About
Location :
Added by Jopie, at 20 July 2016
Opening Hours
- Monday 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Tuesday 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Wednesday 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Thursday 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Friday 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM
- Saturday Closed
- Sunday Closed
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16 Reviews
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07 July 2021
Dealing with the South African Embassy in Washington DC has been excellent!
From the first email communication with Mr. Singh, it was obvious that it was an efficient and professional office.
Upon arrival for my interview today, I was welcomed with kindness in a calm environment, and in a very timely manner!
Excellent experience! THANK YOU!response / report this review -
14 May 2021
I have never experienced such an easy and smooth process! David is amazing and very efficient! I am beyond happy that I’m from Texas and that it falls under the jurisdiction of this embassy!
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07 April 2021
I’ve been emailing and calling the offices for information and guidance regarding a passport renewal. It’s been weeks now and I haven’t received a response. I thought dealing with your own would be way easier but the attitude and professionalism sucks.
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07 April 2021
I live in Texas and needed the dates on by tourist visa corrected before travel. The day I sent my passport back to the embassy to adjust the dates, they were hit with a confirmed case or COVID and shut down all operations and the building itself. When I became aware of this, I called the emergency number on the website and eventually received a call with the visa officer who had processed my initial application. He was nothing short of amazing! From listening and valuing my concerns in regards to a tight time frame, to following up multiple times a day, he was very hands on and communicative. He went above and beyond to connected with his team and find a solution to my problem. I was very pleased with my experience!
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20 February 2021
It has been 3 days that I am trying to reach someone at the embassy and the Consulate office. No one is there to to answer the phone. The number to the embassy in DC is in 619 area code which is San Diego, California. Good luck trying to get some help from this worthless office.
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06 October 2017
Going back to 2013, the staff at this embassy has always been courteous and forthcoming in assisting my wife and me with our temporary residence retired person permit applications. We like to especially single out Thekla and David for going the extra mile in making the process as painless as possible. Plus they are both very personable and easy to work with. We hope they will both stay with the embassy to help dispel the negative reviews posted by others.
There is one thing, though, the embassy could do to spare others the frustration of waiting 12 long weeks for an FBI report that is no longer printed on blue secure paper: Put this information on its web site, along with a note advising applicants to go through an FBI channeler, who will capture their fingerprints electronically and process their background check and print the report on blue secure paper, all in 5 business days.or less.response / report this review -
09 September 2017
Horrible service un processional people who works there is like a shame to give good service.Why don't you close your embassy and move back to South Africa and after two years I still wait for my unbridge birth certificate. These people are incompetent for doing there job. Never in life had I deal with such idiots.
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23 August 2017
Typical South African gov dept - absolutely useless bunch. I sent away for forms to get fingerprinted. Forms got to them in 3 days. It has been now 4 weeks - Nothing. You'd think that to but 4 pieces of paper into a self addressed envelope and drop it in a Post delivery would take like 30 minutes??? Wish theyd close down and send these people home
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09 August 2017
This place is so POORLY MAINTAINED. There's no one at the front desk when you enter the building and nobody to tell you what to do while you're just sitting and waiting! One person in a room from behind the door shouts "NEXT" and visitors there have to figure out who is after who, there is no token whatsoever!
I provided them with 5-6 different documents that all mentioned my travel dates but they still gave me a visa for the wrong date. I only found that out after going to Johannesburg where I was denied entry into the country. I called them back from there to see how long it will take to correct that mistake and reissue a visa for me and they said it will take 4-6 weeks, whereas, the website says 5-10 business days. When I told them that, all they had to say was that the website is wrong and that they have to change it. They were not at all considerate or sorry about what happened to me. When I started complaining and told them that they need to run the place more efficiently, they hung up the phone on me!
If there was a way to give 0 stars, that's what I would have given them.
