MERONN
Passport cover: South Africa

South Africa Passport Visa-Free Countries 

Rank 47 in the world, 94 destinations without a visa in advance. Schengen countries require a visa in advance

60 Visa-free entry with passport
34 On arrival issued at the border
35 E-visa online, no consulate
69 Visa required via a consulate
Compare with passport USA United Kingdom India
Visa-free On arrival E-visa Visa required Passport country

Key destinations

Visa-free destinations first, those that need a visa in advance last

Thailand visa-free, up to 60 days
Brazil visa-free, up to 90 days
South Korea electronic travel authorisation
Japan e-visa, applied for online
UAE e-visa, applied for online
Turkey e-visa, applied for online
Schengen visa required in advance
United Kingdom visa required in advance
USA visa required in advance
Canada visa required in advance
China visa required in advance
Serbia visa required in advance

Full list of destinations

198 destinations in total, data as of 17 February 2026

Visa-free 60

entry with passport

  • Angola 30 days
  • Antigua and Barbuda 180 days
  • Argentina 90 days
  • Bahamas 90 days
  • Barbados 180 days
  • Belize
  • Benin 90 days
  • Bolivia 90 days
  • Botswana 90 days
  • Brazil 90 days
  • Chile 90 days
  • Costa Rica 180 days
  • Dominica 180 days
  • Dominican Republic 30 days
  • Ecuador 90 days
  • El Salvador 180 days
  • Eswatini 30 days
  • Fiji 120 days
  • Gabon 30 days
  • Gambia 90 days
  • Georgia 360 days
  • Ghana 90 days
  • Grenada 90 days
  • Guatemala 90 days
  • Guyana 30 days
  • Haiti 90 days
  • Honduras 90 days
  • Hong Kong 30 days
  • Jamaica
  • Kenya 90 days
  • Kiribati 90 days
  • Lesotho
  • Macao 30 days
  • Malawi 90 days
  • Malaysia 90 days
  • Mauritius 90 days
  • Micronesia 30 days
  • Mozambique
  • Namibia 90 days
  • Nicaragua 90 days
  • Palestine
  • Panama 90 days
  • Paraguay 90 days
  • Peru 180 days
  • Philippines 30 days
  • Russia 90 days
  • Rwanda 30 days
  • Saint Lucia 42 days
  • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 90 days
  • Seychelles 90 days
  • Singapore 30 days
  • Tanzania 90 days
  • Thailand 60 days
  • Trinidad and Tobago 90 days
  • Tunisia 90 days
  • Uruguay 90 days
  • Vanuatu 120 days
  • Venezuela 90 days
  • Zambia 90 days
  • Zimbabwe 90 days

Visa on arrival 34

issued at the border

  • Armenia
  • Burundi
  • Cambodia
  • Cape Verde
  • Comoros
  • Djibouti
  • East Timor
  • Egypt
  • Ethiopia
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • Indonesia
  • Iran
  • Israel
  • Ivory Coast
  • Jordan
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Laos
  • Madagascar
  • Maldives
  • Marshall Islands
  • Nepal
  • Oman
  • Palau
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Qatar
  • Saint Kitts and Nevis
  • Samoa
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Senegal
  • Sierra Leone
  • South Korea
  • Sri Lanka
  • Tajikistan
  • Tuvalu

E-visa 35

applied for online, no consulate. Checks can be as strict as for a regular visa

  • Albania
  • Australia
  • Azerbaijan
  • Bahrain
  • Bhutan
  • Burkina Faso
  • Cameroon
  • Chad
  • Colombia
  • Cuba
  • DR Congo
  • Equatorial Guinea
  • Guinea
  • India
  • Iraq
  • Japan
  • Kazakhstan
  • Libya
  • Mauritania
  • Moldova
  • Mongolia
  • Myanmar
  • Nigeria
  • Pakistan
  • Sao Tome and Principe
  • Somalia
  • South Sudan
  • Suriname
  • Syria
  • Togo
  • Turkey
  • UAE
  • Uganda
  • Ukraine
  • Vietnam

Visa required 69

obtained in advance via a consulate

  • Afghanistan
  • Algeria
  • Andorra
  • Austria
  • Bangladesh
  • Belarus
  • Belgium
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Brunei
  • Bulgaria
  • Canada
  • Central African Republic
  • China
  • Croatia
  • Cyprus
  • Czechia
  • Denmark
  • Eritrea
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Hungary
  • Iceland
  • Ireland
  • Italy
  • Kosovo
  • Kuwait
  • Latvia
  • Lebanon
  • Liberia
  • Liechtenstein
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Mali
  • Malta
  • Mexico
  • Monaco
  • Montenegro
  • Morocco
  • Nauru
  • Netherlands
  • New Zealand
  • Niger
  • North Korea
  • North Macedonia
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Republic of the Congo
  • Romania
  • San Marino
  • Serbia
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • Solomon Islands
  • Spain
  • Sudan
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Taiwan
  • Tonga
  • Turkmenistan
  • United Kingdom
  • USA
  • Uzbekistan
  • Vatican
  • Yemen

Nearby in the ranking

45 Micronesia 104 46 Kuwait 96 47 South Africa 94 48 Belize 87 49 Bahrain 86

FAQ

How many countries can South Africa passport holders visit without a visa?
94 destinations are open without a visa in advance: 60 visa-free and 34 with a visa or permit issued at the border. Another 35 countries issue an e-visa online, and 69 require applying at a consulate.
Do South Africa passport holders need a Schengen visa?
As of 17 February 2026, the condition for entering Schengen countries is: visa required in advance. Rules depend on the purpose of travel and can change, so check them on the consulate website before you fly.
What is the world rank of the South Africa passport?
47 out of 199 by the number of destinations you can fly to without getting a visa in advance.

Popular passports

11 USA 153 9 United Kingdom 156 74 India 55 57 China 77 12 Brazil 149 87 Nigeria 41 37 Russia 114 40 Turkey 111

Find the right program for your goal

Five questions about citizenship, budget and goals. In return, three matching programs and a timeline estimate.

Data source: open Passport Index dataset, MIT license. Entry rules depend on the purpose of travel and can change, check them on the destination consulate website before you fly