South Africa Passport Visa Requirements — Where Can South African citizens Travel Visa-Free?

VisaStay tracks visa requirements for South African citizens across 163 destinations worldwide. Below is the full breakdown by entry type and maximum stay, plus the two rules that catch long-term travelers most often: the Schengen 90/180-day window and the 183-day tax residency threshold.

49

Visa-free destinations

51

Via eTA, eVisa, or visa on arrival

63

Require a visa in advance

Schengen: South African citizens need a Schengen short-stay visa. Stays on it are limited to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period across the whole area. Read the full guide →

Full destination list

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Destination	Entry Type	Max Stay	Extension
Afghanistan	Visa required	—	No
Albania	eVisa	90 days	No
Algeria	Visa required	—	No
Andorra	Visa required	—	No
Angola	Visa-free	90 days	No
Antigua and Barbuda	Visa-free	180 days	No
Argentina	Visa-free	90 days	Yes (+90 days)
Armenia	Visa on arrival	120 days	No
Australia	Visa required	—	No
Austria	Visa required	—	No
Azerbaijan	eVisa	30 days	No
Bahamas	Visa-free	90 days	No
Bahrain	eVisa	14 days	No
Bangladesh	Visa required	—	No
Barbados	Visa-free	180 days	No
Belarus	Visa required	—	No
Belgium	Visa required	—	No
Belize	Visa-free	30 days	No
Bhutan	eVisa	30 days	No
Bolivia	Visa-free	90 days	No
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Visa required	—	No
Botswana	Visa-free	90 days	No
Brazil	Visa-free	90 days	Yes (+90 days)
Brunei	Visa required	—	No
Bulgaria	Visa required	—	No
Burundi	Visa on arrival	30 days	No
Cambodia	Visa on arrival	30 days	Yes (+30 days)
Cameroon	eVisa	30 days	No
Canada	Visa required	—	No
Cape Verde	Visa on arrival	30 days	No
Chile	Visa-free	90 days	Yes (+90 days)
China	Visa required	—	No
Colombia	eVisa	90 days	Yes (+90 days)
Comoros	Visa on arrival	45 days	No
Costa Rica	Visa-free	90 days	No
Croatia	Visa required	—	No
Cuba	eVisa	90 days	No
Curaçao	Visa required	—	No
Cyprus	Visa required	—	No
Czech Republic	Visa required	—	No
Côte d'Ivoire	eVisa	90 days	No
DR Congo	eVisa	90 days	No
Denmark	Visa required	—	No
Djibouti	eVisa	90 days	No
Dominica	Visa-free	180 days	No
Dominican Republic	Visa-free	90 days	No
East Timor	Visa on arrival	30 days	Yes (+30 days)
Ecuador	Visa-free	90 days	No
Egypt	eVisa	30 days	No
El Salvador	Visa-free	90 days	Yes (+90 days)
Equatorial Guinea	eVisa	30 days	No
Eritrea	Visa required	—	No
Estonia	Visa required	—	No
Ethiopia	eVisa	90 days	No
Fiji	Visa-free	120 days	Yes (+60 days)
Finland	Visa required	—	No
France	Visa required	—	No
Gabon	Visa-free	30 days	No
Georgia	Visa-free	365 days	No
Germany	Visa required	—	No
Ghana	Visa-free	90 days	No
Greece	Visa required	—	No
Guatemala	Visa-free	90 days	Yes (+90 days)
Honduras	Visa-free	90 days	Yes (+90 days)
Hong Kong	Visa-free	30 days	No
Hungary	Visa required	—	No
Iceland	Visa required	—	No
India	eVisa	90 days	No
Indonesia	Visa on arrival	30 days	Yes (+30 days)
Iran	eVisa	30 days	No
Iraq	eVisa	30 days	No
Ireland	Visa required	—	No
Israel	eTA required	90 days	No
Italy	Visa required	—	No
Jamaica	Visa-free	90 days	No
Japan	eVisa	90 days	No
Jordan	Visa on arrival	30 days	No
Kazakhstan	eVisa	30 days	No
Kenya	Visa-free	90 days	No
Kuwait	Visa required	—	No
Kyrgyzstan	eVisa	60 days	No
Laos	Visa on arrival	30 days	Yes (+30 days)
Latvia	Visa required	—	No
Lebanon	Visa required	—	No
Libya	eVisa	30 days	No
Liechtenstein	Visa required	—	No
Lithuania	Visa required	—	No
Luxembourg	Visa required	—	No
Macau	Visa-free	30 days	No
Madagascar	Visa on arrival	60 days	No
Malawi	Visa-free	90 days	No
Malaysia	Visa-free	90 days	No
Maldives	Visa on arrival	30 days	Yes (+60 days)
Malta	Visa required	—	No
Mauritius	Visa-free	180 days	Yes (+120 days)
Mexico	Visa required	—	No
Moldova	Visa required	—	No
Mongolia	eVisa	30 days	No
Montenegro	Visa required	—	No
Morocco	Visa required	—	No
Mozambique	Visa-free	90 days	No
Myanmar	eVisa	28 days	No
Namibia	Visa-free	90 days	No
Nepal	Visa on arrival	90 days	Yes (+60 days)
Netherlands	Visa required	—	No
New Zealand	Visa required	—	No
Nicaragua	Visa-free	90 days	Yes (+90 days)
Nigeria	eVisa	30 days	No
North Macedonia	Visa required	—	No
Norway	Visa required	—	No
Oman	Visa-free	14 days	No
Pakistan	eVisa	90 days	No
Panama	Visa-free	90 days	No
Papua New Guinea	eVisa	30 days	No
Paraguay	Visa-free	90 days	No
Peru	Visa-free	90 days	No
Philippines	Visa-free	30 days	Yes (+30 days)
Poland	Visa required	—	No
Portugal	Visa required	—	No
Qatar	Visa-free	30 days	No
Republic of the Congo	Visa required	—	No
Romania	Visa required	—	No
Rwanda	Visa on arrival	30 days	No
Samoa	Visa-free	60 days	No
Saudi Arabia	eVisa	90 days	No
Senegal	Visa on arrival	30 days	No
Serbia	Visa required	—	No
Seychelles	eTA required	90 days	Yes (+270 days)
Singapore	Visa-free	30 days	No
Slovakia	Visa required	—	No
Slovenia	Visa required	—	No
Solomon Islands	Visa required	—	No
Somalia	eVisa	30 days	No
South Korea	Visa-free	30 days	No
South Sudan	eVisa	30 days	No
Spain	Visa required	—	No
Sri Lanka	eTA required	30 days	Yes (+60 days)
Sudan	Visa required	—	No
Sweden	Visa required	—	No
Switzerland	Visa required	—	No
Syria	eVisa	30 days	No
Taiwan	Visa required	—	No
Tajikistan	eVisa	60 days	No
Tanzania	Visa-free	90 days	No
Thailand	Visa-free	30 days	Yes (+30 days)
Tonga	Visa required	—	No
Trinidad and Tobago	Visa-free	90 days	No
Tunisia	Visa-free	90 days	No
Turkey	eVisa	30 days	No
Turkmenistan	Visa required	—	No
Uganda	eVisa	90 days	Yes (+60 days)
Ukraine	eVisa	30 days	No
United Arab Emirates	Visa required	—	No
United Kingdom	Visa required	—	No
United States	Visa required	—	No
Uruguay	Visa-free	90 days	Yes (+90 days)
Uzbekistan	Visa required	—	No
Vanuatu	Visa-free	120 days	No
Venezuela	Visa-free	90 days	No
Vietnam	eVisa	90 days	No
Yemen	Visa required	—	No
Zambia	Visa-free	90 days	No
Zimbabwe	Visa-free	90 days	No

