South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared a national state of disaster in South Africa in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The president has imposed a travel ban on foreign nationals from high-risk countries such as Italy, Iran, South Korea, Spain, Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom and China as from 18 March 2020.

Visas to visitors from the above countries from 15 March 2020 and previously granted visas have been revoked.

Any foreign national who has visited high-risk countries in the past 20 days will be denied a visa.

If you’re currently a traveller to or tourist in Cape Town and uncertain about what this means for you, we recommend the following:

Contact your embassy

Contact your embassy immediately to gain clarity on your visa status. Here is a list of telephone numbers for embassies in South Africa.

Country Telephone
Angola 021-425 8700
Austria 021-912 1351
Belgium 021-419 4690/1
Bulgaria 021-912 3030
Brazil 021-421 4040
Canada 021-945 4960
China 021-674 0988
Chile 021-554 3241
Colombia 072-1814-735
Cyprus 021-466 5225
Estonia 082-550 6363
Finland 021-671 7058
France 021-423 1575
Georgia 021-421 6355
Germany 021-405 3031
Ghana 021-671 6199
Greece 021-424 8160/1
Guatemala 082-966-1130
Hungary 021-886 8855
India 021-419 8110
Indonesia 021-761 1421
Italy 021-487 3900
Lithuania 021-439 9030
Japan 021-425 1695
Madagascar 021-674 7238
Malta 021-911 0631
Maldives 021-650 2076
Mauritius 021-438 8151
Mozambique 021-418 2131/2
Namibia 021-419 2810
Netherlands 021-421 5660
Norway 021-2008199
Paraguay 082-446 6631
Peru 082-444-9716
Philippines 021-433 2270
Portugal 021-418 0080/81
Romania 021-761 1781
Russia 021-418 3656
Seychelles 021-713 1583
Slovakia 021-715 8833
Slovenia 021-976 2249
Spain 021-422 2415
Sri Lanka 021-839 2921
Sudan 021-418 1347
Sweden 021-2008199
Switzerland 021-400 7500
Turkey 021-788 7069
United Kingdom 021-405 2400
USA 021-702 7446
Vanuatu 021-434 6517
Zimbabwe 021-461 1994/5
Contact your travel agent or airline

If you need to leave South Africa immediately but your flight is for a later date, contact your travel agent or airline to find out how to change your flights.

Emirates: 0861 040503

Turkish Airlines: 0860 666 828

Qatar Airways: +27 11 267 7700

SAA: 0861 359 722

Ethiopian Airlines:  +27 21 879 1520

British Airways: +27 21 936 9000

Get tested

Did you enter South Africa after mid-February 2020? Government recommends you present yourself for testing. Please call the National Coronavirus Hotline (0800 029 999) to find out how to get tested.