Need a Schengen visa urgently?

The deadlines that apply

• Earliest: six months before you travel.
• Latest: as a rule, 15 calendar days before you travel.
• Appointment: the Visa Code says it should, as a rule, take place within two weeks of when you ask for it.
• Decision: within 15 calendar days of submitting a complete application. That can be extended to 45 days in individual cases that need more scrutiny.

In practice, appointments at South African visa centres can run further out than two weeks in peak season, particularly before the December holidays and the European summer. That gap is where most urgent cases are won or lost.

What urgency can and cannot buy

Nobody can buy a faster decision. The consulate's timeline is the consulate's, and no agent changes it.

What you can shorten is everything before the decision. That means finding an earlier appointment as slots open up, having documents ready to submit the moment you get one, and making sure the file is complete so the consulate has no reason to ask for more. A request for further documents is the most common reason a decision takes longer than 15 days.

Some visa centres sell premium or out-of-hours appointments, which can be worth paying for. The Visa Code also lets a consulate see an applicant immediately, or without an appointment, in justified cases of urgency. That is at the consulate's discretion and is meant for genuine emergencies such as serious illness or a death in the family, not for late planning.

How our last-minute service works

• An honest assessment, first, of whether your dates are realistic.
• Priority handling of your case.
• The earliest available appointment slots identified and booked.
• A fast-tracked review of your documents, so you go in with a complete file.

If the dates cannot work, we will say so before you pay, and tell you what would have to move.

What our Schengen service costs

From R2,250 per person when there is time to book a normal appointment, up to R4,950 per person for a last-minute application. Embassy and visa-centre fees are separate and paid directly to them.

The quote is free and carries no obligation. UK, US, Canada and Australia applications are quoted per case.

Prices are a guide and subject to change. Your fee depends on your individual needs and circumstances, and you are quoted for your case, in writing, before any work starts.

Mistakes that make it worse

• Applying to the wrong country because it has earlier appointments. Your application belongs to the country of your main destination, where you spend the most time. A consulate that is not responsible will not process it.
• Booking non-refundable travel before the visa is issued, when you could still choose refundable fares.
• Submitting an incomplete file to save time. A request for more documents costs more time than getting the file right first.