Sweden Visa Requirements for South Africans
Sweden requires a visa for South Africans
South African passport holders require a visa to enter Sweden. Where you lodge the application, what it costs and how long it takes are set out below.
- Entry requirement
- Visa Required
- Stay allowed
- 90 days in any 180-day period
- Passport validity
- Valid for at least 3 months after you leave the Schengen Area, and issued within the last 10 years
Want someone to handle it? See our Schengen visa application service →
Applying for a Sweden visa in South Africa
- Where the application is decided
- Embassy of Sweden, Pretoria (enquiries go to the Embassy of Sweden in Nairobi)
- Where you lodge it
- VFS Global
- Application centres
- Pretoria, Cape Town and Durban
- Visa fee (adult)
- EUR 90
- Visa fee (child 6–11)
- EUR 45 (aged 6 to 11)
- Processing time
- Up to 15 calendar days
The Embassy of Sweden in Pretoria does not take Schengen visa applications and will not answer questions about them — everything goes through VFS Global, and enquiries to the Swedish embassy in Nairobi. The same centres handle Estonia.
If your case is not straightforward
The application is the same for everyone. What differs is how you prove income and ties. These cover the situations that need building differently:
Source: swedenabroad.se. Checked 13 August 2026. If you spot something out of date, tell us at help@getvisa.co.za.
Information last reviewed: . Always verify with the relevant embassy before travelling.