South Africa
Get information, make an appointment, and submit your application
Submit your application at a visa centre for France
Visa applications submitted in South Africa are processed by the Consulate General of France in Johannesburg, which is the only authority authorized to make decisions regarding visas..
- For short-stay visa applications, please ensure that you submit your application at least 15 days before your planned departure date.
- For long-stay visa applications, please ensure that you submit your application at least one month before your planned departure date.
- Visa applications cannot be submitted more than 6 months before the departure date.
What are the application fees ?
The fees required for filing a visa application are composed of :
- Application fees charged by the French administration (pdf) for processing your application. The fees are indicated in Euros (€). To determine the amount in local currency (ZAR), please convert the indicated amount using the current consular exchange rate. The amount collected is non-refundable, even in the event of a visa refusal.
- Service fees are collected by CAPAGOwhen you submit your application through the outsourced service provider. The base service fees are set in euros and collected in the local currency. They amount to €31 (payable in rand) per submitted application and are non-refundable, unless the applicant decides not to submit their application before the collection of biometric data.
- Optional paid-for services are also available for visa applications. You can select them when you book your appointment on the CAPAGO website.
Warning :
Fraudulent websites offer appointments or visas in exchange for money. Please only refer to the information and links posted on the France-Visas portal.
Book an appointment
CAPAGO Visa Application Centre in Johannesburg
Fredman Towers, 13 Fredman Drive,
Sandown, Sandton, 2196, 5th Floor
Johannesburg
South Africa
(+27) 08 72 31 03 13
| Monday | 08:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. |
| Tuesday | 08:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. |
| Wednesday | 08:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. |
| Thursday | 08:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. |
| Friday | 08:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. |
| Saturday | Closed |
| Sunday | Closed |
| Monday | 11:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. |
| Tuesday | 11:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. |
| Wednesday | 11:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. |
| Thursday | 11:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. |
| Friday | 11:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. |
| Saturday | Closed |
| Sunday | Closed |
CAPAGO Visa Application Centre in Cape Town
The Towers South - 19th Floor
Hertzog Boulevard - Foreshore
Cape Town - 8001
South Africa
(+27) 08 72 31 03 13
| Monday | 08:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. |
| Tuesday | 08:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. |
| Wednesday | 08:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. |
| Thursday | 08:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. |
| Friday | 08:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. |
| Saturday | Closed |
| Sunday | Closed |
| Monday | 11:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. |
| Tuesday | 11:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. |
| Wednesday | 11:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. |
| Thursday | 11:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. |
| Friday | 11:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. |
| Saturday | Closed |
| Sunday | Closed |
CAPAGO Visa Application Centre in Durban (biometrics missions only)
2 Ncondo Place Ridegside
Umhlanga Ridge
4320 Durban
South Africa
(+27) 08 72 31 03 13
NA
NA
Practical information
Closed on Saturdays and Sundays.
- Thursday, January 1st 2026
- Saturday, March 21st 2026
- Friday, April 3rd 2026
- Monday, April 6th 2026
- Monday, April 27th 2026
- Friday, May 1st 2026
- MTuesday, June 16th 2026
- Monday, August 10th 2026
- Thursday, September 24th 2026
- Wednesday, December 16th 2026
- Friday, December 25th 2026
- Saturday, December 26th 2026
When you visit a CAPAGO Centre or a French Consulate, you are not allowed to carry or have any weapons or dangerous items on you. Security checks will be performed before you are allowed to enter the premises.
Preparing for your visit to the Centre
When you are making an appointment i.e. via the call centre or on the CAPAGO South Africa website, you will be asked to immediately provide an email address where you can receive the appointment confirmation letter. You will be asked to produce this letter when you visit the CAPAGO Visa Application Centre.
Attendance in person
Visa applicants must submit their visa application in person at a CAPAGO Centre. However, if you meet the following conditions, you can entrust your application to a third-party to submit it on your behalf or send your application by post:
- You are applying for a short-stay Schengen visa;
- You have been granted a Schengen visa in the previous 59 months;
- Your biometric data (photograph and fingerprints) have already been taken for a previous visa;
- You have a copy of your old Schengen visa.
If you authorise a third-party to act on your behalf, do not forget to give him/her the power of attorney document (pdf) duly completed and signed by yourself.
