be fine. So, my suggestion is to have some of your travels in Schengen states before and after your trip to Croatia (even if it’s just a night extra after you leave Croatia). This should mean you have the right to visit Croatia without any problems.
Hi Nick!
A couple of my friends and I are headed to Europe this August on a Contiki tour. We know we require a Schengen from the French Embassy. However we are also spending a night in Monaco during the tour. I noticed that Monaco is not a part of the Schengen zone. So we need 2 visa’s then even though its just a night?
Thanks in advance man!
Hi Bhavna! That sounds like a great trip! Your Schengen visa covers entry into Monaco as well, so long as you apply for a multiple-entry visa. I hope this helps!
I’ve suddenly decided to travel to Europe in May. I need my passport for application for a visa, but I’ve started digging around today and can’t find it anywhere. Can I get a visa on `n temporary passport?
Regards,
Ivan
Hi Ivan, I’m afraid you can’t get a visa for Europe on a temporary passport, but home affairs has been pretty jacked up as of late. If you apply now, you may well get your passport within 2 weeks which will still leave you with enough time to get a visa for Europe. Hope this helps!
Hi Nick,
Planning on heading to the South of France and possibly stopping off in a a few other places in Europe on the trip. The French visa requirements ask that you have proof of accommodation for the entire stay (possibly 3 months!) which is almost impossible as I was hoping to only book a few nights and then see where about I felt like heading to next. Any ideas/help around this would be much appreciated.
Hi Jared! Thanks for getting in touch. Yes, the consulates are getting very strict about showing where you’ll be staying the whole trip. The way many get around this is by booking accommodation for the duration of their stay in 1 place. They provide this proof of accommodation with their application. Once they have the visa, they cancel the accommodation they don’t need – most places will give you a refund if you cancel more than 2 weeks before check-in (sometimes minus a small admin fee). Make sure you apply for a multiple entry visa though, this will allow you to travel more freely throughout Europe when you’re there.
Hope this helps!
Hi Nick
Myself, husband and daughter have booked and paid to travel to the UK to visit his family. I’m on a SA passport and have already obtained my UK visa.
I want to apply for a Schengen visa as we may want to travel to Greece/Spain or Portugal once we are there – depending on what holiday deals we can get. So how do I go about it?
Hi Stacy! Thanks for getting in touch. You’ll need to make plans for that trip to continental Europe before you depart for the UK as you will have to apply for that visa from South Africa. You’ll need to provide all the details documented in the above article eg proof of travel to and from Europe, proof of accommodation for the duration of your stay, travel insurance, proof of funds etc etc. Unfortunately you can only apply for a visa from the UK if you are a resident there.
I hope this helps
HI Nick,
We were planningon travelling to London and Paris in April, but after realised we need an unabridged birth certifiacte and realising the wait is FOREVER we canned the Paris idea as the visa process it way too long.
Thinking of just flying via Dubai now and stopping tehre for a few days – any idea how that visa process works and cost?
Also, my mom is travelling to London as well, and doesnt work. I will be submitting my bank statements etc with her application, as her ‘sponsor’. But she has her own bank account as well – do you know how much cash she is supposed to have as proof of her ability to supoprt herself. also, you mention best is still proof of purchase of forex?
Hi Firdose, thanks for getting in touch. Sorry for the delay in responding to you, it seems my previous response did not save properly. I am not sure why you need an unabridged birth certificate to get a visa for the UK and France. If you have a permanent South African passport that should be fine to apply with.
For Dubai, it’s best to buy an Emirates ticket (whether it’s through the airline or a travel agent it doesn’t make a difference). You then go to http://www.dubaivisa.net/southafrica/index.html and apply there online.
For your mom travelling to the UK and isn’t employed, there are a number of documents she can provide like ownership of property etc etc. If she is not paying for her trip, the person paying for her trip can supply proof of finances etc, read more here: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/out-of-country/visitors.pdf
and if you need more info on that or want to chat to the UK Border Agency or the visa handlers for more advice, find that here: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/south-africa/?langname=UK%20English and http://www.vfs-uk-za.com
Hi
We are going to Spain for a 50th Birthday at the end of April until the 15th May and had flights booked through Iberia who have now cancelled all flights to SA from May and have rerouted us through the UK. We now have to apply for a UK transit visa. We have also been invited to Greece in June (flying via UK) and I want to know if we get a 3 month Spanish visa will we be able to use that for Greece as well? Also does a UK transit visa give us 48 hrs in the UK to sightsee? any help will be great.
Hi Lisa, thanks for getting in touch. I imagine you’re very frustrated about now with this whole Iberia thing!
