As travellers with Indian passports, K and I have to apply for visas to most countries. In addition to being an extra expense, getting visas is time consuming, requires advance planning, organising a ton of paperwork, queuing up at visa offices, not to mention the added suspense of whether the visa has been granted or not. So whenever possible, whilst planning vacations, I try to keep visa issues to a minimum.
On yet another Gautrain trip to the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) in Pretoria, a place I seem to frequenting quite often these days, I realised how the Gautrain stations, especially Hatfield, are so conveniently located and connected to the embassies and consulates of other countries. This filled me with relief and happiness as it meant that when applying for a Schengen to Germany for an upcoming holiday, we would not need to drive through peak time traffic to Centurian and hence, would not have to risk getting late for an 8am appointment! There is nothing worse than sitting in your car, staring at long queues and hoping you make it in time for the application.
A little research has helped me put together this non-exhaustive list of Embassies/visa offices that can be easily reached via Gautrain. So the next time wanderlust takes over, why not use the train!
(if the Embassy you are looking for is not listed below, please check the address and the Gautrain maps to see if travelling by train is possible)
In & around Hatfield
Department of Home Affairs (serviced by VFS) – from the station take the H-1 bus route
Brazil – from the station take the H-2 bus route
Canada – from the station take the H-1 bus route
Cuba – from the station take the H-1 bus route, and then a 5mins walk from the H1-3 stop
Croatia – from the station take the H-3 bus route
Czech Republic – from the station take the H-3 bus route
Cyprus – from the station take the H-5 bus route, walk 5mins
Denmark – from the station take the H-1 bus route
Ethiopia – from the station take the H-1 bus route
Mexico – from the station take the H-1 bus route
Namibia – from the station take the H-3 bus route
Poland – from the station take the H-3 bus route
Russia – from the station take the H-2 bus route
Singapore – from the station take the H-3 bus route
Spain – from the station take the H-1 bus route
Sweden – from the station take the H-1 bus route
Switzerland – from the station take the H-1 bus route
Thailand – from the station take the H-3 bus route
Ukraine – from the station take the H-5 bus route, short walk
In & around Pretoria
South Korea – from the station take the P-4 bus route
In & around Centurian
Germany – from the station take the C-3 bus route
Sandton
France – 10m walk from the station
Italy – 10m walk from the station
UK – from the station take the S-3 bus route
US – short walk from the station
For information on Gautrain and how to use it, please read my previous post here.
Useful guide. Thank you,
Sara Essop
Glad you think it’s useful Sara. Thanks for stopping by.