MAKING APPOINTMENTS- INDIVIDUAL APPLICATIONS: Note that making an appointment is not obligatory, however may avoid possible queuing as applicants with confirmed appointments will be given preference at the appointed time.
First come, first served applicants are however welcome between 0830 to 1200 daily.
Should you nevertheless wish to make a visa appointment, click here and follow the instructions. You can also make an appointment by telephone: 0861 00 22 45.
- GROUPS OF 6 OR MORE TRAVELLERS: MUST make an appointment! click here making sure you include the following information:
- Name of Group Leader/Applicant
- Name of group or organisation
- Total group size - how many people in the group
- Expected travel date - departing and return, total duration
- Your phone number
- Brief nature of trip (holiday, business, sponsored trip, etc. why are you going?)
- Duration of intended trip
- Inbound and outbound flight routing from/to South Africa - direct, or via ???
- Very brief itinerary
- 2/3 suggested dates that would suit you. NOTE appointments are not possible on Wednesdays and Fridays, and not after 10am, unless special arrangements are agreed.
Kindly note the points regarding group applications lower down this page. We will contact you to confirm an appointment.Thank you. [X] Close
In brief - how to apply- If you are not a frequent traveller to Europe, you have to apply in person. You can only apply to the office of the Honorary German Consul in Durban if you intend to spend most of your stay in Germany. If flying via London, a UK visa may be necessary first. Don’t confirm your flights until the visa is issued - a flight quotation/itinerary suffices.
- In Durban you may choose to make an appointment (to avoid queues), alternatively, just arrive mornings on a first come first served basis
- Choose the correct downloadable information "requirement list" suiting your intended purpose of travel lower down this page, collate all the required information, including a "biometric" compliant photograph,and travel insurance certification
- Follow the link below to make your application online - print it out in full, then hand in with all your other documentation.
- You should ideally pay the required fee by electronic bank transfer prior to coming in. See menu or link at the bottom of the page
- Ideally you should have completed all the above at least 2 to 3 weeks before departure.
- Once issued, your passport may be collected in person, or you can opt to have it returned to you by courier at an extra cost.
General Schengen Visa RequirementsSouth African citizens require a visa to enter the Schengen Territory:
The advantages of a Schengen Visa
A Schengen Visa entitles the holder to an accumulated stay of up to 90 days within a period of six months for 25 European Countries! It is a single "passport" to all of these indicated countries. You have to submit your application for a Schengen Visa to the representative of the country which - considering the main purpose of your intended stay - is your main destination. This usually means that you have to apply at the Embassy or Consulate of the country where you are going to spend most of your time. If no such main destination can be ascertained, please contact the representative of the country of your first entry into the Schengen States.
 For detailed information on varied application requirements for non South African citizens as well as multilingual application forms click here.
If you intend to visit several Schengen countries, you must apply for a visa at the Embassy or Consulate of the country that is your main destination i.e congress, training / longest stay etc.
IMPORTANT: Allow adequate processing time of 6 to 10 days, bearing in mind weekends and public holidays. Non-South African passports may take longer.
MESSENGERS, TRAVEL AGENTS, VISA AGENTS: Please note that a courier or similar “drop off and leave” delivery of sealed packages will not be accepted. The Durban consulate will accept applications from travel agents or visa agents, however subject to the provisions as set out below:
INTERVIEW: A first time applicant for a Schengen Visa, or alternatively all applicants who are not regular travelers, and have thus not during the last 2 years had either a Schengen Visa of 1 year validity, or at least 2 Schengen Visas of shorter validity in their passports, one of which must have been issued through the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany Pretoria (or alternatively via the Durban, Lesotho or Swaziland representatives), and have actually travelled, must present themselves in person for an interview with their application. Applicants who do have a past 1 year validity Schengen Visa (or 2 shorter visas) in their passport not older than 2 years as detailed above, may utilise a representative (as set out below) to submit their application together with all the correct documentation.
The MESSENGER - FAMILY MEMBER - FRIEND - VISA AGENT or REPRESENTATIVE must present a written authority from the applicant authorizing the representative to make the application, and must wait at the application counter until the application has been checked by the consulate staff, as in the case of incomplete documentation there may be a need for advising the applicant of further requirements. By default, this also implies that the representative or messenger must be familiar with the documentation being submitted, able to take instructions, or supply additional information on behalf of the applicant. It further also implies that there is clearly a limit to the number of applications handled by the messenger.
COLLECTIONS: A representative, travel agent, or visa agent may collect the visa, passport, or record of decision in Durban, provided a written authorization is presented, or alternatively the original issue/collection slip/receipt is provided.
AIR TICKETS: If you are not in posession of a valid air ticket or the correct travel insurance - a visa requirement - you can obtain these from Caraville Travel (Tel 031 2660030) at the same premises as the consulate (next door).
MAP: click here for a detailed map of how to find our office.
E-MAIL: should you want to submit an email enquiry, click here.
TYPES OF VISAS:Transit visa (1-5 days, single or double entry - category B): is issued to travel from a non-Schengen state to another non Schengen state across Schengen State Territory. (Multiple entry transit visa may be granted under exceptional circumstances). If coming from a non-Schengen state with the main destination in one or several Schengen states and back to first point of departure, then a short stay visa will be issued.