When applying for your Spanish visa, write a letter detailing your intentions to travel to Greece in June, give as much info as possible (if you have dates etc etc). This is only a request and they have every right to say no, but one of my colleagues did exactly this and they gave him one valid for 6 month to allow him to make 2 trips to Europe – though his application was through the Italian Consulate in Cape Town.
The transit visa unfortunately only allows you to enter the UK to transit – not to leave the airport for any reasons other than transit. If you had a tourist/visitors visa you would be allowed to leave the airport.
I hope this helps!
Hi Nick,
My brother lives in Sydney Australia, but still holds a South African passport. He needs a Schengen Visa to visit family in Norway in May. He has a letter from a relative in Norway stating that he will stay with them. He has a transit stop in Frankfurt, 8 days in Norway, then another transit stop in London on the way back. How should he go about it?
Hi Jean,
thanks for getting in touch. If your brother is an Australian resident, he should be able to apply for the necessary visas from Australia, from the sounds of it, the majority of his stay is in Norway, so he will need to apply through the Norwegian consulate there.
Frankfurt is in Germany and Germany & Norway are in the European Schengen Area which means he gets one Schengen visa which covers both countries. For the UK, usually he would need a visa, but according to the rules for transiting the UK, there is an exception if you are only transiting the UK and hold a valid visa for Australia and are travelling to Australia. I would suggest he double-checks this with the local UK high commission too.
Hope this helps!
Hi Nick. I am travelling to Germany (Berlin ) via Heathrow. I have a Schengen VISA ( expiry 2014) buit my UK VISA expires in this month. Do I need a current UK VISA if I am just going to be in transit though HEATHROW ( Stop over )
Thx in advance.
Hi Petro. For normal South African passports, you need a transit visa for the UK unless your journey is to the USA or Canada (when other special requirements need to be met). If you’re travelling to Germany and have a valid visa, you will still need a transit visa for the UK, it costs R600 odd and you need to apply via VFS here: http://www.vfs-uk-za.com/
Hi Nick
i will be in the 3 days in Paris and 10 days in the Spain when i leave for Europe in July.
i would like to know what the Spanish requirement is around the money for the duration of the trip is?
your help will be great.
Hi Faizel! Thanks for getting in touch. You will probably need about R500 per person per day for the duration of your trip, providing that your accommodation is all paid for already.
Hi Nick
To apply for the schengen visa one of the requirements are that you need proof of accomodation.
what if the accomodation was booked in another indivdual name that is also travelling, should this be a problem and will it be a allowed.
The reason i ask is that we going in a group of 8 people but im going to the spanish Visa application on my own.
please advise me on this?
Hi Faizel, sorry for the delay in responding to you, for some reason my previous response does not seem to have saved.
This should be allowed so long as that the rest of your travel requirements coincide with what this person booked. It will definitely help if you all apply at the same time. If the person who booked is able to get an invoice from the hotel company reflecting that you are one of the people booked in, that will help too. Alternatively they may write a letter stating that they have booked this on your behalf and that you are staying at this hotel with them.
Hi
I am traveling all over africa and then spending a few days in Paris. However I will not have enough time to apply for my Shengen Visa before departure date from Johannesburg. Will I be able to apply for a shengen visa from the DRC of Guinea as I am spending more than 5 days on those countries….?
Hi Jacques, thanks for getting in touch. Unforunately you will need to apply for the Schengen visa from a country where you have residency – according to my knowledge there is no other way around this.
You will need to contact the French visa handling service via http://www.myeuropevisa.com (they are the official visa handling agency) in order to ask if there is any way around this, but to my knowledge there is not.
Hi Nick we have been invited to take part in a Festival in Macedonia(Skopje) and Croatia.We have been searching for Macedonia embassy but we struggled.Although we received great news that we only need Schengen visa to enter both countries.Now we are struggling to find an agent for visas.Can you help us.
Hi Mario, thanks for getting in touch.
There are two ways of getting a visa for these countries. You can either apply to them directly to get your visa or you can use an existing Schengen visa.
The issue with getting the visa directly from their embassies is that there is no Macedonian Embassy in South Africa for you to apply through.
I suggest going the second route and using a European country to apply through. This means having a stay in one or more of the Schengen states before and after your trip to Macedonia and Croatia (to be safe).
I recommend doing something similar to this:
Fly from SA to Greece, spend 2 nights, travel to Macedonia, spend time in Macedonia and travel to Croatia, spend time in Croatia, travel to Italy, spend 1 night there and travel back to SA.
What this does is make the European consulate you apply through (in the above example, Greece) give you a visa valid from when you enter the EU (Greece) to when you leave the EU (Italy). This visa is then valid for the duration of your stay.
Macedonia require the Schengen visa to be valid for a minimum of 5 days beyond your departure from Macedonia. Croatia require you to have about R1000 per day available to you or R500 (if you have confirmed accommodation or an invitation letter) for the duration of your stay there.
It is a complicated system – so I suggest dealing with a visa expert directly on this. I can suggest ROSE Visas who have offices all over South Africa. Follow this link to their contact details: http://www.roseadmin.co.za/index.php?mod=3&action=show&articleid=81
my boyfriend is from south africa and he is currently in the US visiting me. My job is taking me to Europe via private yacht. They understand my relationship and will let my boyfriend do the crossing with us as there will be no guests onboard. The problem we are having is where to get his shengen visa from in the US as we are leaving in a week to cross the Atlantic. Any ideas where a south african can apply for a shengen visa in the United States?
Hi Trista! Thanks for getting in touch. This is a really tough one. Unfortunately the rules state that he needs to return to SA unless he has residency in the US. I would check with the local embassies of the countries you’re looking at going to for them to advise if there is any way of getting around this. Perhaps there are some concessions which can be made since you’re going by sea, technically as crew.
Hi Nick,
Thanks for your efforts in putting together this blog!
I noticed that you have info on schengen visa’s, when entering Italy first. Now, we are planning on going on a cruise around the Mediterranean for 7 days, starting in Italy. We’ll be making several stops in the various cities/countries. It’s a package which a friend of mine arranged from Australia. I will sort out my own visa, since I live in the UAE, but I would like to help my parents with the process.. and they live in DURBAN. Do you know whether they can now apply for the visa’s within Durban (I noticed your blog on this topic was in 2010, so maybe things have changed since).
Many thanks for your assistance!
Hi Lou! No problem
If the most part of the journey will be spent in Italy they can apply through the Italian Embassy’s handling office (Copago) in La Lucia, more info here: http://bit.ly/zUu9Yl . For more info on how to apply and what they’ll need etc, visit http://www.myeuropevisa.com
Hi Nick
I am a South African citizen living in the UK on a UK ancestral visa. I plan to go on a holiday for 3 months throughout Europe, i will in Italy for the longest period of my vacation.
Am I able to apply at the consulate in London and are the requirements i.e. documents the same as if i was applying in SA?
Thank you for the assistance
Hi Barry, to my knowledge, the rules have not changed regarding this which means you can apply through the consulate in London using pretty much the same requirements as here in South Africa. For where to apply and more info on the visa visit: http://www.conslondra.esteri.it/Consolato_Londra/Menu/I_Servizi/Per_chi_si_reca_in_italia/
Hi Nick,
Myself and hubby will be travelling to UK in July from the 4th to the 10th of July however on the 9th of July we want to take a train (Eurostar) to Paris for a days’ trip (Guided tour of Paris), so will leave in the morning and return in the everning to London.
How do I go about applying for a Schengen Visa, and what supporting documents would they need. I have an idea about the UK Visa as this will be the second time applying for it.
Hi Moipone! Thanks for getting in touch. You will need to apply via http://www.myeuropevisa.com They should not require you to have accommodation booked if the trip is just for the day, they will require you to have all the rest of the requirements filled though.
Hi Nick,
My daughter and i have booked a trip through europe in july, however i am currentlt living in malawi. I tried to apply for my spanish schengen visa however the german embassy through which i needed to apply closed down and have not made any suggestiions as to which embassy will be issuing the schengen visa’s. I hold a south african passport. Do i have to fly all the way to south africa or zimbabwe to apply for this schengen visa in person or can i fedex my passport and documents. Its quite costly to fly to SA than back to Malawi for 2 months and back to SA in july. please help me, i’m really stuck and very worried as everything has already been paid for, and i can only apple for my UK visa once i apply for my schengen visa as the uk embassy needs proof that i will be leaving the country as stated on my itenarary.
Hi Claudine! Thanks for getting in touch. I’ve been trawling around to find any alternative Schengen state embassy in Malawi and came across some info. Some of the info still refers to the German Embassy in Lilongwe, so I am not sure how up to date it is, though this is from the European Union’s Official website. There’s an address for the French Embassy there too, see it here: http://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/malawi/eu_travel/embassies/index_en.htm . It seems there is also a Norwegian Embassy in Lilongwe, so it may be possible to apply through them, find their details here: http://www.norway.mw/ .
Generally when one is applying for a visa in a country where one is not a citizen, one needs to appear in person. Most of the EU embassies require you to appear in person even if you are a citizen though!
Hopefully this info helps!
Hi Nick,
I’m about to immigrate to Canada.
I’m traveling from South Africa through Amsterdam in transit, then on to Canada.. I have a Canadian permanent residence visa and South African passport, do I need a transit visa to go through Amsterdam?
Thanks
Hi Cindy!
