South Africa Passport
Ranked #96 of 199 · Full 2026 passport index
- Visa-free
- 58
- Visa on arrival
- 21
- eTA / e-Visa
- 33
- Total reach
- 112
Visa-Free Destinations for South African Passport Holders (58)
- 🇦🇴Angola
- 🇦🇬Antigua and Barbuda≤ 180 days
- 🇦🇷Argentina≤ 90 days
- 🇧🇸Bahamas
- 🇧🇧Barbados≤ 183 days
- 🇧🇿Belize
- 🇧🇯Benin≤ 30 days
- 🇧🇴Bolivia≤ 90 days
- 🇧🇼Botswana≤ 90 days
- 🇧🇷Brazil≤ 90 days
- 🇨🇻Cabo Verde≤ 30 days
- 🇨🇱Chile≤ 90 days
- 🇨🇷Costa Rica≤ 180 days
- 🇩🇲Dominica≤ 180 days
- 🇩🇴Dominican Republic≤ 30 days
- 🇸🇻El Salvador≤ 180 days
- 🇸🇿Eswatini≤ 30 days
- 🇫🇯Fiji≤ 120 days
- 🇬🇦Gabon≤ 30 days
- 🇬🇲Gambia≤ 90 days
- 🇬🇪Georgia≤ 365 days
- 🇬🇩Grenada
- 🇬🇹Guatemala≤ 90 days
- 🇬🇾Guyana≤ 30 days
- 🇭🇹Haiti≤ 90 days
- 🇻🇦Holy See (Vatican City)
- 🇭🇰Hong Kong≤ 30 days
- 🇯🇲Jamaica≤ 180 days
- 🇰🇪Kenya≤ 90 days
- 🇰🇮Kiribati≤ 90 days
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- 🇱🇸Lesotho
- 🇲🇴Macau≤ 30 days
- 🇲🇾Malaysia≤ 90 days
- 🇲🇺Mauritius
- 🇫🇲Micronesia≤ 30 days
- 🇲🇿Mozambique≤ 30 days
- 🇳🇦Namibia≤ 90 days
- 🇳🇮Nicaragua≤ 90 days
- 🇴🇲Oman≤ 14 days
- 🇵🇦Panama≤ 90 days
- 🇵🇾Paraguay≤ 90 days
- 🇵🇪Peru≤ 90 days
- 🇵🇭Philippines≤ 30 days
- 🇶🇦Qatar≤ 90 days
- 🇷🇺Russia≤ 90 days
- 🇱🇨Saint Lucia
- 🇻🇨Saint Vincent and the Grenadines≤ 90 days
- 🇸🇹São Tomé and Príncipe≤ 90 days
- 🇸🇬Singapore
- 🇹🇿Tanzania
- 🇹🇭Thailand≤ 60 days
- 🇹🇬Togo≤ 30 days
- 🇹🇹Trinidad and Tobago≤ 90 days
- 🇺🇾Uruguay≤ 90 days
- 🇻🇺Vanuatu≤ 120 days
- 🇻🇪Venezuela≤ 90 days
- 🇿🇲Zambia≤ 90 days
- 🇿🇼Zimbabwe
Visa on Arrival Countries for South African Passport Holders (21)
- 🇧🇭Bahrain
- 🇧🇮Burundi≤ 30 days
- 🇰🇲Comoros≤ 45 days
- 🇩🇯Djibouti
- 🇪🇹Ethiopia
- 🇬🇼Guinea-Bissau≤ 30 days
- 🇮🇩Indonesia≤ 30 days
- 🇮🇷Iran≤ 30 days
- 🇯🇴Jordan≤ 30 days
- 🇲🇬Madagascar≤ 90 days
- 🇲🇻Maldives≤ 30 days
- 🇲🇭Marshall Islands≤ 90 days
- 🇳🇵Nepal≤ 90 days
- 🇵🇼Palau≤ 30 days
- 🇷🇼Rwanda≤ 30 days
- 🇼🇸Samoa≤ 90 days
- 🇸🇳Senegal≤ 90 days
- 🇸🇱Sierra Leone≤ 30 days
Show all 21Show fewer
eTA Destinations for South African Passport Holders (5)
e-Visa Destinations for South African Passport Holders (28)
- 🇦🇿Azerbaijan≤ 30 days
- 🇧🇹Bhutan
- 🇧🇫Burkina Faso≤ 90 days
- 🇨🇲Cameroon≤ 180 days
- 🇹🇩Chad≤ 30 days
- 🇨🇺Cuba≤ 90 days
- 🇪🇬Egypt≤ 30 days
- 🇬🇶Equatorial Guinea≤ 90 days
- 🇬🇳Guinea≤ 90 days
- 🇮🇳India≤ 180 days
- 🇰🇿Kazakhstan
- 🇰🇬Kyrgyzstan≤ 30 days
- 🇱🇾Libya≤ 30 days
- 🇲🇼Malawi≤ 90 days
- 🇲🇱Mali
- 🇲🇷Mauritania≤ 30 days
- 🇲🇳Mongolia≤ 30 days
- 🇳🇪Niger≤ 30 days
- 🇳🇬Nigeria≤ 90 days
- 🇵🇰Pakistan≤ 90 days
- 🇸🇦Saudi Arabia≤ 90 days
- 🇸🇴Somalia
- 🇸🇸South Sudan≤ 30 days
