The Regional Consular Centre Southern Africa will remain closed on 6 and 7 December 2023.
Regional Consular Centre Southern Africa
Webinar “Banking issues for the Swiss abroad”
Please be informed that on 13 December 2023 the Consular Directorate of the FDFA, the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA) and the Soliswiss Cooperative will hold a webinar on “Banking issues for the Swiss abroad”. More information is available on the following flyers:
Flyer in English (PDF, 1 Page, 294.9 kB)
Swiss Nationals Living Abroad
In order for us to provide you with the latest information from Switzerland at all times, please always inform us of all address changes (including e-mail addresses) through the online desk or by sending an email to southernafrica@eda.admin.ch.
The "SWI plus" app is now also available for English-speaking Swiss abroad as well as to interested parties, free of charge for downloading from the app stores. The focus is on a daily briefing for the Swiss living abroad with the news of the day especially relevant to them. The focus is on a daily briefing for the Fifth Switzerland with the most relevant news of the day in a compact daily format.
For more information, please visit Swissinfo
SWI plus for Android
SWI plus for iOS
New SwissInTouch App
SwissInTouch is now available for the 780’000 Swiss Citizens living abroad. The application is designed to facilitate dialogue and exchange.
After a test phase, the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) launched the SwissInTouch app.
President Ignazio Cassis announced the development of the application last year at the Congress of the Swiss Abroad in Lugano. "As the name SwissInTouch indicates, this new tool is intended to facilitate dialogue and exchange," Cassis cited in his statement.
Swiss citizens abroad will find all the important information from their official representation, the various federal offices or other institutional partners on one platform in SwissInTouch. The app complements existing communication platforms such as the consular services provided locally, the FDFA online desk or the Travel Admin app for Swiss travellers.
Services and Visa
All consular services for the South African provinces of Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North-West and Free State, as well as for the states of Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, have been provided by the Regional Consular Centre Southern Africa in Pretoria, which is attached to the local Embassy of Switzerland.
The Consulate General in Cape Town continues to be responsible for the South African provinces of the Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and Western Cape.
All Visa applications are handled by the Regional Consular Center Southern Africa in Pretoria.
Important information for visa applicants living in Zimbabwe
Effective 1 January 2024 Switzerland will no longer be represented by the Embassy of France in Harare. As of 1 January 2024, all visa applications for a Schengen visa for a stay of up to 90 days should be submitted to VFS Global. VFS Global can be contacted for appointments starting 11 December 2023. Appointments are only available from 1 January 2024 onwards.
National visa applications for a stay of more than 90 days have to be submitted at the Regional Consular Centre Southern Africa in Pretoria, South Africa.
Information can be found on the websites concerned:
Services – South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mauritius
Visa – South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mauritius
