South African Embassy

I am a proud South African living in beautiful Virginia. I am also an international relocation specialist and love helping people find their happy place wherever that might be in the world. The South African embassy in Washington is the best place to visit for finding all the information and services that you might need. Their friendly staff will assist you promptly. They are short-staffed at the moment and you might not reach them on the phone, but they do respond quickly via email. The best is to visit them in the morning. Parking is an issue. There is very limited parking just to the right of the building.

If I could give them a star below 1, I would have! Of all the Visas I have applied for this was/is the worst experience ever. Sadly, after having gone through all the reviews here, I realized that I wasn't the only one!! What I went through listed below is actually a common experience for anybody applying for a south Africa visa!! It is a nightmare and I know for a fact I am never applying or travelling to this country again. following is what I and almost everyone else went through 1 The website is as confusing and old as ever. according to the website you need and e-visa form. If you are able to find this form, you will realize how absolutely confusing it is to fill it. 2 Once you fill this form and submit, it will go to the next page where it will assign a file number to you and ask you to make a payment, however, you there is no link for payment!! You can keep waiting for 30 mins like I did or open other tabs to find payment link, but NADA! there is no such link 3 You can write emails to them, but no one ever responds! I got one response to my inquiry, but guess what? they sent the wrong details and indicated that I apply for an e-visa, but hold on- 4 apparently the e-visa does not work!!!!!! [I had to contact a travel agent in my country who informed me of this] and no surprises, he was right! 5 So now, I am 3 weeks away from going to SA [I have already bought tickets] but I do not have a visa because the website and workers do not have the right information 6 Finally after 3 weeks of continuous calling, someone picks up the phone from the embassy, and confirms that I will need to come to the embassy because e-visa no longer works. When I asked her how to apply for the visa and book an appointment. SHE DID NOT KNOW, and gave me another number to call 7 Right now, as I am writing this review, I have called this number over 20 times already. But no response. When I called back the embassy, they asked me to "keep trying till her picks up" 8 Finally they gave me another email address to write to. But honestly I have zero hopes. So basically, if you can avoid going to SA, you should. the VISA process in the USA is absolute nightmare and just not worth it update: This person finally picked up the phone after 30 plus tries only to say "I am busy with interviews, call after 2 o' clock, never in the morning please, I am busy" So I guess, i'll be calling at 2 now!

So since they do not answer phones or emails until it’s too late, let me give you some information. If you live in any other state, you need to fly here JUST to make the appointment. Then you’d have to wait for God knows how long and come back for it. It’s almost as if they don’t want tourism… most difficult visa process I have EVER been in including the US visa. It’s 2022, make things easier and get a working website that actually helps speed the process especially if you’re hosting an event as big as Comrades. No wonder they always have more entries than starters at the race, people do not have time to go through this incredibly difficult process.

Reading the reviews and going through my own disappointing attempts to get someone on the line it's scarcely believable. I find it tragic that for a country which could really use the investment and jobs, neither the phone lines nor email addresses listed work. But somehow the website can be updated to give notice of when these 'officials' will be away celebrating their holidays? How about showing some of the Ubuntu spirit written about on the introductory page. Best improve fast ,this is a poor reflection on SA

I paid a visit to the embassy on 10 Nov 22. Everyone went out of their way to assist me and I would like to convey special thanks to Ms Santiago for her assistance and kindness, Remember to make an appointment online before your visit. Appointments are from Mon - Thu: 8:00 - 12:30 and Inquiries are Mon - Thu between 1:30 and 3:30 pm

The staff here are incredibly rude over the phone. My wife called the embassy FOR DAYS with no luck, eventually when someone picked up the phone, the lady over the phone was so rude and disrespectful. When my wife asked a simple question, she was yelled at, and the person hung up. How are these people still working there?

I am from South Africa and absolutely appalled with the service, or lack there of should I say. I am waiting for my new passport to arrive and when calling to hopefully get some assistance and find out the status, I couldn’t understand what she was saying on the phone, so when asking her to repeat it, I get told that she’s not there to repeat herself for every phone call and I must look on the website for the information! Then I get told that I made the choice to leave South Africa and must deal with it! Wow!! Absolutely shocking!!!

I received my passport after about 5 months. Happy with the service. Compliments to both Ms. Ramaru and Ms. Santiago

Beautifully renovated Embassy. The statue of Mandela is stunning, moving and unforgettable. One can't park on Massaschusetts, but the embassy net door could be used as a temporary spot for a photo op.

This is by far the worst experience I've had applying for Visa. The people that work there are lazy, incompetent, and extremely difficult to work with. First of all, don't even bother with applying via the e-Visa. They will take your credit card payment and leave your application hanging. You must GO in person! No one is answering the phone call. To actually get in touch with a live person, you have to call the emergency line. The workers there are exceptionally rude, incompetent, and in general doesn't want to do anything. A email reply may take days to weeks to get a response. The application itself is long and tedious. Some of the things that they request are completely absurd . For example, why is it that they need to ask for your grandparents death certificate? You have represented your country well my friends.