To enter South Africa it is necessary to have a passport with at least 30 days remaining from the intended date of exit, but it’s recommended that you have at least six months on your passport before it expires.
Your passport should also have at least two blank pages when you enter or leave South Africa.
Travellers no longer need a valid vaccine certificate showing full vaccination to avoid testing requirements for South Africa.
Unvaccinated and vaccinated travellers alike may now enter the country without the need to present health documents.
• A return or onward ticket is needed.
• Travelers coming from countries where yellow fever is prevalent need to present a certificate showing they have been vaccinated.
• A valid visa, if required. (see details below )
Visa-exempt countries for South Africa
At the moment, there are a number of visa-exempt countries for South Africa. Citizens of these countries can enter the country without a visa for limited periods.
There are 52 nationalities who can enter for up to 90 days visa-free:
• Andorra
• Argentina
• Australia
• Austria
• Belgium
• Botswana
• Brazil
• Canada
• Chile
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Ecuador
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Iceland
• Ireland
• Israel
• Italy
• Jamaica
• Japan
• Liechtenstein
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Monaco
• Mozambique
• Namibia
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Norway
• Panama
• Paraguay
• Portugal
• Qatar
• Russia
• St Vincent & the Grenadines
• San Marino
• Singapore
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Tanzania
• Trinidad & Tobago
• United Arab Emirates
• United Kingdom
• United States
• Uruguay
• Venezuela
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe
There are 28 nationalities who can enter for up to 30 days visa-free:
• Angola
• Antigua and Barbuda
• Bahamas
• Barbados
• Belize
• Benin
• Bolivia
• Cape Verde
• Costa Rica
• Cyprus
• Eswatini
• Gabon
• Guyana
• Hong Kong
• Hungary
• Jordan
• Lesotho
• Macau
• Malawi
• Malaysia
• Maldives
• Mauritius
• Peru
• Poland
• Seychelles
• South Korea
• Thailand
• Turkey
Who needs to apply for the South African visa at the embassy or consulate?
Citizens with passports from the following countries need to apply for a visa at the embassy or consulate to enter South Africa.
• Afghanistan
• Albania
• Algeria
• Armenia
• Azerbaijan
• Bahrain
• Bangladesh
• Belarus
• Bermuda
• Bhutan
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Brunei
• Bulgaria
• Burkina Faso
• Burundi
• Cambodia
• Central African Republic
• Chad
• Colombia
• Comoros
• Congo
• Côte d’Ivoire
• Croatia
• Cuba
• Djibouti
• Dominican Republic
• El Salvador
• Equatorial Guinea
• Eritrea
• Estonia
• Faroe Islands
• Fiji
• French Guiana
• Gambia
• Georgia
• Ghana
• Gibraltar
• Greenland
• Guatemala
• Guinea
• Guinea-Bissau
• Honduras
• Indonesia
• Iraq
• Kazakhstan
• Kiribati
• Kosovo
• Kuwait
• Kyrgyzstan
• Laos
• Latvia
• Lebanon
• Liberia
• Libya
• Lithuania
• Macedonia
• Madagascar
• Mali
• Mauritania
• Moldova
• Mongolia
• Montenegro
• Morocco
• Myanmar
• Nepal
• Nicaragua
• Niger
• North Korea
• Oman
• Puerto Rico
• Romania
• Rwanda
• Sao Tome and Principe
• Senegal
• Serbia
• Sierra Leone
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Somalia
• South Sudan
• Sri Lanka
• Sudan
• Suriname
• Syria
• Taiwan
• Tajikistan
• Timor-Leste
• Togo
• Tunisia
• Turkmenistan
• Ukraine
• Uzbekistan
• Vietnam
• Yemen