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Visa requirements · updated Aug 2026

Visa-Free Countries for the South Africa Passport 2026

The South Africa passport gives visa-free entry to 61 countries, plus easy access (on arrival / e-Visa) to 66 more. Ranked #97 worldwide. The full list with allowed stay is below.

61visa-free
66on arrival / eTA
127total access
South Africa passport ranking → Check a visa
VISAXSAug 2026
South Africa
Passport
61visa-free

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Visa-free · 61

Angola30 days→ Antigua and Barbuda180 days→ Argentina90 days→ Bahamas90 days→ Barbados180 days→ Belize90 days→ Benin90 days→ Botswana90 days→ Brazil90 days→ Chile90 days→ Costa Rica180 days→ Dominica180 days→ Dominican Republic90 days→ Ecuador90 days→ El Salvador180 days→ Fiji120 days→ Gabon30 days→ Gambia90 days→ Georgia360 days→ Ghana90 days→ Grenada90 days→ Guatemala90 days→ Guyana30 days→ Haiti90 days→ Honduras90 days→ Hong Kong30 days→ Israel90 days→ Jamaica90 days→ Kiribati90 days→ Lesotho90 days→ Macao30 days→ Malawi90 days→ Malaysia90 days→ Mauritius90 days→ Micronesia30 days→ Mozambique90 days→ Namibia90 days→ Nicaragua90 days→ Palestine90 days→ Panama90 days→ Paraguay90 days→ Peru180 days→ Philippines30 days→ Russia90 days→ Rwanda30 days→ Saint Kitts and Nevis90 days→ Saint Lucia42 days→ Saint Vincent and the Grenadines90 days→ Seychelles90 days→ Singapore30 days→ Swaziland30 days→ Tanzania90 days→ Thailand60 days→ Togo30 days→ Trinidad and Tobago90 days→ Tunisia90 days→ Uruguay90 days→ Vanuatu120 days→ Venezuela90 days→ Zambia90 days→ Zimbabwe90 days→

Also without an embassy

Visa on arrival or online (e-Visa / ETA) — quick to get.

Albania e-Visa / ETA · 90 days → Armenia Visa on arrival · 30 days → Australia e-Visa / ETA · 90 days → Azerbaijan e-Visa / ETA · 90 days → Bahrain e-Visa / ETA · 90 days → Bhutan e-Visa / ETA · 90 days → Bolivia Visa on arrival · 30 days → Burkina Faso e-Visa / ETA · 90 days → Burundi Visa on arrival · 30 days → Cambodia Visa on arrival · 30 days → Cameroon e-Visa / ETA · 90 days → Cape Verde Visa on arrival · 30 days → Colombia e-Visa / ETA · 90 days → Comoros Visa on arrival · 30 days → Cuba e-Visa / ETA · 90 days → DR Congo e-Visa / ETA · 90 days → Djibouti Visa on arrival · 30 days → Egypt Visa on arrival · 30 days → Equatorial Guinea e-Visa / ETA · 90 days → Ethiopia Visa on arrival · 30 days → Guinea e-Visa / ETA · 90 days → Guinea-Bissau Visa on arrival · 30 days → India e-Visa / ETA · 90 days → Indonesia Visa on arrival · 30 days → Iran Visa on arrival · 30 days → Iraq e-Visa / ETA · 90 days → Ivory Coast e-Visa / ETA · 90 days → Japan e-Visa / ETA · 90 days → Jordan Visa on arrival · 30 days → Kazakhstan e-Visa / ETA · 90 days → Kenya e-Visa / ETA · 90 days → Kyrgyzstan Visa on arrival · 30 days → Laos Visa on arrival · 30 days → Libya e-Visa / ETA · 90 days → Madagascar Visa on arrival · 30 days → Maldives Visa on arrival · 30 days → Marshall Islands Visa on arrival · 30 days → Mauritania Visa on arrival · 30 days → Moldova e-Visa / ETA · 90 days → Mongolia e-Visa / ETA · 90 days → Myanmar e-Visa / ETA · 90 days → Nepal Visa on arrival · 30 days → Nigeria Visa on arrival · 30 days → Oman Visa on arrival · 30 days → Pakistan e-Visa / ETA · 90 days → Palau Visa on arrival · 30 days → Papua New Guinea e-Visa / ETA · 90 days → Qatar Visa on arrival · 30 days → Samoa Visa on arrival · 30 days → Sao Tome and Principe e-Visa / ETA · 90 days → Saudi Arabia Visa on arrival · 30 days → Senegal Visa on arrival · 30 days → Sierra Leone Visa on arrival · 30 days → Somalia Visa on arrival · 30 days → South Korea e-Visa / ETA · 90 days → South Sudan e-Visa / ETA · 90 days → Sri Lanka Visa on arrival · 30 days → Suriname e-Visa / ETA · 90 days → Syria e-Visa / ETA · 90 days → Tajikistan Visa on arrival · 30 days → Timor-Leste Visa on arrival · 30 days → Turkey e-Visa / ETA · 90 days → Tuvalu Visa on arrival · 30 days → Uganda e-Visa / ETA · 90 days → United Arab Emirates e-Visa / ETA · 90 days → Vietnam e-Visa / ETA · 90 days →

Where South Africa citizens face the toughest visas

Schengen, the US and the UK count refusals separately. Here are all three rates for the South Africa passport in one place.

