Consular Services

Please note the Embassy has moved premises. Our new address is 

Embassy of Ireland, 2^nd Floor, Building A, 238, Florence Ribeiro Avenue

Nieuw Muckleneuk Pretoria South Africa

Our phone lines are closed until further notice. Queries should be submitted in writing through the Contact Us facility. All emails will be responded to within 24-48 hours. In the event of a genuine emergency involving an Irish citizen please call +27 12 452 1000 and leave a message, and a duty officer will respond as soon as possible. The Embassy's public office is closed to the general public. You can request an appointment to collect or deliver documents in person by emailing pretoriaappointments@dfa.ie. You can also submit and collect documents by courier between 9.00 a.m. and 12 noon, Monday to Thursday. Payments must be made by EFT.

Passports

From 1st April 2022, all Irish Passport Renewals and First Time applications for adults and children will be moving to Passport Online. Passport Online is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. For More information queries should be submitted in writing through the Contact Us facility.

Travel to South Africa and COVID-19

The Department of Foreign Affairs advises that a high degree of caution is taken when travelling to South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Botswana based on the current assessment of COVID-19 risks due to the Omicron variant.

Department of Foreign Affairs services and practical supports to all Irish citizens travelling abroad can be found on Travel-dfa.ie.

VISAS

Please note that as from midnight on the 21st December the requirement for South African/ Botswana and Lesotho nationals to have a visa to enter Ireland has been removed see following link: https://www.irishimmigration.ie/minister-mcentee-signs-order-reversing-visa-requirements-for-some-southern-african-nationalities/

Persons in these categories will, of course, have to comply with all relevant health measures in place for international travellers. 

gov.ie - Current rules for travelling to Ireland (www.gov.ie).

Travel to Ireland

From 6 March 2022, international travellers to Ireland will no longer be required to show proof of vaccination, recovery or a negative PCR test upon arrival.

There will no longer be any requirement to complete a COVID-19 Passenger Locator Form for travel to Ireland. 

COVID-19

South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Botswana continue to experience community transmission of COVID-19 and a number of restrictions are in place to control the spread of the virus. The lockdown measures remain under review and are adjusted from time to time. In weighing decisions to travel to at this time, Irish citizens should take into consideration the risk of restrictions being introduced during their travel and, also, the impact which responding to COVID-19 may have on local health care systems over the course of their proposed visit.

Before travelling, you are advised to confirm the requirements for entry to your country of destination with the appropriate nearest Embassy. Citizens intending to undertake essential travel to South Africa and the region should also be aware that all countries continue to adjust their COVID-19 lockdown measures in response to the rate of transmission of the virus, and it cannot be guaranteed that suspensions of international flights may not be re-imposed on short notice. Irish citizens travelling to South Africa and the region should also be aware of the requirements for re-entry to Ireland or to their country of normal residence following their trip.

We advise Irish citizens in South Africa and the region to respect lockdown regulations and follow public health requirements. The latest information on South Africa’s COVID-19 response and the restrictive measures in place is available at www.sacoronavirus.co.za. Also please see the  following link for frequently asked questions: https://sacoronavirus.co.za/2022/01/31/frequently-asked-questions-international-travel/

Foreign Birth Registrations

The acceptance of Foreign Birth Registration applications has resumed from Monday 15 November 2021. Your birth can be entered on the Foreign Births Register if you are eligible to become an Irish citizen. Find out what you need to do before you begin your online application at https://www.dfa.ie/citizenship/.