General information

21/09/2021

With effect from 19 September 2021 the Federal Republic of Germany no longer lists South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini as countries with a significantly elevated risk of infection (high risk area).

Nevertheless, EU-wide travel restrictions remain in place when entering Germany from South Africa, Lesotho or Eswatini.

Who is exempted from the entry restrictions?

• German citizens or members of their immediate family (spouses, children under 18, parents of children under 18);
• EU citizens and citizens of Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland and the members of their immediate family (spouses, children under 18, parents of children under 18);
• Citizens of non-EU countries who have a current long-term residence permit from an EU or Schengen country and their immediate family members, as long as they comply with passport and visa regulations;
• Fully vaccinated people (please see “What rules apply for fully vaccinated people?”) as long as they comply with passport and visa regulations;
• People with important reasons to travel, such as:
  
  • Urgent needs for travel (please see: “What constitutes an urgent need for travel?”);
  • Certain business travellers, trade fair visitors and exhibitors, participants of congresses etc. (please see: “Which skilled and highly qualified foreign workers are permitted to enter Germany from a non-European foreign country?”);
  • Unmarried partners under certain circumstandes (please see the section “Under what circumstances are unmarried partners permitted to enter Germany for short-term visits from third countries which are not on the safe list, and what special provisions apply?” in Section IV of the FAQ-list on the website of the Federal Ministry of the Interior, for Building and Infrastructure.
• Residents of a country who are allowed unrestricted entry into Germany (please see the list of countries here).

01/08/2021

The German government decided the 30^th of July 2021 the following: With effect from 1^st of August 2021 South Africa as well as Lesotho and Eswatini are no longer listed as virus variant area but only as high risk area.

That means that the general travel ban is lifted, however, some travel restrictions remain in place, detailed information are on the German website.

Our appointment table remain open for you to book a time slot for your appointment.

Am I eligible to apply for a German visa?

For guidance on whether your specific circumstances allow you to apply for a German visa and for more information on the additional documentation that you might be required to provide, please consult the following website: https://southafrica.diplo.de/sa-en/sa-consular/-/2473370.

Stricts safeties measures to protect our visa customers and our employees are actually in place:

• Anyone wishing to enter our centre will be required to provide a body temperature reading at the entrance;
• All people entering our centre will have to wear a facemask;
• We are applying strict social distancing measures inside our centre.
• Please note that our opening days have changed. More information is available on our Address & Opening Hours page.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

05/02/2021

TLScontact is taking additional precautionary measures regarding the spread of the coronavirus. In order to further limit social contacts, TLScontact is introducing a mandatory express courier return service starting from 14^th of February 2021.
Once your passport is returned by the Diplomatic Mission to our visa application centre, we will send it by express courier to your designated address.

Following the discovery of new cases of coronavirus in Europe, we are taking all the necessary measures to ensure maximum safety of our visa customers and our staff. Our centres remain open, but we ask you to respect any guidance provided on-site during your visa appointment. Please also refer to the advice provided by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on how to limit your exposure to the virus. Visit WHO website for more information.