The hardest is the US — 11.7% of applications refused, against 3.8% at the most lenient one.

Schengen
5.2%
of applications refused
strictness rank: #101 of 118
-0.4 pp year-over-year
by filing country
United States
11.7%
of applications refused
strictness rank: #159 of 197
+1.0 pp year-over-year
B1/B2 visas
United Kingdom
3.8%
of applications refused
strictness rank: #119 of 119
+0.2 pp year-over-year
visitor visas
under 2 weeks until the next US interview · Johannesburg
1 rule changes recorded for this passport in our archive, 1 of them easing · the feed →
22 countries accept visa applications right inside South Africa

Schengen in detail: which state refuses South Africa citizens most

# Schengen state Applications Filed in Rate
1 Croatia 6,124 Pretoria 21.7% 2 Bulgaria 713 Pretoria 15.3% 3 Switzerland 8,223 Pretoria 11.0% 4 France 32,905 Cape Town, Johannesburg 8.3% 5 Poland 1,313 Pretoria 7.9% 6 Portugal 10,787 Cape Town, Johannesburg 7.2% 7 Belgium 4,782 Cape Town, Pretoria 6.0% 8 Norway 3,829 Pretoria 5.7% 9 Finland 1,845 Pretoria 5.3% 10 Romania 742 Pretoria 5.3% 11 Hungary 1,918 Pretoria 4.7% 12 Lithuania 235 Pretoria 3.8% 13 Austria 5,699 Pretoria 3.5% 14 Germany 24,717 Cape Town, Pretoria 3.5% 15 Italy 33,532 Cape Town, Johannesburg 3.0% 16 Netherlands 21,622 Cape Town, Pretoria 2.9% 17 Czech Republic 2,673 Pretoria 2.7% 18 Spain 21,450 Cape Town, Pretoria 2.3% 19 Greece 12,730 Cape Town, Johannesburg 1.8% 20 Slovakia 102 Pretoria 1.0% 21 Sweden 5 Pretoria 0.0%

Methodologies differ: the EC counts by place of filing, the State Department and Home Office by nationality. Read as orders of magnitude.

Where the South Africa passport still needs a visa · 71

These require a visa arranged in advance at an embassy or visa centre.

Afghanistan visa required → Algeria visa required → Andorra visa required → Austria visa required → Bangladesh visa required → Belarus visa required → Belgium visa required → Bosnia and Herzegovina visa required → Brunei visa required → Bulgaria visa required → Canada visa required → Central African Republic visa required → Chad visa required → China visa required → Congo visa required → Croatia visa required → Cyprus visa required → Czech Republic visa required → Denmark visa required → Eritrea visa required → Estonia visa required → Finland visa required → France visa required → Germany visa required → Greece visa required → Hungary visa required → Iceland visa required → Ireland visa required → Italy visa required → Kosovo visa required → Kuwait visa required → Latvia visa required → Lebanon visa required → Liberia visa required → Liechtenstein visa required → Lithuania visa required → Luxembourg visa required → Mali visa required → Malta visa required → Mexico visa required → Monaco visa required → Montenegro visa required → Morocco visa required → Nauru visa required → Netherlands visa required → New Zealand visa required → Niger visa required → North Korea visa required → North Macedonia visa required → Norway visa required → Poland visa required → Portugal visa required → Romania visa required → San Marino visa required → Serbia visa required → Slovakia visa required → Slovenia visa required → Solomon Islands visa required → Spain visa required → Sudan visa required →

+ 11 more countries

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Frequently asked

How many countries can the South Africa passport travel to visa-free?
The South Africa passport gives visa-free access to 61 countries, plus 66 more on arrival or with an e-Visa/eTA. See the full list above.
Which countries give South Africa citizens a visa on arrival?
Visa on arrival is available in 33 countries for South Africa citizens — see the section below.
How strong is the South Africa passport?
The South Africa passport ranks #97 in the 2026 passport index, with 127 total accessible destinations. See the passport ranking page for details.
Can visa-free rules change?
Yes, visa agreements change periodically. This data is current as of Aug 2026 — always confirm with the embassy before travel.

South Africa passport ranking

See where the South Africa passport ranks worldwide and how strong it is.

See the ranking →