How to Apply

The Australian High Commission is pleased to announce the launch of new arrangements to improve Australian visa services across South Africa and some other Countries in the African Continent.

Effective 18th April 2005, applicants for all categories of an Australian visa except refugee, humanitarian and emergency should turn in their applications at an Australian Visa Application Centre. Applicants can lodge applications through the following means.


1. Using TNT International Express Courier Service 

VFS has made special arrangements with TNT International Couriers to offer collection and delivery Service for Clients residing in South Africa, for detailed procedure Click here. Kindly be informed that the collection can be arranged ONLY after the appropriate procedure has been followed by the applicant. The completed application with the requisite documentation mentioned below, once received by VFS (on or before 3pm) will be sent to Australian High Commission for assessment on the same day who will receive it on the next working day.
(Note: Applicants residing outside South Africa can still lodge with VFS using a courier of their (applicants) choice. Please refer to Point 2 below i.e. Using Other Courier Agencies preferred by applicants for more details in regards to the same.)

Each application must include the following:

• Completed Visa application form ( Download the most recent updated forms).
• Photograph/s (not more than six months old)
• Completed and signed checklist (click here)
• Passport
• Documents as listed on the checklist.
• Acknowledgement of deposit of Visa fee, VFS administrative fee, and Courier fee (two way) in the VFS Account, for details please refer to Visa fee

Please address your application(s) to the Johannesburg Application Centre. TNT will issue an Air Way Bill as an acknowledgement of receipt of your application. Applicants can track progress of their applications using the Air Way Bill Number and the Passport Number.

TNT will collect and deliver only between 08:00 - 17:00 Hrs, Monday to Friday barring holidays, Please refer to the Holiday List. TNT would return the applications back to the address provided by you after the assessment by the Australian High Commission, Pretoria.

2. Using Other Courier Agencies preferred by applicants: 

Applications can be couriered by the applicants to VFS using a Courier Agency of their (applicants) choice. This is applicable to both applicants residing outside South Africa as well as applicants residing in South Africa. The application needs to be addressed to Johannesburg Application Center. The completed application with the requisite documentation mentioned below, once received by VFS (on or before 3pm) will be sent to Australian High Commission for assessment on the same day who will receive it on the next working day. The application, after assessment by the Australian High Commission in Pretoria would be returned to the Johannesburg Application Centre. Applicants must make arrangements with the Courier agency of their choice for return delivery of passports. The representative of that Courier agency must provide VFS with an authorization letter signed by the applicant authorizing the courier agency to collect the passport from our Application Centre on behalf of the applicant.

Each application must include the following:

• Completed Visa application form ( Download the most recent updated forms). .
• Photograph/s (not more than six months old)
• Completed and signed checklist (click here)
• Passport
• Documents as listed on the checklist.
• Acknowledgement of deposit of Visa fee, VFS administrative fee, for details please refer to Visa fee
• Signed letter authorizing VFS to handover the passport to the representative of the preferred courier.

3. By Visiting the Australian Visa Application Centers:

Applicants or their representative can visit the Australian Visa Application Centre located at these addresses to submit their applications.

Each application must include the following: