VISA UPDATES
Schengen visas
Appointment Availability:
Poland – Mid October
Hungary – Mid October
France – Beginning October
Italy - Beginning October
Processing Times:
Spain – 15 working days
Greece – 15 working days
Denmark – 15 working days
Netherlands - Minimum 10 working days
Portugal – Releasing a day prior to travel date
Italy – Processing according to travel date
Delays at the department of home affairs
Due to system issues there has been a delay in the issuing of South African Passports. For travel to most countries, you require a minimum of 6 months validity from your return date to South Africa. Please check your passport validity and apply early if you are planning an international trip.
Saudi Arabia to offer visitor visa for special events
From December, Saudi Arabia will offer an e-visa for foreign visitors wishing to attend sporting events and concerts, the country’s General Sports Authority announced on Tuesday.
At present, foreigners traveling to Saudi Arabia are largely restricted to resident workers and their dependants; business travellers; and Muslim pilgrims (who are given special visas to travel to holy sites).
The ‘sharek’ visa process (which will process visa requests for attending sporting events) will be introduced in time for a motor race on December 15.
The new visa will grant travellers “free mobility within specific Saudi territories” during, before and after an event. The holy cities of Mecca and Medina remain off-limits for non-Muslims.
Applicants will be able to obtain 14-day visas online for SAR640 riyals (R2 440).
postal applications introduced for belgian visas
The Belgian Visa Application Centres in Cape Town and Johannesburg have introduced postal application submissions, as of September 4.
The postal submission is only available for applicants who are exempt from providing fingerprints, or whose fingerprints were previously collected by any of the Schengen member states within the last 59 months.
If clients have not provided their biometric data during a previous visa application process, they are advised to submit their application in
person.
For postal applications, the passport can only be returned via Fedex and cannot be collected. Applicants will be able to track the courier.