For this trip you won’t need a transit visa for the Netherlands
Hi Nick
I would like to travel to Hungary this year to visit a penpal.
In your writeup on Hungarian visa applications,you say a person would have to have an interview in Pretoria(I live in Hermanus..)That is unless that person uses an accredited agent(your link has been hacked — doesn’t work).
Do you know of any reasons for a Schengen visa relying on an invitation(from her, to me) to fail? Travel agents in Hungary told my friend not to even bother inviting me, as there was no chance for approval.
I’m at a bit of a loss for what to do now.
I did the 2yr working/holiday UK trip through OVC a few years ago, and that was also based on an invitation from a friend in the UK.
Can the EU be that different?
I’d appreciate any advice.
Thanks
Emile
Hi Emile!
Thanks for letting us know about the link. We have started working with ROSE visas who have proven very reliable. I would suggest working with them to help you get this visa, to get in touch with them, follow this link: http://www.travelstart.co.za/visas.jsp
It’s very strange that they say it’s not possible to use an invitation letter as every other EU country allows this, so it should be okay. I would suggest speaking to ROSE visas and getting their assistance, the guys there are very experienced with these sorts of things!
Hi Nick, We are three sisters travelling to Europe for 19 days in June 2012. Two of us live in Cape Town, the third in Port Elizabeth.
We need to arrange our visas. We are flying into Prague for 3 nights then travelling to Vienna for 3 nights (with a 4th night in Vienna at the end of our trip) after staying in Slovenia for 2 nights before entering Croatia for 9 nights.
As we live in Cape Town we are wanting to avoid travelling to Pretoria and are wanting to apply for a multiple entry Schengen Visa with the Austrian Embassy for the full 19 days based on the fact that we are staying longer in Austria than Prague or Slovenia. Will this work? Will there be any snags for the PE sister?
Thanks for any help you can give.
Our query (above) from 17 April shows it is still awaiting moderation. ! Is there a chance we could get a reply sometime soon? Thanks
HI there!
Thanks for getting in touch. So the longest stay in a Schengen state will be in Austria, meaning you apply through the Austrian consulate. Your Schengen visa will count for all the countries on that list.
There are application centres in Cape Town, Joburg and Durban but unfortunately not any in PE. I believe though that PE residents can apply through the honorary consulate in PE, more info on that here: http://www.bmeia.gv.at/en/embassy/pretoria/the-embassy/austrian-representations.html
Hi Nick,
we are travelling to Switzerland for 2-3 weeks. we would like to be able to cross over into the neighbouring countries like France. what kind of visa will we require. also, we are based in PE – anyway this can be done from PE?
Hi Melissa!
You will need to get a Schengen visa from the Swiss consulate/embassy. They don’t have an office in Port Elizabeth but you can apply through a visa handling agency (I believe). We use ROSE visas and I suggest contacting them via this link for more assistance: http://www.travelstart.co.za/visas.jsp
hi there
Please let me know if kids are required to have UK visa’s for a short stay?
thanks
Hi Carolyn,
Child visitors pay the same amount unfortunately
More info on that here: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/south-africa/fees/?langname=UK%20English#resultTableAnchor
Hi Nick
I see you are the go-to guy. I see it is you need 300000Euro travel insurance for going to Spain. I am with a medical aid which covers the basics, and was wondering what/where the best place would be to get travel insurance which would fulfill the Shengen visa requirements.
Thank-you
Hi Mark,
thanks for getting in touch. There are a number of places you can go for travel insurance. We offer very comprehensive travel insurance underwritten by Regent Insurance which is accepted by the EU for Schengen visas, it’s also at a very reasonable price. I would suggest getting in touch with our consultants for a quote on travelbar@travelstart.com with the dates you’re leaving and returning to SA with the countries you are visiting on that trip and they will quote you.
Hi Nick
I am so confused, I know you can help!
So this is the story. My daughter and I are South African currently living in Portugal-we have a 1 year multiple entry visa …we have applied for residence here and have it.
My daughter will be going to south africa for the summer holidays. She will be travelling with her SA Passport. The most affordable flights means that she will have to stop over in London for a few hours. Do I have to apply for a UK Transit Visa or not? If so, how?
Thanks so much
Janine
Hi Janine!
This is a tough one! According to the info I have at my disposal, there is a chance she won’t be required a visa but this is only in the instance that the immigration authorities grant her permission. I would suggest contacting the British High Commission in Lisbon here: http://ukinportugal.fco.gov.uk/en/ to get the answer from the horse’s mouth!
Is it possible to get a reply to our query from 17 April (above) ? Still shows as “comment awaiting moderation”……
Hi Nick
Do i have to schedule appointment at the Danish Embassy in Cape Town when applying for Schengen Visa.