Lifestyle

Bad news for anyone with a South African passport

Staff Writer

 ·11 Jun 2026

South Africa’s passport has continued to slip in the global power rankings, losing easy access to one more international country in the 2026 Arton Capital Passport Index.

According to the index, South Africa has a passport power score of 109 in 2026, down from 110 in 2025.

The index tracks the passport power of 199 documents, representing 193 United Nations member countries and 6 territories.

The power score is based on the number of countries that allow visa-free, visa-on-arrival, or electronic travel authorisation (ETA) travel on a passport.

The methodology is similar to the Henley & Partners Passport Index, which is built using data from the International Air Transport Authority (IATA).

The Henley & Partners index gave South Africa a 2026 score of 100, as six countries downgraded it from visa-free or visa-on-arrival status.

These include Mauritania, Somalia, and Nigeria in Africa, Pakistan in Asia, Kosovo in Europe, and the Falkland Islands.

However, Arton Capital’s methodology differs slightly in its approach to destination tracking, particularly in excluding annexed territories.

In the Arton Capital Index, the main change is the loss of Visa Prior Approval (VPA) access to Pakistan, which accounts for the drop from 89 to 88 easy-access countries.

Conversely, in May, Togo became the sixth African country to grant visa-free entry to all holders of African passports.

While this increases the number of fully visa-free countries for South Africa, the Arton Capital Index already considered Togo’s previous eVisa requirements in the passport power score.

Similarly, the shift from visa-on-arrival to eVisas for Sri Lanka, and the recent ETA launched for Ghana had no impact on the final power score.

The table below outlines the main changes for South Africa in the Arton Capital Passport Index for 2026.

Changes from 2025 to 2026

Despite the loss of Pakistan, South Africans still enjoy relatively broad access, particularly across Africa, South America, and parts of Asia.

Popular leisure destinations such as Mauritius, Thailand, and Brazil remain visa-free, making them attractive options for holidaymakers. 

Several important business and transit hubs, including Singapore, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, also continue to allow South Africans to enter without a visa, provided they use ETAs or eVisas.

Another differentiator of the Arton Capital Index is its tracking of how open countries are to other passports, as reflected in its “Welcoming Ranking”.

This ranks countries by how many passports they accept visa-free, with a visa-on-arrival or with an ETA.

South Africa ranks as relatively closed off, welcoming only 93 passports with ease, or around 47% of the countries ranked.