- 🇸🇷Suriname≤ 90 days
- 🇹🇷Turkey≤ 30 days
- 🇺🇬Uganda≤ 90 days
- 🇺🇦Ukraine≤ 30 days
- 🇻🇳Vietnam≤ 90 days
Citizenship by Investment Programs Available to South African Citizens (22)
From USD 230,000
From USD 75,000
From USD 1,000,000
From USD 200,000 · 3 to 4 months from application submission to approval in principle
Show all 22Show fewer
From USD 250,000 · 3 to 6 months
From USD 1,000,000 · Approximately 6 weeks
From EUR 3,000,000 · 3 to 6 months
From USD 235,000 · 3-4 months
From JOD 3,000,000
From USD 500,000
From USD 500,000
From USD 90,000 · Three to four months from date of application submission
From EUR 200,000 · 5-10 months
From USD 250,000 · 160-180 days from submission to approval in principle
From USD 240,000 · Approximately 90 days from acceptance of application for processing
From WST 4,000,000
From USD 90,000 · 1.5-3 months to decision
From USD 400,000
From USD 130,000
Already hold a US visa?
See every country a US visa unlocks →Visa Required for South African Passport Holders (86)
| Destination | Tourist visa fee |
|---|---|
| 🇦🇫Afghanistan | USD 80 |
| 🇦🇱Albania | - |
| 🇩🇿Algeria | USD 160 |
| 🇦🇩Andorra | - |
| 🇦🇲Armenia | AMD 3,000 (~$8) |
| 🇦🇺Australia | AUD 250 (~$175) |
| 🇦🇹Austria | EUR 90 (~$102) |
| 🇧🇩Bangladesh | - |
| 🇧🇾Belarus | EUR 60 (~$68) |
| 🇧🇪Belgium | EUR 90 (~$102) |
| 🇧🇦Bosnia and Herzegovina | USD 39 |
| 🇧🇳Brunei | USD 20 |
| 🇧🇬Bulgaria | EUR 90 (~$102) |
| 🇰🇭Cambodia | - |
| 🇨🇦Canada | CAD 100 (~$71) |
| 🇨🇫Central African Republic | - |
| 🇨🇳China | USD 23 |
| 🇨🇴Colombia | USD 194 |
| 🇨🇮Côte d'Ivoire | EUR 50 (~$57) |
| 🇭🇷Croatia | EUR 90 (~$102) |
| 🇨🇾Cyprus | EUR 90 (~$102) |
| 🇨🇿Czechia | EUR 90 (~$102) |
| 🇨🇩Democratic Republic of the Congo | USD 100 |
| 🇩🇰Denmark | EUR 90 (~$102) |
| 🇪🇨Ecuador | USD 80 |
| 🇪🇷Eritrea | USD 50 |
| 🇪🇪Estonia | EUR 90 (~$102) |
| 🇫🇮Finland | EUR 90 (~$102) |
| 🇫🇷France | EUR 90 (~$102) |
| 🇩🇪Germany | EUR 90 (~$102) |
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| Destination | Tourist visa fee |
|---|---|
| 🇬🇭Ghana | USD 100 |
| 🇬🇷Greece | EUR 90 (~$102) |
| 🇭🇳Honduras | USD 30 |
| 🇭🇺Hungary | EUR 90 (~$102) |
| 🇮🇸Iceland | EUR 90 (~$102) |
| 🇮🇶Iraq | USD 30 |
| 🇮🇪Ireland | EUR 60 (~$68) |
| 🇮🇹Italy | EUR 90 (~$102) |
| 🇯🇵Japan | JPY 15,000 (~$92) |
| 🇽🇰Kosovo | EUR 40 (~$46) |
| 🇰🇼Kuwait | - |
| 🇱🇦Laos | USD 50 |
| 🇱🇻Latvia | EUR 90 (~$102) |
| 🇱🇧Lebanon | LBP 2,000,000 (~$22) |
| 🇱🇷Liberia | USD 70 |
| 🇱🇮Liechtenstein | EUR 90 (~$102) |
| 🇱🇹Lithuania | EUR 90 (~$102) |
| 🇱🇺Luxembourg | EUR 90 (~$102) |
