South Africa - entry restrictions and rules [merged thread]
#1621
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 2,291
Visa services are by appointment only - that may have been the September reference. To schedule an appointment send email to [email protected]
I'd contact one of the many visa processing services in the United States. They'll at least tell you what's up and what is required.
I'd contact one of the many visa processing services in the United States. They'll at least tell you what's up and what is required.
#1623
Join Date: Jul 2022
Posts: 19
Visa services are by appointment only - that may have been the September reference. To schedule an appointment send email to [email protected]
I'd contact one of the many visa processing services in the United States. They'll at least tell you what's up and what is required.
I'd contact one of the many visa processing services in the United States. They'll at least tell you what's up and what is required.
#1624
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Exile
Posts: 15,637
Planned on meeting friends in CPT in October. My wife is on a Bulgarian passport, so started contacting SA embassy in DC and consulate in NYC about a visa as it requires a full application and interview in person. Received a single reply to "Apply in September" with no explanation or instructions. She has tried for 4 weeks to call (no one picks up the phone/the line is busy/voicemail is full and does not accept messages) or email (multiple emails to multiple people with no reply). Any suggestions? She is off to Europe for all of August, so if this doesn't happen in the next few days, then we don't see our friends or CPT, which would be a pity. Thanks.
#1625
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: SE1, London
Posts: 23,359
I've just come back from a major aviation conference in Cape Town where the general consensus seems to be that visa issuance for tourists and businesspeople seeking to travel to Western Cape has become very problematic. A number of attendees (including CEOs of airlines, IATA senior management, etc..) had visas refused or left pending for 3+ months, and needed diplomatic level intervention to eventually have some of those issued. I had a chance to speak with some of the provincial ministers and they say that while they have significant anecdotal evidence of this, Home Affairs is dragging their feet on providing statistics regarding visa applications versus issuances by province of destination. SA Tourism is also having their budget significantly cut for promotion of attractions in Western Cape. It seems that your visa process may go a lot smoother if you cite a destination in Gauteng instead.
#1626
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Exile
Posts: 15,637
#1627
Join Date: Jul 2022
Posts: 19
Out of the blue, she received an email Thursday evening setting an appointment for Wednesday morning. We will travel to DC tomorrow. I am not optimistic and had mentally moved on from this trip happening so any good news in a bonus. Another bonus is that there are some nice Virginia wineries on the drive where we can stop and get a few bottles!
#1628
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: UK
Posts: 220
Similar to my experience on 26 May. Utter chaos. The Port Health 'Authority' insisted all international pax had to have a PCR test there and then despite us all having Certificates. No NHS ones were accepted as the Port Health said they were 'not certificates', and they made us all move to another very long queue' (I use that term in the loosest sense).
courtesy of Just Nats on Twitter
It was a shambles, so many people incredibly upset, missing onward flight connection, etc. When the 'queue' for the PCR test became unmanageable, someone suddenly shouted we were free to leave, and to proceed to pport control. From disembarking it took 2 hrs just to get to passport control. On Twitter, OR Tambo put out a tweet, saying their Operations Team were deployed to help the Port Authority with 'queue management'. There was no queue, just a mass of people, who were wondering what the hell was happening.
I was there in January, no problems at all, but May was abysmal. I am due back next month, and to be honest, really not looking forward to the OR Tambo 'experience' again.
courtesy of Just Nats on Twitter
It was a shambles, so many people incredibly upset, missing onward flight connection, etc. When the 'queue' for the PCR test became unmanageable, someone suddenly shouted we were free to leave, and to proceed to pport control. From disembarking it took 2 hrs just to get to passport control. On Twitter, OR Tambo put out a tweet, saying their Operations Team were deployed to help the Port Authority with 'queue management'. There was no queue, just a mass of people, who were wondering what the hell was happening.
I was there in January, no problems at all, but May was abysmal. I am due back next month, and to be honest, really not looking forward to the OR Tambo 'experience' again.
