South Africa passport: where you can travel visa-free
98
Access to 98 destinations without a prior visa
#96 strongest passport in the world · 199
The South Africa passport is moderate: it gives access to 98 destinations without a prior visa, ranked #96 worldwide in 2026 — 1 below the global average of 99.
The strongest passport in the world, United Arab Emirates, reaches 168 destinations — 70 more than South Africa. Even so, these 98 cover the bulk of Africa and the major international hubs.
How many destinations each region opens without a prior visa.
Africa33/53
Americas29/35
Asia19/35
Oceania9/14
Middle East7/15
Europe1/46
The South Africa passport is strongest across Africa, opening 33 of 53 destinations without a prior visa. Its weakest region is Europe, at 1 of 46 — where it pays to check visa rules early.
In practice, the South Africa passport gets you to destinations like Thailand, Brazil, Argentina, Egypt with no visa, while United States, United Kingdom, France, Italy still require one — each with a step-by-step guide on Voyspark covering costs, timelines and documents.
Popular visa-free destinations
🇹🇭 Thailand🇧🇷 Brazil🇦🇷 Argentina🇪🇬 Egypt🇮🇩 Indonesia🇸🇬 Singapore🇰🇷 South Korea
Not all access is equal. With the South Africa passport: 60 destinations are fully visa-free, 33 grant a visa on arrival, 5 ask for an electronic authorization (eTA), 29 need an e-Visa before you travel, and 71 require a traditional consular visa.
Visa-free
60
🇦🇴Angola30 days
🇦🇬Antigua & Barbuda180 days
🇦🇷Argentina90 days
🇧🇸Bahamas90 days
🇧🇧Barbados180 days
🇧🇿Belize
🇧🇯Benin90 days
🇧🇼Botswana90 days
🇧🇷Brazil90 days
🇨🇱Chile90 days
🇨🇷Costa Rica180 days
🇩🇲Dominica180 days
🇩🇴Dominican Republic
🇪🇨Ecuador90 days
🇸🇻El Salvador180 days
🇸🇿Eswatini30 days
🇫🇯Fiji120 days
🇬🇦Gabon30 days
🇬🇲Gambia90 days
🇬🇪Georgia360 days
🇬🇭Ghana90 days
🇬🇩Grenada90 days
🇬🇹Guatemala90 days
🇬🇾Guyana30 days
🇭🇹Haiti90 days
🇭🇳Honduras90 days
🇭🇰Hong Kong SAR China30 days
🇮🇱Israel90 days
🇯🇲Jamaica
🇰🇮Kiribati90 days
🇱🇸Lesotho
🇲🇴Macao SAR China30 days
🇲🇼Malawi90 days
🇲🇾Malaysia90 days
🇲🇺Mauritius90 days
🇫🇲Micronesia30 days
🇲🇿Mozambique
🇳🇦Namibia90 days
🇳🇮Nicaragua90 days
🇵🇸Palestinian Territories
🇵🇦Panama90 days
🇵🇾Paraguay90 days
🇵🇪Peru180 days
🇵🇭Philippines30 days
🇷🇺Russia90 days
🇷🇼Rwanda30 days
🇸🇨Seychelles90 days
🇸🇬Singapore30 days
🇰🇳St. Kitts & Nevis90 days
🇱🇨St. Lucia42 days
🇻🇨St. Vincent & Grenadines90 days
🇹🇿Tanzania90 days
🇹🇭Thailand60 days
🇹🇹Trinidad & Tobago90 days
🇹🇳Tunisia90 days
🇺🇾Uruguay90 days
🇻🇺Vanuatu120 days
🇻🇪Venezuela90 days
🇿🇲Zambia90 days
🇿🇼Zimbabwe90 days
Visa on arrival
33
🇦🇲Armenia
🇧🇴Bolivia
🇧🇮Burundi
🇰🇭Cambodia
🇨🇻Cape Verde
🇰🇲Comoros
🇩🇯Djibouti
🇪🇬Egypt
🇪🇹Ethiopia
🇬🇼Guinea-Bissau
🇮🇩Indonesia
🇮🇷Iran
🇯🇴Jordan
🇰🇬Kyrgyzstan
🇱🇦Laos
🇲🇬Madagascar
🇲🇻Maldives
🇲🇭Marshall Islands
🇲🇷Mauritania
🇳🇵Nepal
🇳🇬Nigeria
🇴🇲Oman
🇵🇼Palau
🇶🇦Qatar
🇼🇸Samoa
🇸🇦Saudi Arabia
🇸🇳Senegal
🇸🇱Sierra Leone
🇸🇴Somalia
🇱🇰Sri Lanka
🇹🇯Tajikistan
🇹🇱Timor-Leste
🇹🇻Tuvalu
Electronic auth (eTA)
5
🇨🇮Côte d’Ivoire
