Passport guide · South African
South African passport: 98 visa-free destinations
Holders of a South Africa passport have easy entry to 98 countries — 60 visa-free and 38 with visa on arrival. Below is the full, sourced list plus e-visa and visa-required countries.
60visa-free
38visa on arrival
29e-visa
71visa required
Visa-free destinations
Countries a South African passport holder can enter without arranging any visa in advance. Day-limit shown where available.
- AngolaVisa-free · 30 days
- Antigua and BarbudaVisa-free · 180 days
- ArgentinaVisa-free · 90 days
- BahamasVisa-free · 90 days
- BarbadosVisa-free · 180 days
- BelizeVisa-free
- BeninVisa-free · 90 days
- BotswanaVisa-free · 90 days
- BrazilVisa-free · 90 days
- ChileVisa-free · 90 days
- Costa RicaVisa-free · 180 days
- DominicaVisa-free · 180 days
- Dominican RepublicVisa-free
- EcuadorVisa-free · 90 days
- El SalvadorVisa-free · 180 days
- FijiVisa-free · 120 days
- GabonVisa-free · 30 days
- GambiaVisa-free · 90 days
- GeorgiaVisa-free · 360 days
- GhanaVisa-free · 90 days
- GrenadaVisa-free · 90 days
- GuatemalaVisa-free · 90 days
- GuyanaVisa-free · 30 days
- HaitiVisa-free · 90 days
- HondurasVisa-free · 90 days
- Hong KongVisa-free · 30 days
- IsraelVisa-free · 90 days
- JamaicaVisa-free
- KiribatiVisa-free · 90 days
- LesothoVisa-free
- MacaoVisa-free · 30 days
- MalawiVisa-free · 90 days
- MalaysiaVisa-free · 90 days
- MauritiusVisa-free · 90 days
- MicronesiaVisa-free · 30 days
- MozambiqueVisa-free
- NamibiaVisa-free · 90 days
- NicaraguaVisa-free · 90 days
- PalestineVisa-free
- PanamaVisa-free · 90 days
- ParaguayVisa-free · 90 days
- PeruVisa-free · 180 days
- PhilippinesVisa-free · 30 days
- RussiaVisa-free · 90 days
- RwandaVisa-free · 30 days
- Saint Kitts and NevisVisa-free · 90 days
- Saint LuciaVisa-free · 42 days
- Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesVisa-free · 90 days
- SeychellesVisa-free · 90 days
- SingaporeVisa-free · 30 days
- SwazilandVisa-free · 30 days
- TanzaniaVisa-free · 90 days
- ThailandVisa-free · 60 days
- Trinidad and TobagoVisa-free · 90 days
- TunisiaVisa-free · 90 days
- UruguayVisa-free · 90 days
- VanuatuVisa-free · 120 days
- VenezuelaVisa-free · 90 days
- ZambiaVisa-free · 90 days
- ZimbabweVisa-free · 90 days
Visa on arrival
Visa issued at the border — typically quick, fee-paid, and no embassy visit required. Still bring passport photos, proof of onward travel, and hotel bookings.
- ArmeniaVisa on arrival
- BoliviaVisa on arrival
- BurundiVisa on arrival
- CambodiaVisa on arrival
- Cape VerdeVisa on arrival
- ComorosVisa on arrival
- DjiboutiVisa on arrival
- EgyptVisa on arrival
- EthiopiaVisa on arrival
- Guinea-BissauVisa on arrival
- IndonesiaVisa on arrival
- IranVisa on arrival
- Ivory CoastVisa on arrival
- JordanVisa on arrival
- KenyaVisa on arrival
- KyrgyzstanVisa on arrival
- LaosVisa on arrival
- MadagascarVisa on arrival
- MaldivesVisa on arrival
- Marshall IslandsVisa on arrival
- MauritaniaVisa on arrival
- NepalVisa on arrival
- NigeriaVisa on arrival
- OmanVisa on arrival
- PakistanVisa on arrival
- PalauVisa on arrival
- Papua New GuineaVisa on arrival
- QatarVisa on arrival
- SamoaVisa on arrival
- Saudi ArabiaVisa on arrival
- SenegalVisa on arrival
- Sierra LeoneVisa on arrival
- SomaliaVisa on arrival
- South KoreaVisa on arrival
- Sri LankaVisa on arrival
- TajikistanVisa on arrival
- Timor-LesteVisa on arrival
- TuvaluVisa on arrival
e-Visa destinations
Apply online before you travel. Usually approved within a few days, cheaper and faster than an embassy visa.
