Passport
South Africa: passport 2026 and visa-free countries
Passport: South Africa. 98 countries and territories without a prior visa, rank 50 of 199. Entry terms and length of stay for every destination as of 4 October 2026.
Destinations by entry terms, 226 in total
- 66Visa-free
- 8ETA
- 24On arrival
- 39eVisa
- 89Visa required
South AfricaPassport strength
An above-average passport 50
Rank 50 of 199. 98 of 226 destinations without a prior visa. Key countries this passport opens without a visa: 9.
Weak spots
Where a visa is needed and what is weaker 128
A prior visa is needed for 128 destinations, electronic or consular. Below are the main ones and the criteria where the passport is weaker. A second passport closes these gaps.
Schengen AreaVisa required
United KingdomVisa required
United StatesVisa required
CanadaVisa required
AustraliaVisa required
New ZealandVisa required
JapaneVisa
ChinaVisa requiredWhat the passport gives
What a South Africa passport gives
rank 120 of 199
Balanced index: all criteria weighted equally. Open sources, licences and method on the index page.
Ranking for your goal →- Mobility4498 destinations without a prior visa
- Stability and rule of law50score -0.12 on a -2.5 to 2.5 scale
- Quality of life60HDI 0.741
- Health and longevity3766.1 years life expectancy
- Education73education index 0.77
- Taxes15up to 45%, inheritance tax, worldwide income taxed
- US access0no E-2, visa required
- Plan B and family100dual citizenship allowed, passes to children
All destinations
Destinations by entry terms 226
The score adds up the first three types: destinations you can travel to without a visa arranged in advance.
Visa-free 66
Entry on your passport
AngolaAfrica · 90 days
Antigua and BarbudaCaribbean · 180 days
ArgentinaAmericas · 90 days
BahamasCaribbean · 90 days
BarbadosCaribbean · 180 days
BelizeAmericas
BeninAfrica · 90 days
BoliviaAmericas · 90 days
BotswanaAfrica · 90 days
BrazilAmericas · 90 days
British Virgin IslandsCaribbean · 30 days
Cayman IslandsCaribbean · 180 days
ChileAmericas · 90 days
Cook IslandsOceania · 31 days
Costa RicaAmericas · 90 days
DominicaCaribbean · 180 days
Dominican RepublicCaribbean · 90 days
EcuadorAmericas · 90 days
El SalvadorAmericas · 90 days
EswatiniAfrica · 30 days
FijiOceania · 120 days
GabonAfrica · 30 days
GambiaAfrica · 90 days
GeorgiaEurope · 365 days
GrenadaCaribbean · 90 days
GuatemalaAmericas · 90 days
GuyanaAmericas · 90 days
HaitiCaribbean · 90 days
HondurasAmericas · 90 days
Hong KongAsia · 30 days
JamaicaCaribbean
KenyaAfrica · 90 days
KiribatiOceania · 90 days
LesothoAfrica · 90 days
MacaoAsia · 30 days
MalawiAfrica · 90 days
MalaysiaAsia · 90 days
MauritiusAfrica · 180 days
MicronesiaOceania · 30 days
MontserratCaribbean · 180 days
MozambiqueAfrica · 90 days
NamibiaAfrica · 90 days
NicaraguaAmericas · 90 days
NiueOceania · 30 days
OmanMiddle East · 14 days
PanamaAmericas · 90 days
ParaguayAmericas · 90 days
PeruAmericas · 90 days
PhilippinesAsia · 30 days
QatarMiddle East · 30 days
RéunionAfrica · 90 days
RwandaAfrica · 30 days
SingaporeAsia · 30 days
St. HelenaAfrica
St. LuciaCaribbean · 42 days
St. Vincent and the GrenadinesCaribbean · 90 days
TanzaniaAfrica · 90 days
ThailandAsia · 60 days
Trinidad and TobagoCaribbean · 90 days
TunisiaAfrica · 90 days
Turks and Caicos IslandsCaribbean · 90 days
UruguayAmericas · 90 days
VanuatuOceania · 120 days
VenezuelaAmericas · 90 days
ZambiaAfrica · 90 days
ZimbabweAfrica · 90 daysETA 8
Electronic authorisation online
Ghana
Palestine
Russia
Seychelles
Sri LankaOn arrival 24
Visa issued at the border
ArmeniaMiddle East · 120 days
BurundiAfrica · 30 days
CambodiaAsia · 30 days
Cape VerdeAfrica · 30 days
ComorosAfrica · 45 days
EgyptAfrica · 30 days
EthiopiaAfrica · 90 days
Guinea-BissauAfrica · 90 days
IndonesiaAsia · 30 days
JordanMiddle East · 30 days
