What is a visa-free country?

A country that lets your passport enter without any visa application — just show your passport at the border.

What is the difference between visa on arrival and eVisa?

Visa on arrival is bought at the airport or border crossing when you arrive. An eVisa is applied for online before you fly and linked to your passport digitally.

An Electronic Travel Authorization — a quick online pre-approval, usually approved in minutes. The UK ETA, US ESTA, and Canadian eTA are examples.

Is this data official?

No. It comes from the open passport-index-dataset, which is maintained from Wikipedia. Always verify with the destination's embassy before booking.

Do South Africa citizens need a visa for Europe?

It depends on each country. Check the lists below — every destination is grouped by visa requirement for South Africa passport holders.

Is this visa information up to date?

Data is sourced from the open passport-index-dataset on GitHub, which in turn is derived from Wikipedia. Always confirm with the destination's embassy before booking a flight.

← Interactive map GeographicHub

Passport strength

Where can a South Africa passport take you?

127destinations open without an embassy visa — visa-free, visa on arrival, eVisa, or ETA combined.

Visa-free

Visa on arrival

eVisa

ETA

Visa required

No admission

Visa-free destinations for South Africa passport

Just your passport — no paperwork needed before you fly.

Angola30d
Antigua and Barbuda180d
Argentina90d
Bahamas90d
Barbados180d
Belize
Benin90d
Botswana90d
Brazil90d
Chile90d
Costa Rica180d
Dominica180d
Dominican Republic
Ecuador90d
El Salvador180d
Eswatini30d
Fiji120d
Gabon30d
Gambia90d
Georgia360d
Ghana90d
Grenada90d
Guatemala90d
Guyana30d
Haiti90d
Honduras90d
Hong Kong30d
Israel90d
Jamaica
Kiribati90d
Lesotho
Macau30d
Malawi90d
Malaysia90d
Mauritius90d
Micronesia30d
Mozambique
Namibia90d
Nicaragua90d
Palestine
Panama90d
Paraguay90d
Peru180d
Philippines30d
Russia90d
Rwanda30d
Saint Kitts and Nevis90d
Saint Lucia42d
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines90d
Seychelles90d
Singapore30d
Tanzania90d
Thailand60d
Trinidad and Tobago90d
Tunisia90d
Uruguay90d
Vanuatu120d
Venezuela90d
Zambia90d
Zimbabwe90d

Visa on arrival

Pay a small fee at the airport or border crossing.

Armenia
Bolivia
Burundi
Cambodia
Cape Verde
Comoros
Djibouti
Egypt
Ethiopia
Guinea-Bissau
Indonesia
Iran
Jordan
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Madagascar
Maldives
Marshall Islands
Mauritania
Nepal
Nigeria
Oman
Palau
Qatar
Samoa
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Somalia
Sri Lanka
Tajikistan
Timor-Leste
Tuvalu

eVisa (apply online)

Complete an online application before your trip.

Albania
Australia
Azerbaijan
Bahrain
Bhutan
Burkina Faso
Cameroon
Colombia
Cuba
DR Congo
Equatorial Guinea
Guinea
India
Iraq
Japan
Kazakhstan
Libya
Moldova
Mongolia
Myanmar
São Tomé and Príncipe
South Sudan
Suriname
Syria
Togo
Turkey
Uganda
United Arab Emirates
Vietnam

Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA)

Quick pre-approval through a government website.

Ivory Coast
Kenya
Pakistan
Papua New Guinea
South Korea

Visa required (embassy application)

Apply in advance at the destination's embassy or consulate.

Afghanistan
Algeria
Andorra
Austria
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Brunei
Bulgaria
Canada
Central African Republic
Chad
China
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
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
Ukraine
United Kingdom
United States
Uzbekistan
Vatican City
Yemen

Frequently asked questions

How many countries can South Africa passport holders visit without a visa?

South Africa passport holders have visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 127 destinations — 60 visa-free, 33 visa on arrival, 29 with an eVisa, and 5 with an ETA.

How long can South Africa passport holders stay visa-free?

Typical visa-free stays range from 14 to 180 days depending on the destination. Specific stay durations are shown on the visa-free list above where the data provides them.

How up to date is this data?

We use the open passport-index-dataset on GitHub, which is maintained from Wikipedia. Visa rules change often — always confirm with the destination's embassy before booking.

Why are some countries marked 'No data'?

A handful of jurisdictions have ambiguous or unreported rules. When in doubt, check the official embassy of the destination country.

Interactive map →Who can visit South Africa? →Passport ranking →

More maps on GeographicHub

Where can a South Africa passport take you?

Visa-free destinations for South Africa passport

Visa on arrival

eVisa (apply online)

Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA)

Visa required (embassy application)

Frequently asked questions

How many countries can South Africa passport holders visit without a visa?

How long can South Africa passport holders stay visa-free?

How up to date is this data?

Why are some countries marked 'No data'?

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