Switzerland extends aid to disaster areas in south-east Africa

Services and visa

All consular services and visa issues are provided by the Regional Consular Centre Southern Africa in Pretoria.

Consular services
Visa and entry to Switzerland

Services

Contact the responsible Swiss representation or consulate when you want to register or unregister as a resident, when you need a new passport, have moved or wish to apply for citizenship. The entire selection of services offered can be found in the dropdown menu to the right. The contact details of the responsible Swiss representation are shown on the corresponding page.

Swiss citizens who get into difficulties abroad, also can ask for advice and help from the Swiss representative.

The magazine for the Swiss Abroad appears six times a year and provides information about what is happening at home and the activities of Swiss associations abroad. It also answers administrative questions.

Online desk FDFA

Using the FDFA’s online consular services while abroad.

The relevant Swiss representation abroad can answer any questions concerning the FDFA’s online desk.

Locals try to drive on the remains of the main road, after cyclone Idai. — A main road destroyed by the cyclone in the province of Sofala in central Mozambique. © Keystone

Swiss Humanitarian Aid, part of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), will dispatch another team of five SHA members to Mozambique in the coming days. The team consists mainly of water experts and logisticians and will reinforce the team of SHA experts who have been working in Mozambique since the beginning of the week.

So far, twelve tonnes of relief goods have been transported to the disaster area with the first unit. These supplies consist mainly of materials and tools for building shelters. The new consignment to the region will primarily consist of materials and equipment for restoring drinking water supplies, e.g. for cleaning wells.

In addition, Switzerland is making two to four SHA members available to UN agencies responding on the ground to the flood disaster. Swiss Humanitarian Aid is providing a total of CHF 2 million to cope with the ensuing hardship in south-east Africa. Half of this will be used for Swiss Humanitarian Aid's own actions. The other half will be disbursed to UN agencies fighting the catastrophic flooding in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi.