🇿🇦 South Africa: visa, entry rules and travel facts
South Africa waives visas for many nationalities for short visits and runs an electronic system for others. Johannesburg and Cape Town are the main gateways, and onward or return tickets are commonly checked at the border.
A South Africa passport gives visa-free or simplified entry to about 127 countries and territories according to the visa dataset.
Key facts
- Capital
- Pretoria
- Currency
- South African rand
- Languages
- Afrikaans, English, Southern Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho, Swazi, Tswana, Tsonga, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu
- Region
- Southern Africa
Entry rules for every passport
Below is every passport we have verified data for, grouped by how it enters. Rules change, so confirm with the official source before you book.
Visa-free (up to 90 days)
86 passports enter South Africa visa-free.
| Passport | Max stay |
|---|---|
| 🇦🇩 Andorra | 90 days |
| 🇦🇴 Angola | 30 days |
| 🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda | 30 days |
| 🇦🇷 Argentina | 90 days |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | 90 days |
| 🇦🇹 Austria | 90 days |
| 🇧🇸 Bahamas | 30 days |
| 🇧🇧 Barbados | 30 days |
| 🇧🇪 Belgium | 90 days |
| 🇧🇿 Belize | 30 days |
| 🇧🇯 Benin | 30 days |
| 🇧🇴 Bolivia | 30 days |
| 🇧🇼 Botswana | 90 days |
| 🇧🇷 Brazil | 90 days |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | 90 days |
| 🇨🇻 Cape Verde | 30 days |
| 🇨🇱 Chile | 90 days |
| 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | 30 days |
| 🇨🇾 Cyprus | 30 days |
| 🇨🇿 Czechia | 90 days |
| 🇩🇰 Denmark | 90 days |
| 🇪🇨 Ecuador | 90 days |
| 🇸🇿 Eswatini | 30 days |
| 🇫🇮 Finland | 90 days |
| 🇫🇷 France | 90 days |
| 🇬🇦 Gabon | 30 days |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | 90 days |
| 🇬🇭 Ghana | 90 days |
| 🇬🇷 Greece | 90 days |
| 🇬🇾 Guyana | 30 days |
| 🇭🇰 Hong Kong | 30 days |
| 🇭🇺 Hungary | 30 days |
| 🇮🇸 Iceland | 90 days |
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | 90 days |
| 🇮🇱 Israel | 90 days |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | 90 days |
| 🇯🇲 Jamaica | 90 days |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | 90 days |
| 🇯🇴 Jordan | 30 days |
| 🇰🇪 Kenya | 90 days |
| 🇱🇸 Lesotho | 30 days |
| 🇱🇮 Liechtenstein | 90 days |
| 🇱🇺 Luxembourg | 90 days |
| 🇲🇴 Macau | 30 days |
| 🇲🇬 Madagascar | 90 days |
| 🇲🇼 Malawi | 30 days |
| 🇲🇾 Malaysia | 90 days |
| 🇲🇻 Maldives | 30 days |
| 🇲🇹 Malta | 90 days |
| 🇲🇺 Mauritius | 30 days |
| 🇲🇨 Monaco | 90 days |
| 🇲🇿 Mozambique | 30 days |
| 🇳🇦 Namibia | 90 days |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 90 days |
| 🇳🇿 New Zealand | 90 days |
| 🇳🇴 Norway | 90 days |
| 🇵🇸 Palestine | 90 days |
| 🇵🇦 Panama | 90 days |
| 🇵🇾 Paraguay | 90 days |
| 🇵🇪 Peru | 30 days |
| 🇵🇱 Poland | 30 days |
| 🇵🇹 Portugal | 90 days |
| 🇶🇦 Qatar | 90 days |
| 🇷🇺 Russia | 90 days |
| 🇻🇨 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 90 days |
| 🇸🇲 San Marino | 90 days |
| 🇸🇹 São Tomé and Príncipe | 90 days |
| 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | 90 days |
| 🇸🇨 Seychelles | 30 days |
| 🇸🇬 Singapore | 90 days |
| 🇰🇷 South Korea | 30 days |
| 🇪🇸 Spain | 90 days |
| 🇸🇪 Sweden | 90 days |
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 90 days |
| 🇹🇿 Tanzania | 90 days |
| 🇹🇭 Thailand | 30 days |
| 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago | 90 days |
| 🇹🇳 Tunisia | 90 days |
| 🇹🇷 Türkiye | 30 days |
| 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | 90 days |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 90 days |
| 🇺🇸 United States | 90 days |
| 🇺🇾 Uruguay | 90 days |
| 🇻🇪 Venezuela | 90 days |
| 🇿🇲 Zambia | 90 days |
| 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | 90 days |
e-Visa
32 passports apply for an e-visa online before travelling.
| Passport | Max stay |
|---|---|
| 🇦🇱 Albania | – |
| 🇩🇿 Algeria | – |
| 🇧🇾 Belarus | – |
| 🇧🇬 Bulgaria | – |
| 🇨🇲 Cameroon | – |
| 🇨🇳 China | – |
| 🇰🇲 Comoros | – |
| 🇨🇬 Congo | – |
| 🇭🇷 Croatia | – |
| 🇨🇺 Cuba | – |
| 🇨🇩 DR Congo | – |
| 🇪🇬 Egypt | – |
| 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | – |
| 🇬🇳 Guinea | – |
| 🇮🇳 India | – |
| 🇮🇩 Indonesia | – |
| 🇮🇷 Iran | – |
| 🇨🇮 Ivory Coast | – |
| 🇱🇷 Liberia | – |
| 🇱🇹 Lithuania | – |
| 🇲🇱 Mali | – |
| 🇲🇽 Mexico | – |
| 🇲🇦 Morocco | – |
| 🇳🇪 Niger | – |
| 🇳🇬 Nigeria | – |
| 🇴🇲 Oman | – |
| 🇵🇰 Pakistan | – |
| 🇵🇭 Philippines | – |
| 🇷🇴 Romania | – |
| 🇸🇳 Senegal | – |
| 🇸🇰 Slovakia | – |
| 🇺🇬 Uganda | – |
Visa required
80 passports need a visa arranged in advance.
| Passport | Max stay |
|---|---|
| 🇦🇫 Afghanistan | – |
| 🇦🇲 Armenia | – |
| 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan | – |
| 🇧🇭 Bahrain | – |
| 🇧🇩 Bangladesh | – |
| 🇧🇹 Bhutan | – |
| 🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina | – |
| 🇧🇳 Brunei | – |
| 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso | – |
| 🇧🇮 Burundi | – |
| 🇰🇭 Cambodia | – |
| 🇨🇫 Central African Republic | – |
| 🇹🇩 Chad | – |
| 🇨🇴 Colombia | – |
| 🇩🇯 Djibouti | – |
| 🇩🇲 Dominica | – |
| 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | – |
| 🇸🇻 El Salvador | – |
| 🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea | – |
| 🇪🇷 Eritrea | – |
| 🇪🇪 Estonia | – |
| 🇫🇯 Fiji | – |
| 🇬🇲 Gambia | – |
| 🇬🇪 Georgia | – |
| 🇬🇩 Grenada | – |
| 🇬🇹 Guatemala | – |
| 🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau | – |
| 🇭🇹 Haiti | – |
| 🇭🇳 Honduras | – |
| 🇮🇶 Iraq | – |
| 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan | – |
| 🇰🇮 Kiribati | – |
| 🇽🇰 Kosovo | – |
| 🇰🇼 Kuwait | – |
| 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan | – |
| 🇱🇦 Laos | – |
| 🇱🇻 Latvia | – |
| 🇱🇧 Lebanon | – |
| 🇱🇾 Libya | – |
| 🇲🇭 Marshall Islands | – |
| 🇲🇷 Mauritania | – |
| 🇫🇲 Micronesia | – |
| 🇲🇩 Moldova | – |
| 🇲🇳 Mongolia | – |
| 🇲🇪 Montenegro | – |
| 🇲🇲 Myanmar | – |
| 🇳🇷 Nauru | – |
| 🇳🇵 Nepal | – |
| 🇳🇮 Nicaragua | – |
| 🇰🇵 North Korea | – |
| 🇲🇰 North Macedonia | – |
| 🇵🇼 Palau | – |
| 🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea | – |
| 🇷🇼 Rwanda | – |
| 🇰🇳 Saint Kitts and Nevis | – |
| 🇱🇨 Saint Lucia | – |
| 🇼🇸 Samoa | – |
| 🇷🇸 Serbia | – |
| 🇸🇱 Sierra Leone | – |
| 🇸🇮 Slovenia | – |
| 🇸🇧 Solomon Islands | – |
| 🇸🇴 Somalia | – |
| 🇸🇸 South Sudan | – |
| 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | – |
| 🇸🇩 Sudan | – |
| 🇸🇷 Suriname | – |
| 🇸🇾 Syria | – |
| 🇹🇼 Taiwan | – |
| 🇹🇯 Tajikistan | – |
| 🇹🇱 Timor-Leste | – |
| 🇹🇬 Togo | – |
| 🇹🇴 Tonga | – |
| 🇹🇲 Turkmenistan | – |
| 🇹🇻 Tuvalu | – |
| 🇺🇦 Ukraine | – |
| 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan | – |
| 🇻🇺 Vanuatu | – |
| 🇻🇦 Vatican City | – |
| 🇻🇳 Vietnam | – |
| 🇾🇪 Yemen | – |
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a visa for South Africa?
It depends on your passport. For popular passports it currently looks like this: United States: visa-free (up to 90 days), 90 days; United Kingdom: visa-free (up to 90 days), 90 days; Germany: visa-free (up to 90 days), 90 days; Canada: visa-free (up to 90 days), 90 days. The full table is above on this page.
What currency is used in South Africa?
South African rand.
What language is spoken in South Africa?
Afrikaans, English, Southern Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho, Swazi, Tswana, Tsonga, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu.
Visa requirements by passport
| Passport | Requirement | Max stay |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Visa-free (up to 90 days) | 90 days |
| United Kingdom | Visa-free (up to 90 days) | 90 days |
| Germany | Visa-free (up to 90 days) | 90 days |
| Canada | Visa-free (up to 90 days) | 90 days |
| Australia | Visa-free (up to 90 days) | 90 days |
| India | e-Visa | - |
| Russia | Visa-free (up to 90 days) | 90 days |
| China | e-Visa | - |
| France | Visa-free (up to 90 days) | 90 days |
| Japan | Visa-free (up to 90 days) | 90 days |
Useful for this trip
What else you will need in South Africa: a place to stay, things to do and mobile data that works on arrival.
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Plan the whole trip on Aviozo
Mark where you have been and where you want to go, check visa rules for your passport (and your group), and find cheap flights from your home airport.
Open Aviozo →Visa rules from other passports
This page is for general information only and is not legal advice. Visa rules change often, so always confirm entry requirements with the official government source before you travel.