I hope nobody else has to go through what I went through so whatever you get back from them (visa or something else), read it front and back. They don't care if they made a mistake or how much it cost you, when it comes to taking responsibility --they sure are not going to take it!response / report this review -
25 May 2017
RUDE!!!!!! The man who answers in line 2 is rude, does not know how to treat people. I called requesting information for visas, he made fun of me and treated me lousy. I hope the Ambassador reads the comments and is aware of the type of staff they have. I want to visit South Africa, to spend the money, but if people there is like him i'l l look somewhere else to visit.
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28 March 2017
I have applied for my children"s passports in December 2016, received them in March 2017. I had the pleasure of dealing with Christie Santiago, and she exceeded my expectations, I called her and explained my situation, my children has not been since 2014 and they were looking forward to see family during summer break.I missed a few forms, which she sent to me with instructions, how cool is that, and I think she runs that passport department really well. I flew to South Africa to renew my passport there as it expired in Feb and could not risk waiting 4-6 months, got my passport in 5 working days. Christie thank you so much for ending my stress, the kids was screaming when they saw the passports. 10/10 for you.
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27 December 2016
If you are planning to get a visa to SA, pay no attention to what the website lists to apply. You will need to go to embassy to get the correct
documents and forms you will need to apply for a visa. Make damn sure you ask for ALL of the documents you will need such as id of person inviting you into the country,the amount of money needed/mo to meet their requirements to sustain yourself,etc. Must have original FBI background check---no copies allowed.Ask a lot of questions because they make it frustratingly difficult to correctly apply.response / report this review -
08 December 2016
I will review 0 is I can.
I flew to DC from Houston just for my visitor visa to South Africa. Before they look at your materials they would give you a new checklist and application form because they clearly know what they need are different from they posted on their website!!!! So if you don't have the right checklist, don't risk going there to get the visa. Every document needs to be notarized, even if in English version. I went there multiple times yesterday morning just to get every document as they want, they will ask something different every time you go there.
I am a F-1 student and both of my I-20 and U.S visa says it will expire in 2020 as long as I am a F-1 student. In the end, they refuse to give me a South Africa visitor visa because they said my I-20 document and US visa is invalid and expired because I didn't renew it annually (NOTE: they are not taking about the travel signature at the end of i-20, they are talking about the actual I-20 document). THIS IS ABSOLUTELY THE MOST INTERESTING JOKE I'VE EVER HEARD. It is useless to argue, they won't listen. If my I-20 is invalid, how can I stay in the US???? I think they are very ignorant!! I will not try to apply again, I think they just make up things that doesn't exist!response / report this review -
07 December 2016
AFWUL, do NOT go here; visit someplace else instead. I am South African, my wife is not. We've tried (and failed) to get a visitor's visa for her.
The website lists one set of requirements, when you get there (after FLYING to DC + hotel expenses etc.) they hand you a DIFFERENT set of requirements. After completing those new requirements, they make up random new (and impossible) ones, and deny your visa just for fun.
The phone numbers are not accurate on the website, people hang up on you when you do get through, and they are rude and offensive all around. Unbelievable.
I really wanted to take my future wife to see South Africa, but they clearly don't want to have her visit. Is there a way to complain? No. Is there any hope of improvement with this lot? No. If you HAVE to go to South Africa, then good luck. If you have a choice, go someplace else where they actually respect you, and don't treat you like you're sub-human.response / report this review -
22 August 2016
Mixed reactions here. They post dated my visa and made me miss my flight and this cost me over 2500$. Good thing ongoing back the following day they were able to issue another one immediately. Something that never happens.
Check your visa date.response / report this review -
27 July 2016
Dismall at best.. I have been trying for 4 months now just to get the forms ro renew my SA passport and ID book.
After 27 self addeessed stamped envelopes and over 30 calls, and having spoken to Christie Santiago on several occassions and being told she will send the required forms, to date not one form has been received.. Where are these envelopes going to or what is happening to them and the so called promised forms??response / report this review
