Schengen Visa Guide for South African Citizens

For South African citizens planning to visit Europe or any Schengen countries, obtaining a Schengen Visa is a necessary step.

This guide aims to provide South African travelers with crucial details about the Schengen visa for South Africans in 2025, along with handy tips on how to easily and affordably get a professional visa photo.

Table of contents

• Do South African nationals need a visa for Schengen countries?
• Schengen visa types available for South Africans
• Where to apply for a Schengen visa from South Africa
• Is it possible for a South African national to apply for a Schengen visa outside ZA?
• General documentation list required for Schengen visa application (type C)
• Schengen visa photo requirements
• Get your Schengen visa photo online!
• Schengen Visa Photo App
• Schengen visa processing times in South Africa
• Schengen visa fees
• Schengen entry & stay rules
• What is the easiest Schengen country for South Africans to get a visa for?

Do South African nationals need a visa for Schengen countries?

Yes, according to Schengen visa requirements, South Africans need a visa to enter Schengen countries. Only those with dual citizenship holding a passport from a Schengen country are exempt.

South African residents with permanent or temporary residence permits may apply from within South Africa if they do not qualify for visa-free entry.

Schengen visa types available for South Africans

Depending on the purpose and duration of their trip, South African nationals can apply for these main types of Schengen visas:

Airport Transit Visa (Type A)
Designed for transiting through the international zone of a Schengen airport without entering the Schengen Area. Valid for up to 24 hours. Generally not required for South Africans unless specified by the transit country.

Short-Term Visa (Type C)
A uniform Schengen Visa that allows stays of up to 90 days within any 180-day period across the Schengen Area. Issued for purposes like tourism, business, family visits, or short-term studies. Available as:

• Single-entry: Allows one entry; expires upon leaving.
• Double-entry: Permits two entries.
• Multiple-entry: Offers unlimited entries within the validity, provided the 90/180-day rule is followed.

A subcategory, the Limited Territorial Validity (LTV) visa, limits travel to specified countries and is often granted for humanitarian or urgent reasons.

National Long-Stay Visa (Type D)
For stays over 90 days, aimed at those studying, working, or living in a Schengen country. Issued by the country where the stay is intended. Can be single or multiple-entry, based on country regulations. Suitable for international students, employees, researchers, or those reuniting with family.

Where to apply for a Schengen visa from South Africa

To apply for a Schengen visa, South Africans should visit the consulates or visa application centers of the Schengen country they plan to visit or where they will be staying the longest.

Key visa application centers in South Africa include:

• Johannesburg: 1st Floor Rivonia Village, Cnr Rivonia Boulevard and Mutual Rd
• Cape Town: 8th Floor, 2 Long Street, Cape Town, 8001
• Durban: Unit 409, 4th Floor, 91 -123 Cowey Road (Problem Mkhize Road) Essenwood, Durban, Kwa Zulu Natal, 4000
• Pretoria: Brooklyn Pavilion, 316 Tram Street, Nieuw Muckleneuk, Brooklyn, Pretoria, 0181

To apply for a France Schengen visa in South Africa, visit one of the CAPAGO Visa application centres. These are located in Johannesburg, Cape Town, or Durban.

Is it possible for a South African national to apply for a Schengen visa outside ZA?

Typically, you should apply for a Schengen visa in the country where you currently reside legally. If you hold a residence permit in a country other than South Africa, you should submit your application to the Schengen embassy or consulate in that country.

If you find yourself temporarily in a different country where you don’t have residence, some Schengen embassies might accept your application. However, this is contingent on their discretion and usually requires proof of your legal stay in that third country. Keep in mind, this is not guaranteed and depends on the specific embassy's policies.

South Africans who live abroad with legal residency permits can apply for a Schengen visa from their country of residence, rather than needing to return to South Africa to apply.

General documentation list required for Schengen visa application (type C)

When applying for a visa for Europe from South Africa, ensure you gather the following documents:

• A completed visa application form.
• A valid South African passport or a suitable travel document.
• Proof of housing arrangements in the Schengen countries you intend to visit.
• A national ID or proof of your legal residence in South Africa.
• Two recent passport-sized photos taken within three months of your application.
• Evidence of financial means to support your stay within the Schengen area. You must show you have at least EUR 45–120 per day of stay to meet the Schengen visa financial requirements.
• A cover letter detailing your reasons for visiting the Schengen Zone, planned destinations, and the duration of your stay in each location.
• A round-trip flight itinerary, showcasing reservations for outbound and any necessary internal flights.
• Schengen visa medical insurance for South Africans providing a minimum coverage of EUR 30,000.
• Documents verifying your employment status.
• Birth certificate and consent from parents (required for children).

Additionally, specific visa types may necessitate extra documents. For instance, if applying for a business visa, you’ll need a letter from your employer and an invitation from a business partner located within the Schengen countries.

Schengen visa photo requirements

While ensuring your documents are precise and accurate, make sure your photo meets these criteria to be accepted:

• The photo should be in color and no older than six months.
• It must be exactly 35 mm wide and 45 mm high.
• Your face should cover 70-80% of the photo, with a height of 32-36 mm from chin to crown.
• Your head should be centered, with both sides of your face visible.
• The background must be plain, devoid of colors, patterns, or shadows, ideally in a light, neutral gray to enhance facial contrast.
• The image must be clear, focused, and contrasting, printed on high-quality paper with a printing resolution of at least 600 dpi. The skin tone should look natural, and the photo must be smooth, avoiding creases and overlays.
• Maintain a neutral expression and face forward to the camera.
• Religious head coverings like the hijab are permissible, but must leave the face visible.
• Glasses are allowed, provided they do not obstruct the eyes and have no reflections. Sunglasses and heavily tinted lenses are prohibited.

Here's an example of an appropriate Schengen visa photo:

Get your Schengen visa photo online!

Research indicates that applications with professional-quality photos have a higher chance of Schengen visa approval. Enhance your chances for approval by using Visafoto, a reliable online service with a 99.7% success rate for visa photos.

Visafoto allows you to capture your Schengen visa photo from anywhere globally. Just take a photo according to the guidelines and upload it to our tool. There's no need to worry about format, background, or dimensions — we manage these aspects for you. Since 2013, Visafoto has specialized in processing photos for any legal document, ensuring they meet all necessary standards.

Example of the photo you can provide:

You'll receive a digital version for online use and a print-ready copy. If you're not happy with the results, we’ll replace your photo at no extra cost. Should your photo be rejected by officials, we provide a full refund.

Schengen Visa Photo App

Explore the 7ID photo app from Visafoto. This user-friendly app is designed to make creating visa, ID, and passport photos with your smartphone a breeze. Whether you use an iPhone or an Android device, the app is accessible to everyone.

Simply upload your picture, choose the document type and country, and 7ID automatically adjusts your photo to official standards. It handles size, format, and background, ensuring your face and eyes are perfectly centered. You’ll receive a digital file along with a print template that fits standard paper sizes like 4×6, A4, A5, or B5.

For any questions or concerns, our dedicated support team is ready to assist you 24/7.

Schengen visa processing times in South Africa

For South African applicants, processing times for Schengen visas typically range from 15 to 45 calendar days.

Schengen visa fees

As of 2025, the fees for a Schengen visa for South African citizens are as follows:

• Adults (18 and older): EUR 90 (approx. ZAR 1817)
• Children aged 6 to 12: EUR 45 (approx. ZAR 909)
• Children under 6: Free of charge

If you apply via centers like VFS Global, there is an additional service fee of about ZAR 592 to ZAR 663 (approx. EUR 29 to 33) per application, added to the visa fee.

Schengen entry & stay rules

Visitors, including those with visas and those exempt from visas, can remain in the Schengen Zone for up to 90 days within any given 180-day window. This 90-day rule is cumulative across all Schengen countries, not per individual country. So, if you spend 30 days each in Germany, France, and Italy, you’ve used up your 90-day allowance. The 180-day period is a rolling timeframe, recalculated from the current day backward.

Exceeding this limit can result in consequences such as fines or bans on re-entry. If you anticipate staying longer than 90 days due to commitments, it is advisable to apply for a long-term visa.

By mid-2025, the EU is set to implement an automated Entry/Exit System (EES) which will phase out the manual passport stamping process. This digital system will enhance travel efficiency for foreign visitors by enabling electronic registration at EU border points, streamlining and securing the entry process.

What is the easiest Schengen country for South Africans to get a visa for?

For newcomers to the Schengen Zone, applying through countries like France, Spain, or Italy is generally more straightforward. For example, the approval rate of Spain tourist visas for South African passport holders is approximately 77.4%, and France and Italy visa requirements for South Africans are not very strict.

If your travel plans are adaptable, Iceland or Latvia are also great choices for a smoother visa approval process. For itineraries involving multiple Schengen states, apply through the country where your stay will be the longest.

Countries with the lowest visa rejection rates include:

• Iceland: 2.2%
• Switzerland: 10.7%
• Latvia: 11.7%
• Italy: 12%
• Luxembourg: 12.7%
• Lithuania: 12.8%
• Slovakia: 12.9%
• Germany: 14.3%
• Austria: 14.3%
• Greece: 14.7%
• Poland: 14.9%
• Hungary: 15.1%