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.