Visa by passport

South Africa passport: visa-free destinations

Visa-free to 63 countries. Every destination by entry status, with the days you may stay.

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  • Visa-free
  • e-Visa or ETA
  • Visa on arrival
  • Visa required
  • No entry or no data

Longest visa-free stays

  1. Georgia365 days
  2. Antigua and Barbuda180 days
  3. Barbados180 days
  4. Dominica180 days
  5. Mauritius180 days
  6. Fiji120 days
  7. Vanuatu120 days
  8. Angola90 days

Recent changes for this passport

  • ThailandThailand cut visa-free stays from 60 to 30 days. Source
  • Sri LankaSri Lanka's tourist ETA became free of charge; you still need it before arrival. Source
  • Trinidad and TobagoTrinidad and Tobago brought in a free online arrival and departure card, due within 72 hours of travel. Source
  • Cabo VerdeCabo Verde requires every arriving traveller to pre-register on EASE and pay an airport security fee. Source
  • TaiwanTaiwan replaced paper arrival cards with the online Taiwan Arrival Card. Source
  • Papua New GuineaPapua New Guinea requires a free digital arrival card within 72 hours before arrival. Source

At a glance

South African citizens can travel to 63 of 198 destinations without a visa, get a visa on arrival in 24, and apply online for an e-Visa or ETA for 42. A visa arranged in advance is needed for 69.

Visa-free by region: 4 of 11 in Southeast Asia; 28 of 33 in Latin America and the Caribbean; 2 of 8 in East Asia; 2 of 46 in Europe.

Longest visa-free stays: Georgia (365 days), Antigua and Barbuda (180 days), Barbados (180 days), Dominica (180 days), Mauritius (180 days).

Asia and Latin America, where nomads stay longest.

Plan a stay with the stay calculator: it fills in the visa-free days for this passport.

Questions

How many countries can South African citizens visit without a visa?

63 destinations, according to Bordr's data. Another 24 give a visa on arrival and 42 take an e-Visa or ETA applied for online.

Where do South African citizens need a visa in advance?

69 destinations require a visa arranged before travel.

Sources and last check

Entry rules for these destinations were last checked against official sources on 30 October 2026. Visa-free days come from the passport matrix in the Bordr app, corrected where the official rules differ.

This page is general information, not legal advice. Entry rules change and border officers have the final say. Check the official government source for your destination before you travel.

Includes visa data from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), retrieved 1 November 2026; Bordr's official-source checks take precedence.