KyrgyzstanAsia · 60 days
LaosAsia · 30 days
MadagascarAfrica · 90 days
MaldivesAsia · 30 days
Marshall IslandsOceania · 90 days
NepalAsia · 90 days
PalauOceania · 30 days
SamoaOceania · 90 days
Saudi ArabiaMiddle East · 90 days
SenegalAfrica · 30 days
Sierra LeoneAfrica · 90 days
TajikistanAsia · 60 days
Timor-LesteAsia · 30 days
TuvaluOceania · 30 dayseVisa 39
Applied for online before travel
AfghanistanAsia
AlbaniaEurope
AnguillaCaribbean
AzerbaijanEurope
BahrainMiddle East
BhutanAsia
Burkina FasoAfrica
CameroonAfrica
ChadAfrica
ColombiaAmericas
Côte d'IvoireAfrica
CubaCaribbean
DjiboutiAfrica
DR CongoAfrica
Equatorial GuineaAfrica
GuineaAfrica
IndiaAsia
IranMiddle East
IraqMiddle EastJapanAsia
KazakhstanAsia
LibyaAfrica
MauritaniaAfrica
MongoliaAsia
MyanmarAsia
NigeriaAfrica
PakistanAsia
Papua New GuineaOceania
São Tomé and PríncipeAfrica
SerbiaEurope
SomaliaAfrica
South SudanAfrica
SurinameAmericas
SyriaMiddle East
TogoAfrica
TürkiyeEurope
UgandaAfrica
UkraineEurope
VietnamAsiaVisa required 89
Through a consulate
AlgeriaAfrica
American SamoaOceania
AndorraEurope
ArubaCaribbeanAustraliaOceania
AustriaEurope
BangladeshAsia
BelarusEurope
BelgiumEurope
BermudaAmericas
Bonaire, St. Eustatius and SabaCaribbean
Bosnia and HerzegovinaEurope
BruneiAsia
BulgariaEuropeCanadaAmericas
Central African RepublicAfricaChinaAsia
CroatiaEurope
CuraçaoCaribbean
CyprusEurope
CzechiaEurope
DenmarkEurope
EritreaAfrica
EstoniaEurope
Falkland IslandsAmericas
Faroe IslandsEurope
FinlandEuropeFranceEurope
French GuianaAmericas
French PolynesiaOceania
French West IndiesCaribbean
GermanyEurope
GibraltarEurope
GreeceEurope
GreenlandEurope
GuamOceania
HungaryEurope
IcelandEurope
IrelandEurope
ItalyEurope
KosovoEurope
KuwaitMiddle East
LatviaEurope
LebanonMiddle East
LiberiaAfrica
LiechtensteinEurope
LithuaniaEurope
LuxembourgEurope
MaliAfrica
MaltaEurope
MayotteAfrica
MexicoAmericas
MoldovaEurope
MonacoEurope
MontenegroEurope
MoroccoAfrica
NauruOceania
NetherlandsEurope
New CaledoniaOceaniaNew ZealandOceania
NigerAfrica
North KoreaAsia
North MacedoniaEurope
Northern Mariana IslandsOceania
NorwayEurope
PolandEurope
PortugalEurope
Puerto RicoCaribbean
Republic of the CongoAfrica
RomaniaEurope
San MarinoEurope
Sint MaartenCaribbean
SlovakiaEurope
SloveniaEurope
Solomon IslandsOceania
SpainEurope
SudanAfrica
SwedenEurope
SwitzerlandEurope
TaiwanAsia
TongaOceania
TurkmenistanAsia
United Arab EmiratesMiddle EastUnited KingdomEuropeUnited StatesAmericas
US Virgin IslandsCaribbean
UzbekistanAsia
Vatican CityEurope
YemenMiddle EastHow to strengthen the passport
A second citizenship opens the countries where this passport needs a visa. We count the better of the two passports.
- +90
Austria
Europe · new destinations
+71St. Kitts and Nevis
Caribbean · new destinations
- +71
Antigua and Barbuda
Caribbean · new destinations
- +67
Grenada
Caribbean · new destinations
- +64
Dominica
Caribbean · new destinations
- +61
St. Lucia
Caribbean · new destinations
Frequently asked questions
South Africa: how many countries are visa-free?
In the BRIDGES index as of 4 October 2026: 98 of 226 countries and territories, 66 visa-free, 8 with an ETA and 24 with a visa on arrival. That is rank 50 of 199.
South Africa: is a Schengen visa needed?
Yes, a Schengen visa is required, applied for in advance at a consulate or visa centre.
South Africa → United Kingdom: is a visa needed?
Visa required. Through a consulate.
South Africa → United States: is a visa needed?
Visa required. Through a consulate.
South Africa → United Arab Emirates: is a visa needed?
Visa required. Through a consulate.
How can the list of countries be expanded?
A second citizenship. For example, a passport of Austria adds 90 destinations without a prior visa, St. Kitts and Nevis adds 71. We will match a programme to your travel and budget.