As the official representation of Switzerland, the embassy covers all matters concerning diplomatic relations between the two countries. It represents Swiss interests in the areas of political, economic and financial affairs, legal arrangements, science, education and culture.
The Embassy of Switzerland recommend to all Swiss nationals who are currently travelling or living in South Africa to follow closely the information and recommendations of the local authorities as well as of the World Health Organisation WHO.
LATEST NEWS: entry ban and quarantine
Entry ban: Due to the mutated COVID-19 Virus, the Federal Council of Switzerland has introduced a general entry ban for foreing nationals seeking to enter Switzerland from South Africa. Only the following categories of person may travel as passengers to Switzerland:
For more information please see here and consult the latest updated “Federal Council passes entry ban for people travelling from Great Britain and South Africa” + Temporary derogation from flight ban for connections between Switzerland, the UK and South Africa (Last modification 23.12.2020) ».
The Swiss Federal Office of Public Health FOPH has also updated their information about the new Coronavirus regulations and quarantine measures for persons travelling from South Africa to Switzerland (mandatory 10 days quarantine in Switzerland). Relevant sources of information are the "Infoline Coronavirus Switzerland": +41 58 463 0000 or FOPH media release
Information about flight restrictions: Temporary derogation from flight ban for connections between Switzerland, the UK and South Africa (Last modification 23.12.2020). An exception allows airline companies to carry out person transportation from the United Kingdom and South Africa to Switzerland, as of December 24th 2020 00h00. This derogation is valid exclusively for those in possession of a Swiss ID pass/passport, a Swiss residence permit or type D visa from Switzerland, as well as for those granted a hardship permit by a Swiss representation. For more information please consult the following homepage.
Important: Passengers should contact their airline directly to find out whether or not their flight is due to operate.
For flight bookings or rebookings, please contact directly your airline or travel agency.
If you are currently travelling abroad, please make sure you download the EDA Travel Admin App and register or update your travel plans and contact details. By doing so you ensure that you can be contacted by the relevant Swiss representations if necessary.
For general Visa information regarding entry/travelling to Switzerland and entry requirements for transit air travel, please click here.
Interesting links are:
The government of South Africa loosened the lockdown alert for South Africa to level 1 on 20.09.2020. COVID-19 health and safety protocols must be followed at all times, including observance of guidelines for social distancing of 2 meters, sanitation and hygiene, use of appropriate personal protective equipment, like cloth face masks and the recoomendation to download the COVID Alert SA App, as determined by the South African National Department of Health. For detailed information please visit the Government of South Africa’s Covid19 Risk Adjustment Strategy.
As announced during the speech of President Ramaphosa on 11.11.2020, travels into and out of South Africa are now generally permitted under certain conditions.
For further information concering the entry regulations, please contact the South African Embassy in Switzerland or in the country your are currently staying.
As a further precaution, kindly contact the airline directly in order to establish of any special travel regulations they may require additionally - such as proof of a negative Covid-19 test ....etc.
Interesting links are:
National Institute of Communicable Disease
COVID-19 General Hotline for the public: +27 800 029 999 / National Health and Laboratory service COVID-19 Hotline: +27 82 883 9920
WhatsApp Coronavirus Support Line from the National Department of Health: +27 60 012 3456
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
Visa applicants, which have to submit their visa application at the Regional Consular Centre (RCC) in Pretoria, are required to prior schedule an appointment. Therefore please call the Visa Section from Monday to Thursday from 14:00 to 15:30. No walk in clients.
Swiss citizens living in South Africa have lately become victims of banking frauds. The perpetrators get access to details from Swiss or Liechtenstein banking accounts (names, addresses, signatures, credit balance, etc.) and use this information to forge orders to transfer money to bank accounts in Asia. To prevent such cases, the Embassy of Switzerland recommends Swiss or Liechtenstein bank account holders to be vigilant with their banking identity details and to request their bank not to send correspondence via postal service and not to process any written money transfer order without prior consultation of the bank account owner via the telephone number that is lodged with the bank (not the one on the instructions).
The Embassy of Switzerland in Pretoria has become aware of a scam including a fraudulent contract of the company Fibre Ring and Youth Empowerment Project, based in South Africa making reference to the official Swiss Representation in South Africa. Neither the Swiss Embassy in Pretoria nor the office of the Swiss Development Cooperation based in Harare do host any connection with this contractor.
