South Africa passport → São Tomé and Príncipe

São Tomé and Príncipe visa for South African citizens

e-Visa

e-Visa

South African citizens need an e-Visa for São Tomé and Príncipe, applied for online before the trip. Many travellers can visit visa-free for up to 15 days; longer stays need an e-visa applied for online in advance, as visas are not issued at the airport. A tourism levy is paid on arrival.

Official details are shown in English.

Status
e-Visa
Max stay
Not fixed in our data
Last checked
30 October 2026

What it means in practice

Our data has no fixed number of days for this entry type: the length of stay is set on the visa or at the border.

How São Tomé and Príncipe counts your stay: Visa-free tourist stays: up to 15 days.

Before you go

Official details are shown in English.

  • São Tomé and Príncipe e-visa — Cost: Paid at the border; Processing: Within 7 business days. Apply on the official site
  • São Tomé and Príncipe e-visa — At least 7 business days before travel; Paid at the border on arrival. Apply on the Migration and Borders Service (SMF) portal; the answer comes within 7 business days. Needed for stays over 15 days or non-tourist purposes. Show proof of funds of EUR 100 per day. Official site

At the border

Official details are shown in English.

  • Passport valid at least 3 months on entry and for the whole stay
  • Tourism levy of EUR 25 at São Tomé airport, plus EUR 10 if continuing to Príncipe (children under 12 exempt)
  • Yellow fever certificate if arriving from (or transiting over 12 hours in) a yellow fever area, age 1 and over
  • Declare cash over EUR 10,000

How to avoid overstaying

  • Go by your stamp or visa. The date the officer gives you is the one that counts, even if it is shorter than the maximum.
  • Extend before you run out. For longer stays apply for an e-visa before travel.
  • Penalties. Our data does not list the overstay penalty for São Tomé and Príncipe. Ask the immigration authority before you risk it: fines, deportation and entry bans are common elsewhere.

Questions

Do South African citizens need a visa for São Tomé and Príncipe?

South African citizens need an e-Visa for São Tomé and Príncipe, applied for online before the trip.

Can I extend my stay in São Tomé and Príncipe?

For longer stays apply for an e-visa before travel.

What do I need at the border in São Tomé and Príncipe?

Passport valid at least 3 months on entry and for the whole stay; Tourism levy of EUR 25 at São Tomé airport, plus EUR 10 if continuing to Príncipe (children under 12 exempt); Yellow fever certificate if arriving from (or transiting over 12 hours in) a yellow fever area, age 1 and over.

When was this checked?

Bordr last checked the entry rules for São Tomé and Príncipe against official sources on 30 October 2026. Rules change: confirm with the official source before you travel.

Sources and last check

Entry rules for this destination 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.

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