You have settled in South Africa, Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia or Zimbabwe. Welcome! Regular contact between Swiss citizens abroad and the Regional Consular Centre Southern Africa in Pretoria or the Consulate General in Cape Town is of enormous mutual value. Swiss citizens who are resident abroad for at least one year are required to register with their local Swiss representation.

We need the following documents before we can register you:

1. The completed, signed and dated registration form:  Registration form (pdf, 122 Kb)
2. Your certificate of origin, if you have it. This document will be kept at this representation until you move back to Switzerland or on to a third country (if applicable).
3. Your Swiss passport or identity card (issued after 1 January 1995, in credit card format), as well of those of the members of your family who are also registering with us.

If you are unable to print out the registration form, please let us know by telephone or email. We will be happy to send you the documents by post.

Please submit the original documents (not copies) by registered mail to:

For Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North-West, Free State, Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Swaziland and Zambia:
Regional Consular Center Southern Africa 
c/o Embassy of Switzerland 
P.O. Box 2508
Brooklyn Square 0075
South Africa 

For Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Western Cape and Namibia:
Consulate General of Switzerland
P.O. Box 563
Cape Town 8000, South Africa

Your identity documents will be returned to you immediately by registered mail. You can also register in person at the Regional Consular Centre or at the Consulate General during office opening hours.

 Information sheet for new arrivals

Expatriate Swiss are required by law – and requested in their own interests – to register the following with the Regional Consular Centre Southern Africa or the Consulate General:

1. All changes of address (including new email addresses) should, wherever possible, be reported on line using the corresponding form. All Swiss citizens abroad who are registered with a Swiss representation will then receive the Swiss Revue magazine, published by the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA) free of charge. This magazine keeps you up to date with information about Switzerland. 
    Online change of address form – Regional Consular Centre 
    Online change of address form – Consulate General
2. The originals of all documents relevant to changes of civil status such as births, marriage, divorce, etc. must be sent by registered mail to the Regional Consular Centre or to the Consulate General. Click on the following link to find out which documents must be submitted to the Regional Consular Centre or to the Consulate General:  
    Civil status matters 
3. You can report your departure from the consular district or the fact that you have gained or relinquished foreign citizenship to the Regional Consular Centre or Consulate General by sending an email to  southernafrica@eda.admin.ch or  cap.vertretung@eda.admin.ch respectively.

We hope you enjoy your stay in South Africa, Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia or Zimbabwe!

Should you have any further questions, please feel free to contact our staff on +27 (0)12 452 06 61 (consular matters) or +27 (0)12 452 06 62 (visa enquiries) or by sending an email to  southernafrica@eda.admin.ch. Do not hesitate to call upon our services if you are in difficulties.

 
The Swiss Revue is a magazine for Swiss nationals abroad who are registered with their local Swiss representation. It is published four times a year, free of charge, by the Secretariat for the Swiss Abroad. The aim of the Swiss Revue is to keep Swiss citizens abroad up to date about major developments in our country. It covers a wide range of areas such as politics, business, the arts, society, etc. It examines the laws, rights and obligations which directly interest and impact on Swiss expatriates. In the sense of an official publication, it also often publicises official deadlines that must be met (e.g. for submissions to the authorities, or dates on which legislation comes into force).

A Swiss expatriate cannot claim that they did not know about a particular ruling or a particular deadline if it has been published in the Swiss Revue.

We strongly recommend that you read the Swiss Revue closely on a regular basis.

 Swiss Revue

 Information sources for the Swiss Abroad

 
 Advice for Swiss nationals living abroad (pdf, 1931 Kb) (de)

 Useful links for the Swiss abroad

 FAQ – consular issues (pdf, 57 Kb)

 Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA)

 Warning relating to data phishing