To apply for a new Swiss passport and/or Swiss identity card, please log your application online on the following website and wait until you receive the invitation to book your appointment.
A range of consular services can be solicited through the online desk. More information on the various consular services is readily available under "Services".
For any other enquiries, please contact the Regional Consular Centre by phone +27 12 452 06 61 or by e-mail southernafrica@eda.admin.ch
Swiss citizens can enter Switzerland at any time.
All travellers must take note of the health-related measures at the Swiss border. The interactive travel check tool Travelcheck shows you what measures apply to you. The complete information can be found on the website of the Federal Office of Public Health FOPH.
Important: please do not forget to fill out the following entry form before travelling to Switzerland. Once you’ve filled out the form you’ll be emailed a QR code as confirmation. If you are controlled you can show the QR code on your smartphone or produce a printed confirmation. If you have not filled out the entry form, the airline can refuse your check-in and the controlling authority in Switzerland may impose a penalty.
As a further precaution, travelers are kindly requested to respect the local directions for international travels to and from South Africa and to contact their airline directly in order to establish of any special travel regulations they may require additionally - such as proof of a negative Covid-19 test.
For more information about the Covid-19 situation and measures in South Africa, please click here.
Dear Swiss Compatriots
Please be informed that the import of vaccines is governed by the legal framework of the respective host country. A vaccine must be approved by the health authorities of the host country and can only then be administered to the population through the designated - officially approved - distribution channels (doctors, hospitals, laboratories etc.). It is therefore not possible at present in South Africa to order a vaccine from Switzerland and then distribute it through the Embassy or Consulate General to the Swiss residents in South Africa.
Can Swiss nationals who live abroad be vaccinated in Switzerland? Who covers the costs?
More information on COVID-19 vaccination can be found on the FOPH webpages: Coronavirus: Vaccination, Protect yourself and others: Vaccination & FAQ
Other interesting links are:
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
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.
Information can be found on the websites concerned:
Services – South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mauritius
Visa – South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mauritius