Remember to bring the following:
- The appointment confirmation letter (printed out);
- Your passport with at least 2 blank pages. The passport number must be identical to the one mentioned on the appointment confirmation letter;
- Payment to cover the cost of the visa and the visa processing fees.
- The file containing all the required documents presented in the same order as on the list of required documents;
If your visa application is incomplete (i.e. missing documents), you may choose not to submit your application until you have all the required documents and come back to the Centre at a later date and after making a new appointment. You will not have to pay any visa processing fees if you decide not to submit your application at this time.
However, if you do decide to submit an incomplete application, you will be asked to sign a document indicating that your application is incomplete and that certain documents are missing.
Submitting a complete application does not guarantee that the consular will issue you a visa.
Biometrics
All visas issued by France are biometric visas.
Any visa applicant aged 12 or older is required to file their first visa application in person. The following biometric data will be required: a photograph, scanned or taken at the time of submission of application, and 10 fingerprints, taken flat and digitised.
However, it is also possible to have your previous biometric data re-used if you were issued a Schengen visa within at least the previous 59 months.
Children under 12 years of age are not required to provide the biometric data; the application must be submitted by the child’s parent/legal guardian. The photograph in the ISO/IEC format (pdf) of the child will be scanned.
After your appointment and submitting your application at the centre, you can track the progress of your application on the CAPAGO website.
You can collect your passport yourself, or have it collected by an authorised third-party or courier service. You can arrange for our partner courier service provider, CAPAGO (Postnet) to deliver your passport directly to your home or workplace.
Botswana Residents
The French Embassy in Gaborone doesn't issue visas.
The French Consulate in Johannesburg, South Africa processes visas applications for people residing in Botwsana.
To complete your online application you must select South Africa as your country of submission of application. You must then file your application with the French Consulate in Johannesburg after making an appointment by email at least ten days in advance.
Appointments are from Monday to Thursday between 9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
Namibia Residents
The French Embassy in Namibia doesn't issue visas.
- People residing in Namibia wishing to apply for a short-stay visa to visit France’s European territory (i.e. the Schengen Area) must contact the German Embassy in Windhoek to check the procedure to follow.
- The French Consulate in Johannesburg, South Africa processes visas applications for people residing in Namibia wishing to apply for a short-stay visa for France’s non-European territories (foreign or overseas territories) or a long-stay visa for France. . To complete your online application you must select South Africa as your country of submission of application. You must then file your application with the French Consulate in Johannesburg after making an appointment by email at least ten days in advance.
Zambia Residents
The French Embassy in Zambia doesn't issue visas.
- People residing in Zambia wishing to apply for a short-stay visa to visit France’s European territory (i.e. the Schengen Area) must contact the Ambassade d’Italie en Zambie pour connaître la procédure à suivre.
- The French Consulate in Johannesburg, South Africa processes visa applications for people residing in Zambia wishing to apply for a short-stay visa for France’s non-European territories (foreign or overseas territories) or a long-stay visa for France. To complete your online application you must select South Africa as your country of submission of application. You must then file your application with the French consulate in Johannesburg after making an appointment by email.
Lesotho Residents
The French Consulate in Johannesburg, South Africa processes all visas applications for people residing in Lesotho wishing to visit France.
To complete your online application you must select South Africa as your country of submission of application. You must then file your application in the CAPAGO Centre in Johannesburg, which processes visa applications on behalf of the French Consulate in Johannesburg.
Holders of diplomatic passports or South African service passports
Holders of diplomatic passports or South African service passports are exempt from short-stay visas for France when the trip is related to the holder’s official duties.
In the Schengen area, they are also exempt from requiring a visa for the following countries:
Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany (diplomatic passport holders only), Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain (diplomatic passport holders only) and Switzerland.
Visas issued to holders of official passports (i.e. related to their functions) are free of charge.
Visiting the French overseas department of Reunion
Holders of South African passports do not require a visa to visit the French overseas department of Reunion (stays not exceeding 90 days).
Particular situation - Monaco
France also issues visas on behalf of Monco. You must contact one of the two French Consulates in South Africa.
If you have any problems with your visa application, please contact CAPAGO for assistance:
- By email:infofrance-za@capago.eu
- By phone: (+27) 087 231 0313