{"id":726968,"date":"2023-10-24T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-24T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=726968"},"modified":"2023-10-24T15:03:27","modified_gmt":"2023-10-24T13:03:27","slug":"south-africans-can-now-visit-107-countries-visa-free-with-one-new-destination-added-to-the-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/lifestyle\/726968\/south-africans-can-now-visit-107-countries-visa-free-with-one-new-destination-added-to-the-list\/","title":{"rendered":"South Africans can now visit 107 countries visa-free &#8211; with one new destination added to the list"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The latest Henley &amp; 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Singapore passport is still the most powerful, with a visa-free score of 193, up from 192 at the beginning of the year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Japan, however, now ranks 2nd with a score of 191 \u2013 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cFor 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\u2019s permit, or an electronic travel authority (ETA) upon entry,\u201d said Henley &amp; Partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>South Africa<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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. <\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"681\" height=\"571\" src=\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Screenshot-2023-10-24-143057.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-726982\" srcset=\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Screenshot-2023-10-24-143057.png 681w, https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Screenshot-2023-10-24-143057-300x252.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 681px) 100vw, 681px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>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. <strong>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.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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 \u2013 up from R200 to R600. Larger books for jet setters are now R1,200.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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 \u2013 noting that they were three times cheaper than many other countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Motsoaledi said that the hiking of the price is also an attempt to secure the document\u2019s reputation within the global community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Below are the 107 countries South Africans can travel to visa-free according to the latest Henley &amp; Partners report (<em>Note: *visa on arrival, **eTA):<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Africa<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><div class=\"table-responsive\"><table class=\"table\"><tbody><tr><td>Angola<\/td><td>Kenya<\/td><td>Seychelles*<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Benin<\/td><td>Lestho<\/td><td>Sierra Leone*<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Botswana<\/td><td>Madagascar*<\/td><td>Somalia*<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Burundi*<\/td><td>Malawi<\/td><td>St. Helena*<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Cape Verde Islands*<\/td><td>Mauritania*<\/td><td>Tanzania<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Comoro Islands*<\/td><td>Mauritius<\/td><td>The Gambia<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>eSwatini<\/td><td>Mozambique<\/td><td>Togo*<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Ethiopia*<\/td><td>Namibia<\/td><td>Tunisia<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Gabon<\/td><td>Nigeria*<\/td><td>Uganda*<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Ghana*<\/td><td>Reunion<\/td><td>Zambia<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Guinea-Bissau*<\/td><td>Rwanda*<\/td><td>Djibouti *<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Zimbabwe<\/td><td>Senegal<\/td><td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Americas&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><div class=\"table-responsive\"><table class=\"table\"><tbody><tr><td>Argentina<\/td><td>Ecuador<\/td><td>Nicaragua<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Belize<\/td><td>El Salvador<\/td><td>Panama<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Bolivia*<\/td><td>Falkland Islands<\/td><td>Paraguay<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Brazil<\/td><td>Guatemala<\/td><td>Peru<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Chile<\/td><td>Guyana<\/td><td>Uruguay<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Costa Rica<\/td><td>Honduras<\/td><td>Venezuela<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Asia<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><div class=\"table-responsive\"><table class=\"table\"><tbody><tr><td>Cambodia*<\/td><td>Malaysia<\/td><td>Sri Lanka*<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Hong Kong (SAR China)<\/td><td>Maldives*<\/td><td>Tajikistan*<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Indonesia<\/td><td>Nepal*<\/td><td>Thailand<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Kyrgyzstan*<\/td><td>Pakistan*<\/td><td>Timor-Leste*<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Laos*<\/td><td>Phillipines<\/td><td>South Korea **<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Macao&nbsp;(SAR China)<\/td><td>Singapore<\/td><td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Caribbean<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><div class=\"table-responsive\"><table class=\"table\"><tbody><tr><td>Antigua and Barbuda<\/td><td>Dominican&nbsp;Republic<\/td><td>St. Lucia<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Bahamas<\/td><td>Grenada<\/td><td>St. Vincent and the Grenadines<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Barbados<\/td><td>Haiti<\/td><td>Trinidad and Tobago<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>British Virgin Islands<\/td><td>Jamaica<\/td><td>Turks and Caicos<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Cayman Islands<\/td><td>Montserrat<\/td><td><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Dominica<\/td><td>St. Kitts and Nevis<\/td><td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Europe<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><div class=\"table-responsive\"><table class=\"table\"><tbody><tr><td>Georgia<\/td><td>Ireland<\/td><td>Kosovo<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Russian Federation<\/td><td><\/td><td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Middle East&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><div class=\"table-responsive\"><table class=\"table\"><tbody><tr><td>Armenia*<\/td><td>Jordan*<\/td><td>Qatar<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Iran*<\/td><td>Oman<\/td><td>Saudi Arabia*<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Israel<\/td><td>Palestinian Territories<\/td><td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Oceania&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><div class=\"table-responsive\"><table class=\"table\"><tbody><tr><td>Cook Islands<\/td><td>Micronesia<\/td><td>Samoa*<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Fiji<\/td><td>Niue<\/td><td>Tuvalu*<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Marshall Islands*<\/td><td>Palau Islands*<\/td><td>Vanuatu<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Read:<a href=\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/government\/724734\/big-win-for-visas-in-south-africa\/\"> Big win for visas in South Africa<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Another country has been added to the list of destinations that South Africans can visit visa-free.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":726992,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9876],"tags":[10004,853],"class_list":["post-726968","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","tag-henley-partners","tag-south-africa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/726968","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=726968"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/726968\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":727008,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/726968\/revisions\/727008"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/726992"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=726968"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=726968"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=726968"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}