Data last updated October 2026. See our sources. Visa rules are provided for planning purposes and are not legal or immigration advice. Entry requirements can change without notice — always confirm current requirements with the relevant embassy or consulate before you travel.

Common questions

How many countries can South African citizens visit visa-free?

Of the 163 destinations tracked in VisaStay, 49 allow South African citizens to enter completely visa-free. Another 51 are accessible via a fast eTA, eVisa, or visa on arrival, and 63 require a visa arranged in advance.

Does the Schengen 90/180-day rule apply to South African citizens?

Yes. South African citizens need a Schengen short-stay (C) visa, and stays on it count toward the same 90 days in any rolling 180-day period across the whole Schengen Area. Read the full Schengen guide →

Is this visa information legal advice?

No. This page is a planning reference, not legal or immigration advice. Visa rules change, and you should always confirm current requirements with the relevant embassy or consulate before you travel.

Related passports

Other Africa passports covered by VisaStay:

Tanzania · Kenya · Nigeria · Ghana · Côte d'Ivoire · Egypt · Morocco · Algeria

Related: see all supported passports, or check the full FAQ.

🇿🇦 South Africa passport visa requirements

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51

63

Full destination list

Common questions

How many countries can South African citizens visit visa-free?

Does the Schengen 90/180-day rule apply to South African citizens?

Is this visa information legal advice?

Track every trip automatically

Related passports