Lifestyle

South Africans can now visit 107 countries visa-free – with one new destination added to the list

Staff Writer

 ·24 Oct 2023

The latest Henley & Partners Global Mobility Report for 2023 has made some changes to its Passport Index, which has now added another entry to the list of countries South Africans can travel around the world without needing a visa.

The Singapore passport is still the most powerful, with a visa-free score of 193, up from 192 at the beginning of the year.

Japan, however, now ranks 2nd with a score of 191 – overtaking Germany, Italy, and Spain, which previously tied for 2nd with a score of 190. They are now tied in 3rd with several other first-world countries, including Finland, France, South Korea, and Sweden.

Afghanistan remains at the bottom of the list with a score of 27, below both Syria and Iraq with a score of 28 and 30, respectively.

The analysis included 199 passports and 227 travel destinations, ranking them in terms of travel power. According to the investment migration consultancy, each passport is scored on the total number of destinations that the holder can access visa-free.

“For each travel destination, if no visa is required, then a score of 1 is allocated for that passport. This applies if passport holders can obtain a visa on arrival, a visitor’s permit, or an electronic travel authority (ETA) upon entry,” said Henley & Partners.

South Africa

South Africa places around the middle of the pack in the 54th position out of 104 countries with a visa-free score of 107. South Africa shifted down two spots from 52nd at the beginning of the year.

Despite the drop, there are now 107 countries spread across the globe that a South African passport holder can travel to visa-free, up from 106. Burundi and Gambia were added at the beginning of the year, and now Saudi Arabia has allowed visa-free South African passport holders to enter the country.

In light of the high cost of living, if one can afford to travel abroad, one must bear in mind another increasing expense beyond plane tickets. In November last year, passports domestically saw a 50% price change – up from R200 to R600. Larger books for jet setters are now R1,200.

According to the minister of home affairs Aaron Motsoaledi, the jump in prices was a result of the last change only coming a decade ago – noting that they were three times cheaper than many other countries.

The South African passport has also been made a mockery by criminal syndicates using them to launder money, traffic people in and out of certain countries or aid in corruption.

Motsoaledi said that the hiking of the price is also an attempt to secure the document’s reputation within the global community.

Below are the 107 countries South Africans can travel to visa-free according to the latest Henley & Partners report (Note: *visa on arrival, **eTA):

Africa

Americas 

Asia

Caribbean

Europe

Middle East 

Oceania 

Read: Big win for visas in South Africa