Short stay visa (category C): 1-90 days, single, double or multiple entry.
Long stay visa (category D): Visas for visits exceeding 90 days are National visas, and are issued by member states in accordance with national legislation.
Airport transit visas (category A): required by the nationals of certain countries. (Not for R.S.A. citizens). See link above.
Group visas: For groups of more than 6 persons, please phone the Consulate on 031-266 3920 between 08:00 & 13:00 to make special arrangements for an appointment.
VISA REQUIREMENTS:In order to facilitate your travel arrangements, whether for tourism, business, study, work, medical or just transit purposes, below you will find a downloadable document summarising all relevant information needed by you in order to apply for a visa for the Federal Republic of Germany. Please make sure that you are using the correct application form based on the listed information suiting your personal needs.
Please study the applicable downloadable information carefully before applying, as they contain all necessary information about the required documents needed for your application. This might save you valuable time and effort throughout the visa procedures. In this respect, please pay special attention to our photo chart, as photos for visa application forms meet certain criteria.
The application form can be downloaded directly from this website or you can complete it online and print it. For more information see the end of this page.
Opening hours for Visa Applications:
Monday to Friday (barring holidays and other times listed on the HOME page)
08h30 to 1200 daily
9 Kensigton Drive, Westville, 3630 Durban click here for MAP
Tel: 031 266 3920 Fax: 031 266 3925
E-mail: germanconsulatedbn(at)caraville.com
Important note:
Please note that during the processing of your visa it may be impossible to give detailed information until the process is complete. For specific request please phone only during the above mentioned opening hours. Any documents supporting your visa application (e.g. invitation letter, proof of health insurance, etc.) which are forwarded by Fax/Email directly to the visa section will ordinarily not be accepted or processed. All mandatory documents must be presented in person together with your application form while presenting yourself at the visa section of the German Honorary Consulate in Durban.
Fill in your visa application form online: The below-mentioned link will lead you directly to the online visa-portal of the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Germany. Here, you can find the respective visa application forms in several languages. Just choose your language, and after a short introductory text, you will be directly forwarded to your visa application form. Please read the introductory text carefully before starting to fill in your personal data. It is at this stage only possible to fill out the application form online, you cannot send it online to the Durban consulate. Please bring a signed printout of the online form along with your application documents.
Using this form will speed up your application due to improved legibility and automated processing! Please ensure you bring the complete form, including the bar code on the last page.
Visa appointment system INDIVIDUAL APPLICATIONS: Note that making an appointment is not obligatory, however may avoid possible queuing as applicants with confirmed appointments will be given preference at the appointed time.
First come, first served applicants are however welcome between 0830 to 1200 daily. Click on the link at the top right hand side of this page to make an optional appointment.
GROUP APPLICATIONS: Please click on link below for important information for applicants planning to travel as a group:
- Important notice - Visa applications for groups (6 or more)
Are you the director of a choir or sports group? Or are you maybe planning a youth exchange? Will you start and end the trip with the whole group, meaning that all of you are going to the same destination for the same period of time? If you can answer all of the above questions with "Yes", we would like you to contact us at least one month prior to departure. Even for applicants travelling in a group, the rule that all applicants have to apply in person is applicable. This means that those travelers, who have not visited the Schengen countries during the past two years at least twice (meaning they have at least two visas in their passports) with Germany being the main destination for at least one of the trips (one of the visa has to be issued by the German Embassy), have to apply in person. It is possible to hand in the applications either at the visa section of the German Embassy in Pretoria or the Honorary Consulate in Durban. However, it is possible to have all passports collected by one assigned representative of the group. If you opt for this solution, the visa section will set a deadline, until which date all members of the group are required to present themselves personally when handing in their application. All applications that were launched in time can be collected by one member of the group four days after the deadline. Please contact the visa section via Email: germanconsulatedbn@caraville.com to make the necessary arrangements - an appointment. If your group exists of applicants who have had at least two Schengen Visa (or a one year business visa that was used on a regular basis) during the past two years, with at least one of them being issued by a German authority, all applications can be handed in by one representative of the group. In this case the applicants do not have to apply in person. Nevertheless, we would like you to contact the visa section at least four weeks prior to departure to make a special appointment. [X] Close
South African citizens require a visa for entry to Schengen countries
Important Notes In the case of application forms not completely filled out or required documents missing, the application will not be accepted and the applicant is required to come on another day to hand in the application. It should also to be noted that a visa can only be entered into passports that have been signed by the passport holder.
Important when receiving the visa: Please check the details of the visa for possible mistakes as soon as you receive your passport. Please pay particular attention verifying the validity (start and end date) of the visa with regards to the total duration of your planned stay. You should also check the correct spelling of your name, as well as number of entries. Kindly inform us about possible mistakes immediately. The Honorary Consulate cannot be held responsible for any problems that may occur as a result of possible incorrect data or a missing signature in the travel document after collection thereof.
Schengen Visa (stay for up to three months)
Residence permit (stay for more than 3 months)
For more information / declarationsNote that Fototec, in the upper Westville Mall, as well as the foto shop in the lower Westville Village Market opposite the Westville Hotel are close by the consulate, and are equipped to take proper biometric photographs.
Application forms
Frequently Asked QuestionsWe have collected a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). Here you can find information on important matters concerning entry into Germany.
FeesClick here for details.
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