Application Process

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Step 1: Download list of required documents
Step 2: Complete the online application form on ApplyVisa.um.dk
Step 3: Pay the visa fee online using a credit or debit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express; Dankort and JCB)
Step 4: Print and sign the cover letter
Step 5: Using the list of required documents, start to gather all the supporting documents needed for your application
Step 6: Make an appointment with VFS to do biometrics, and hand in the signed cover letter, photo and all supporting documents. 
Step 7: Collect your visa

NOTE!

You must appear in person at VFS for submissions if you have never had a Schengen visa previously. If you have had your biometrics done for a Schengen visa within the last 59 months you may submit via third-party.

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Step 1 - Download list of required documents

Download the list of required documents:

• Checklists (Red Carpet, Business, Tourism, Visiting Family and Friend) 

In the checklists you will also find informations on which documents must be provided when travelling with minors etc. 

 

South African passport for minors (under 16) are accepted for visas. However, in order for the minor to legally enter Denmark on the mentioned passport, the applicant will have to sign on the visa page upon collecting. Therefore, all minors between the age of 5 and 16, who DO NOT have their signature in their passport will have to collect their visas personally at the VFS Centre in order to sign on the sticker.

Parents travelling alone with a child/children

Step 2 & 3 - Apply online and pay

Complete the online application form on Applyvisa.um.dk and pay the visa fee.

The fee for applying for a visa can be found here. Please note that there is an extra service fee added when applying through VFS. Please see the fee structure for VFS here.

NOTE!

The visa fee must be paid online, even if applicants are fee exempt. The amount will be refunded when the Consulate has verified that the applicant is indeed fee exempt based on the submitted documentation. Please note that VFS will charge an administration fee regardless.

Step 4 - Print coverletter

Print the coverletter and sign it.

 

Step 5 - Collect supporting documents

It is essential that you collect all of the documents relevant to your visa application before submitting it to the Danish Visa Application Centre - VFS.

If all supporting documents are not presented promptly, your application upon examination may be delayed unnecessarily and a delay of more than 5 working days could result in your application being rejected.

NOTE!
The travel document must be valid three months after the last intended date of departure.

Step 6 - Submit your application

You can now submit your visa application in person at the Danish Visa Application Centre (VFS) in Pretoria, Cape Town or Durban. Please use the online booking system for making an appointment.

If you apply in Durban and Cape Town, the process will take 2 additional days, as the passport must be couriered to and from Pretoria.

Submission to the Danish Immigration Service and Schengen Consultation

In some cases, the Consulate is obliged to sumbit the application to the Danish Immigration Service (DIS). This applies to but is not limited to applications in which a minor is travelling alone.

Schengen Consultation
Some nationals are subject to prior consultation in one of more Schengen countries, before a visa can be issued. The consultation takes around 8-10 days. Please see the list of countries.

Some applicants will need further processing by the Danish Immigration Service. In these instances, the application process may take considerably longer. Therefore, it is advisable to apply in good time  just to make sure that you application has been finalised before you are scheduled to travel.

You must appear in person at VFS for submissions, if you have never had a Schengen visa previously. If you have had your biometrics done for a Schengen visa within the last 59 months you may submit via third-party. But the submission fee must be paid regardless.

If the application is not complete, VFS will fill in a missing documents' form and ask you to sign. You will be requested to reappear with the required documents or alternative courier them to the VFS office where you have applied.

 NOTE!

• If you chose to send the missing documentation by e-mail to the VFS or the Consulate ([email protected]), it will be via an unencrypted connection.
• Applications can be submitted 6 month before departure at the earliest.

Step 7 - Collect your visa

 You will be informed when your visa is ready for collection, or alternatively it will be couriered to you, if you have opted and paid for courier services.

 

Service Delivery

In some cases, when the Embassy is not able to process the visa as bona fide, the application will be sent to the Danish Immigration Service in Copenhagen for processing. Please note that this could take a further 45 days. Read more about processing times.