#1629
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2015
Location: BOS, YVR, ZRH
Programs: *G
Posts: 17,289
Similar to my experience on 26 May. Utter chaos. The Port Health 'Authority' insisted all international pax had to have a PCR test there and then despite us all having Certificates. No NHS ones were accepted as the Port Health said they were 'not certificates', and they made us all move to another very long queue' (I use that term in the loosest sense).
courtesy of Just Nats on Twitter
It was a shambles, so many people incredibly upset, missing onward flight connection, etc. When the 'queue' for the PCR test became unmanageable, someone suddenly shouted we were free to leave, and to proceed to pport control. From disembarking it took 2 hrs just to get to passport control. On Twitter, OR Tambo put out a tweet, saying their Operations Team were deployed to help the Port Authority with 'queue management'. There was no queue, just a mass of people, who were wondering what the hell was happening.
I was there in January, no problems at all, but May was abysmal. I am due back next month, and to be honest, really not looking forward to the OR Tambo 'experience' again.
courtesy of Just Nats on Twitter
It was a shambles, so many people incredibly upset, missing onward flight connection, etc. When the 'queue' for the PCR test became unmanageable, someone suddenly shouted we were free to leave, and to proceed to pport control. From disembarking it took 2 hrs just to get to passport control. On Twitter, OR Tambo put out a tweet, saying their Operations Team were deployed to help the Port Authority with 'queue management'. There was no queue, just a mass of people, who were wondering what the hell was happening.
I was there in January, no problems at all, but May was abysmal. I am due back next month, and to be honest, really not looking forward to the OR Tambo 'experience' again.
#1630
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: ORD
Programs: AA, UA, GE
Posts: 5,115
https://www.gov.za/covid-19/individu...virus-covid-19
#1631
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2015
Location: BOS, YVR, ZRH
Programs: *G
Posts: 17,289
That was before the latest change to the entry requirements (around June 22).
https://www.gov.za/covid-19/individu...virus-covid-19
https://www.gov.za/covid-19/individu...virus-covid-19
a) have a QR code with our vaccine passport, and if that's not recognized (Smart Health),
b) we both got COVID two weeks ago (after dodging it for 2 years...), So I'll have recovery certificates as a backup (since that is within the 10-90 days pre-arrival as per your link)
Either one of these should be enough to avoid any serious complications - sounds like a good plan?
#1632
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: UK
Posts: 220
That was before the latest change to the entry requirements (around June 22).
https://www.gov.za/covid-19/individu...virus-covid-19
https://www.gov.za/covid-19/individu...virus-covid-19
#1633
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: UK
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 532
Ah, I missed that part. Was worried this was still an ongoing issue. We're entering SA in a month and our plan is to
a) have a QR code with our vaccine passport, and if that's not recognized (Smart Health),
b) we both got COVID two weeks ago (after dodging it for 2 years...), So I'll have recovery certificates as a backup (since that is within the 10-90 days pre-arrival as per your link)
Either one of these should be enough to avoid any serious complications - sounds like a good plan?
a) have a QR code with our vaccine passport, and if that's not recognized (Smart Health),
b) we both got COVID two weeks ago (after dodging it for 2 years...), So I'll have recovery certificates as a backup (since that is within the 10-90 days pre-arrival as per your link)
Either one of these should be enough to avoid any serious complications - sounds like a good plan?
#1634
Ambassador, Emirates
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: LGW / AMS / CPT
Programs: SA KL BA EK
Posts: 4,251
True, but the point was, despite their rules at the time that required inbound pax to have the vax certificate or a negative result, the Port Health didn't accept the official certificates in either hard copy or digital copy, i.e. the actual entry requirements that day were irrelevant. I think they do what they want, when they want.
#1635
Join Date: May 2020
Location: DXB and JNB
Programs: EK Plat; QR Gold
Posts: 486
Were struggling to get visas approved for people coming to Gauteng too. Or is Gauteng now being considered non-ANC? Seems to me to be the usual incompetence and / or bureaucracy, and a spike in xenophobia the last year.