🇰🇪Kenya
🇵🇰Pakistan
🇵🇬Papua New Guinea
🇰🇷South Korea
e-Visa (online)
29
🇦🇱Albania
🇦🇺Australia
🇦🇿Azerbaijan
🇧🇭Bahrain
🇧🇹Bhutan
🇧🇫Burkina Faso
🇨🇲Cameroon
🇨🇴Colombia
🇨🇩Congo - Kinshasa
🇨🇺Cuba
🇬🇶Equatorial Guinea
🇬🇳Guinea
🇮🇳India
🇮🇶Iraq
🇯🇵Japan
🇰🇿Kazakhstan
🇱🇾Libya
🇲🇩Moldova
🇲🇳Mongolia
🇲🇲Myanmar (Burma)
🇸🇹São Tomé & Príncipe
🇸🇸South Sudan
🇸🇷Suriname
🇸🇾Syria
🇹🇬Togo
🇹🇷Türkiye
🇺🇬Uganda
🇦🇪United Arab Emirates
🇻🇳Vietnam
Visa required
71
🇦🇫Afghanistan
🇩🇿Algeria
🇦🇩Andorra
🇦🇹Austria
🇧🇩Bangladesh
🇧🇾Belarus
🇧🇪Belgium
🇧🇦Bosnia & Herzegovina
🇧🇳Brunei
🇧🇬Bulgaria
🇨🇦Canada
🇨🇫Central African Republic
🇹🇩Chad
🇨🇳China
🇨🇬Congo - Brazzaville
🇭🇷Croatia
🇨🇾Cyprus
🇨🇿Czechia
🇩🇰Denmark
🇪🇷Eritrea
🇪🇪Estonia
🇫🇮Finland
🇫🇷France
🇩🇪Germany
🇬🇷Greece
🇭🇺Hungary
🇮🇸Iceland
🇮🇪Ireland
🇮🇹Italy
🇽🇰Kosovo
🇰🇼Kuwait
🇱🇻Latvia
🇱🇧Lebanon
🇱🇷Liberia
🇱🇮Liechtenstein
🇱🇹Lithuania
🇱🇺Luxembourg
🇲🇱Mali
🇲🇹Malta
🇲🇽Mexico
🇲🇨Monaco
🇲🇪Montenegro
🇲🇦Morocco
🇳🇷Nauru
🇳🇱Netherlands
🇳🇿New Zealand
🇳🇪Niger
🇰🇵North Korea
🇲🇰North Macedonia
🇳🇴Norway
🇵🇱Poland
🇵🇹Portugal
🇷🇴Romania
🇸🇲San Marino
🇷🇸Serbia
🇸🇰Slovakia
🇸🇮Slovenia
🇸🇧Solomon Islands
🇪🇸Spain
🇸🇩Sudan
🇸🇪Sweden
🇨🇭Switzerland
🇹🇼Taiwan
🇹🇴Tonga
🇹🇲Turkmenistan
🇺🇦Ukraine
🇬🇧United Kingdom
🇺🇸United States
🇺🇿Uzbekistan
🇻🇦Vatican City
🇾🇪Yemen
How we calculate
The figure 98 sums every destination the South Africa passport enters without a prior visa — visa-free, on arrival and eTA — the same method used by the main passport indexes. 2026 data, reviewed regularly.
Planning a trip? Sort out the visa for the destinations that need one, then compare flights, hotels and insurance — all on Voyspark, in 9 languages.
Frequently asked questions
How many countries can the South Africa passport enter visa-free?
In 2026, 98 destinations without a prior visa (visa-free, on arrival or eTA) — the #96 strongest passport in the world.
Which popular destinations require a visa for the South Africa passport?
Among the most searched: United States, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Portugal, Japan, China, United Arab Emirates, Türkiye, Greece, Netherlands, Switzerland, Canada, Australia, Mexico, India, Morocco. Each has a step-by-step visa guide on Voyspark.
Is the South Africa passport good for travel?
It is a moderate passport, 1 below the world average. It opens 98 destinations without a prior visa.
How does the South Africa passport compare to the strongest in the world?
The leader is United Arab Emirates, with 168 destinations. South Africa, with 98, sits 70 behind.
What is the difference between visa-free, visa on arrival and eTA?
Visa-free: you enter on your passport alone. Visa on arrival: the visa is issued at the airport or border, usually for a fee. eTA: an electronic authorization you request online before travelling. All three count as access without a prior visa.
How do I get a visa for the countries that require one?
Every visa-required destination has a step-by-step guide on Voyspark with costs, timelines and documents. Start at our visa hub.