| 🇲🇹Malta | EUR 90 (~$102) |
| 🇲🇽Mexico | USD 56 |
| 🇲🇩Moldova | EUR 60 (~$68) |
| 🇲🇨Monaco | EUR 90 (~$102) |
| 🇲🇪Montenegro | EUR 35 (~$40) |
| 🇲🇦Morocco | - |
| 🇲🇲Myanmar | USD 40 |
| 🇳🇷Nauru | - |
| 🇳🇱Netherlands | EUR 90 (~$102) |
| 🇳🇿New Zealand | - |
| 🇰🇵North Korea | - |
| 🇲🇰North Macedonia | EUR 60 (~$68) |
| 🇳🇴Norway | EUR 90 (~$102) |
| 🇵🇸Palestine | - |
| 🇵🇬Papua New Guinea | Free |
| 🇵🇱Poland | EUR 90 (~$102) |
| 🇵🇹Portugal | EUR 90 (~$102) |
| 🇨🇬Republic of the Congo | USD 60 |
| 🇷🇴Romania | EUR 90 (~$102) |
| 🇸🇲San Marino | EUR 90 (~$102) |
| 🇷🇸Serbia | EUR 52 (~$59) |
| 🇸🇰Slovakia | EUR 90 (~$102) |
| 🇸🇮Slovenia | EUR 90 (~$102) |
| 🇸🇧Solomon Islands | USD 100 |
| 🇪🇸Spain | Free |
| 🇸🇩Sudan | USD 154 |
| 🇸🇪Sweden | EUR 90 (~$102) |
| 🇨🇭Switzerland | EUR 90 (~$102) |
| 🇸🇾Syria | - |
| 🇹🇼Taiwan | USD 50 |
| 🇹🇴Tonga | - |
| 🇹🇳Tunisia | USD 90 |
| 🇹🇲Turkmenistan | USD 35 |
| 🇦🇪United Arab Emirates | AED 252 (~$69) |
| 🇬🇧United Kingdom | GBP 135 (~$180) |
| 🇺🇸United States | USD 185 |
| 🇺🇿Uzbekistan | - |
| 🇾🇪Yemen | USD 50 |
" - " means the destination publishes no single official tourist-visa figure (often a per-nationality reciprocity schedule). Fees exclude service and application-centre charges.
Most-Searched Visa Guides for South African Travellers
The highest-demand step-by-step guides for South African passport holders - requirements, fees and document checklists. Every destination above links to its own guide too.
South Africa Passport FAQ
What is the South African passport ranking in 2026?
The South African passport ranks #96 out of 199 passports globally in 2026, based on the number of accessible destinations (112 countries).
Do South African passport holders need a visa to travel to Europe?
South African passport holders typically require a Schengen visa to enter EU countries. However, holding a valid US visa, UK visa, or Schengen visa may unlock additional travel options. Use Earth Visa to explore your full options.
Can South African citizens get a second citizenship through investment?
Yes. South African citizens can apply for 22 citizenship by investment (CBI) programs including those in the Caribbean (St Kitts, Dominica, Grenada), Malta, Turkey, and others. These programs grant a second passport in exchange for a qualifying investment, typically starting from $100,000 - $200,000.
Which countries can South African passport holders visit on arrival?
21 countries offer visa on arrival to South African passport holders - see the full visa-on-arrival list above.