Visa for offical trips on invitation of German institutions
Please submit your application for a Schengen Visa to the representative of the country which is your main destination - considering length and purpose of your intended stay. If no such main destination can be ascertained, please contact the representative of the country of your first entry into the Schengen Area.
Residents of the following countries/provinces must submit their visa application to the indicated mission:
- GERMAN EMBASSY PRETORIA: Free State, Gauteng, Kwazulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North-West, Lesotho, Swaziland
- GERMAN CONSULATE GENERAL CAPE TOWN: Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Western Cape
OPTIONAL (please check special conditions when applying through the honorary consuls and liaison officer)
- Kwazulu-Natal: Honorary Consul Durban
- Eastern Cape: Honrary Consul Port Elizabeth
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Swaziland: Liaison Office Mbabane
If you are not a South African national, your residence permit for South Africa must be valid at least another four months from the date the Schengen visa expires.
Applications must be submitted in person and may not be submitted by courier, regular post, fax or e-mail. Only applicants who can prove to have travelled at least twice to the Schengen States within the past two years, may be exempt from applying in person. A third party may apply on behalf of such applicants.
We advise you to apply at least three weeks prior to your intended date of departure. Normally, the visa process is finalised within three to four working days upon submission of a complete visa application. In some cases, however, we may need more time due to the necessary involvement of German and/or Schengen authorities.
Please note that only complete applications will be accepted. In order to ensure that your application is processed without delay, please submit the following documents (in original and one copy as indicated below). Unfortunately, copies cannot be provided by the German Missions.
Required Documents |
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Original document required for: |
- A duly completed Schengen Visa Application form (please ensure that you sign the form)
- A valid passport with at least two blank pages & valid for at least three months longer than intended stay (please ensure that your passport is signed)
- One recent passport photograph according to biometric specifications
check here for further details regarding biometric specifications of photos [pdf, 550.79k]
- Declaration of True and Complete Information in accordance with §55 Residence Act, signed and dated (included in the latest visa application form you find on this page) Declaration §55 [pdf, 117.52k]
Original + one copy required for: |
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- Written confirmation by the official authority/Note Verbale
- Written invitation from the German Institution in Germany stating the purpose of stay and including a statement regarding covering related costs
- Travel Medical Insurance valid in all the Schengen States for the entire duration of the intended stay (minimum cover of €30.000)
Please note that each visa application is reviewed individually. Therefore, the requested documents might vary. The German Missions reserve the right to ask for additional documents. Besides, the submission of the above mentioned documents does not guarantee the issue of a visa. Applicants can at any time be asked for a personal interview. Submission of an incomplete set of documentation or refusal to attend the mandatory visa interview will lead to a refusal of your visa application. Once a visa has been issued, the purpose of the trip may not be altered.
