Lifestyle

Bad news for anyone with a South African passport

Caitlyn Hilliard-Lomas

 ·7 Oct 2026

South Africa has recently been ranked 86th out of 199 countries in the passport index, dropping down the list from 79th in 2025.

South Africa earned a Mobility Score of 108, down from 110 in 2025, which means that South African passport holders have access to 108 destinations without requiring a traditional visa.

According to the Passport Reports‘ latest data, South Africa’s 86th global position combines 59 visa-free destinations with other facilitated forms of entry.

The score includes access to 59 visa-free destinations, 42 destinations available on a visa-on-arrival basis, and 7 destinations requiring an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA).

Passport Reports records passport reports for 199 countries in 34 languages. It said that different passport indexes can produce varying rankings due to their distinct methodologies. 

These differences may arise from the types of access they include, how they categorise entries, the scoring priorities they apply, or the rules they use for breaking ties.

Passport Reports ranks passports based on their Mobility Score, which is the total number of destinations that offer visa-free access, are accessible on a visa-on-arrival basis, or are available with an ETA. 

If two passports have the same Mobility Score, the comparison moves to the number of visa-free destinations, followed by Electronic Travel Authorisations, and visa on arrival or the applicable simplified entry category. 

In cases where all these values are identical, the passports share the same rank.

South Africa ranked third on the continent among 54 passports and fourth among 11 BRICS countries.

Passport Reports recorded that South Africa ranks 15th among the 19 G20 countries, 26th among the 56 Commonwealth countries and 38th among the 132 G77 countries.

Passport Reports also recorded South Africa’s total access across Africa at 71.7%, combining visa-free, simplified-entry and Electronic Travel Authorisation access.

The report lists Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand as having arrival-card requirements; Côte d’Ivoire is
listed with pre-registration; Seychelles with tourist registration; and Cabo Verde with the EASE procedure.

EASE stands for Efficient, Automatic, and Safe Entry of Travellers, which is an online electronic pre-registration platform used for entering Cape Verde (Cabo Verde).

Passport Reports also records maximum stays for many destinations, including 360 days in Georgia, 180 days in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados and Peru, and 90 days across numerous other destinations.

Below are the terms used to describe visa requirements.

• Visa required: A conventional visa is required for entry, and the application must be submitted in person.
• Visa-free: No visa is needed for entry into these places.

ETA (Electronic Travel Authority): A visa is not required; however, a digital electronic travel document (authority), declaring entry into the country, must be obtained before arrival.

VOA (Visa on Arrival): A visa is required for entry, but it can be obtained upon arrival at the airport (no pre-departure approval required).

e-Visa: A visa is required, but an online application can be submitted. The issued visa is electronic, with pre-departure approval necessary.

The updated list below includes all the countries where South Africans can enter without a traditional visa, either for completely visa-free entry, a visa on arrival, or an ETA, based on the available information from Passport Reports.

Americas 

Asia

Caribbean

Europe

Middle East 

Oceania 

Note: *visa on arrival; **eTA [electronic travel authorisation]