- Albaniae-Visa
- Australiae-Visa
- Azerbaijane-Visa
- Bahraine-Visa
- Bhutane-Visa
- Burkina Fasoe-Visa
- Cameroone-Visa
- Colombiae-Visa
- Cubae-Visa
- DR Congoe-Visa
- Equatorial Guineae-Visa
- Guineae-Visa
- Indiae-Visa
- Iraqe-Visa
- Japane-Visa
- Kazakhstane-Visa
- Libyae-Visa
- Moldovae-Visa
- Mongoliae-Visa
- Myanmare-Visa
- Sao Tome and Principee-Visa
- South Sudane-Visa
- Surinamee-Visa
- Syriae-Visa
- Togoe-Visa
- Turkeye-Visa
- Ugandae-Visa
- United Arab Emiratese-Visa
- Vietname-Visa
Visa required — 71 destinations
embassy visa needed · click to expand
These destinations require a full visa from an embassy or consulate in advance. Entries marked ✓ have been re-verified against an official government source.
- AfghanistanVisa required
- AlgeriaVisa required
- AndorraVisa required
- AustriaVisa required
- BangladeshVisa required
- BelarusVisa required
- BelgiumVisa required
- Bosnia and HerzegovinaVisa required
- BruneiVisa required
- BulgariaVisa required
- CanadaVisa required
- Central African RepublicVisa required
- ChadVisa required
- ChinaVisa required
- CongoVisa required
- CroatiaVisa required
- CyprusVisa required
- Czech RepublicVisa required
- DenmarkVisa required
- EritreaVisa required
- EstoniaVisa required
- FinlandVisa required
- FranceVisa required
- GermanyVisa required
- GreeceVisa required
- HungaryVisa required
- IcelandVisa required
- IrelandVisa required
- ItalyVisa required
- KosovoVisa required
- KuwaitVisa required
- LatviaVisa required
- LebanonVisa required
- LiberiaVisa required
- LiechtensteinVisa required
- LithuaniaVisa required
- LuxembourgVisa required
- MaliVisa required
- MaltaVisa required
- MexicoVisa required
- MonacoVisa required
- MontenegroVisa required
- MoroccoVisa required
- NauruVisa required
- NetherlandsVisa required
- New ZealandVisa required
- NigerVisa required
- North KoreaVisa required
- North MacedoniaVisa required
- NorwayVisa required
- PolandVisa required
- PortugalVisa required
- RomaniaVisa required
- San MarinoVisa required
- SerbiaVisa required
- SlovakiaVisa required
- SloveniaVisa required
- Solomon IslandsVisa required
- SpainVisa required
- SudanVisa required
- SwedenVisa required
- SwitzerlandVisa required
- TaiwanVisa required
- TongaVisa required
- TurkmenistanVisa required
- UkraineVisa required
- United KingdomVisa required
- United StatesVisa required
- UzbekistanVisa required
- VaticanVisa required
- YemenVisa required
Frequently asked questions
How many countries can South African passport holders visit visa-free?
South African passport holders have visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to approximately 98 countries — 60 visa-free and 38 visa-on-arrival. Notable visa-free destinations include Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados.
Is the South African passport strong?
The South African passport is moderately powerful, covering 98 destinations for easy entry. Pairing it with a residence permit (UAE, Schengen, US Green Card) significantly expands access.
Do I need an ETA or e-visa for some countries?
Yes. 29 destinations require an e-visa (online application before arrival) for South African passport holders. These are typically quicker than embassy visas but still need to be arranged before travel.
Which countries require a full visa in advance?
71 countries require South African passport holders to obtain a visa from an embassy before travelling. Check the destination embassy's website for specific requirements and processing times.
Can a residence permit or second visa unlock extra countries?
Yes — several residence permits grant bonus visa-free access regardless of your South African passport. See our guides for UAE residence, US Green Card, and Schengen residence permit to learn which countries unlock for each.
How accurate is this list?
Entries marked with a ✓ badge have been re-verified against an official government source (embassy, ministry, or visa portal) and link to that source. Entries without the badge come from the community-maintained open-source Passport Index Dataset — a reasonable starting point but not individually verified. Rules change frequently. Always confirm with the destination embassy before booking travel.