There are currently 106 countries that South Africans can travel to without a visa, with the vast majority in Africa, Asia and South America. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the latest Henley Passport ranking for 2025, South Africa’s passport is the 48th strongest in the world, allowing visa-free access to 106 countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Henley Passport Index is seen as the most authoritative measure of passport power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It evaluates 199 passports against 227 travel destinations and also relies on data from the International Air Transport Authority (IATA) and extensive supplementary research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As per the rankings, South Africa is situated between Qatar and Belize, but it is still far behind Singapore, which allows visa-free travel to 195 countries across the globe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
South Africa has entered the top 50 for the first time since 2014, highlighting relatively improved mobility for South Africans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many other countries saw the number of visa-free destinations that they could travel to decrease, including major EU members like France, Germany and Italy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
South Africa’s access to visa-free travel remains unchanged from the second half of the year and only jumped the rankings following the drops seen by other nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The most recent move in South Africa’s visa-free travel situation involved Ireland cutting visa-free access to South Africans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since July 2024, South Africans and Botswanas have needed to acquire a visa before travelling to Ireland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The island nation said that it had seen a notable rise in International Protection applications from citizens of Botswana and South Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The rest of Europe, apart from Russia, Kosovo and Georgia, also require a visa from South African travellers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is despite several countries, especially the UK, having a large South African diaspora. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other immigrant hotspots for South Africans also require a visa, including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the USA and Portugal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Notably, other BRICS members still need a visa from South African visitors such as China, India and the UAE require a visa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Looking at the list, most countries where South Africans can travel visa-free are in Africa, South America and Asia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Popular tourist destinations such as Mauritius, Thailand, and Brazil also do not need visas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Business hubs Singapore, Qatar and Saudi Arabia also do not need visas from South Africans. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Interestingly, Israel allows visa-free travel for South Africans despite South Africa accusing the country of genocide at the International Court of Justice in 2024. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The countries where South Africans can travel without a visa can be found below: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Africa<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Americas <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Asia<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Caribbean<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Europe<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Middle East <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Oceania <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nCountry<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> Angola<\/td><\/tr> Benin<\/td><\/tr> Botswana<\/td><\/tr> Burundi<\/td><\/tr> Cape Verde Islands<\/td><\/tr> Comoro Islands<\/td><\/tr> Djibouti<\/td><\/tr> Ethiopia<\/td><\/tr> eSwatini<\/td><\/tr> Gabon<\/td><\/tr> Ghana<\/td><\/tr> Guinea-Bissau<\/td><\/tr> Kenya<\/td><\/tr> Lesotho<\/td><\/tr> Madagascar<\/td><\/tr> Malawi<\/td><\/tr> Mauritania<\/td><\/tr> Mauritius<\/td><\/tr> Mozambique<\/td><\/tr> Namibia<\/td><\/tr> Nigeria<\/td><\/tr> Reunion<\/td><\/tr> Rwanda<\/td><\/tr> Senegal<\/td><\/tr> Seychelles<\/td><\/tr> Sierra Leone<\/td><\/tr> Somalia<\/td><\/tr> Tanzania<\/td><\/tr> The Gambia<\/td><\/tr> Tunisia<\/td><\/tr> Zambia<\/td><\/tr> Zimbabwe<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nCountry<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> Argentina<\/td><\/tr> Belize<\/td><\/tr> Bolivia*<\/td><\/tr> Brazil<\/td><\/tr> Chile<\/td><\/tr> Costa Rica<\/td><\/tr> Ecuador<\/td><\/tr> El Salvador<\/td><\/tr> Falkland Islands<\/td><\/tr> Guatemala<\/td><\/tr> Guyana<\/td><\/tr> Honduras<\/td><\/tr> Nicaragua<\/td><\/tr> Panama<\/td><\/tr> Paraguay<\/td><\/tr> Peru<\/td><\/tr> Uruguay<\/td><\/tr> Venezuela<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nCountry<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> Cambodia*<\/td><\/tr> Hong Kong (SAR China)<\/td><\/tr> Indonesia<\/td><\/tr> Kyrgyzstan*<\/td><\/tr> Laos*<\/td><\/tr> Malaysia<\/td><\/tr> Maldives*<\/td><\/tr> Macao (SAR China)<\/td><\/tr> Nepal*<\/td><\/tr> Pakistan*<\/td><\/tr> Philippines<\/td><\/tr> Singapore<\/td><\/tr> Sri Lanka*<\/td><\/tr> Tajikistan*<\/td><\/tr> Thailand<\/td><\/tr> Timor-Leste*<\/td><\/tr> South Korea**<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nCountry<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> Antigua and Barbuda<\/td><\/tr> Bahamas<\/td><\/tr> Barbados<\/td><\/tr> British Virgin Islands<\/td><\/tr> Cayman Islands<\/td><\/tr> Dominica<\/td><\/tr> Dominican Republic<\/td><\/tr> Grenada<\/td><\/tr> Haiti<\/td><\/tr> Jamaica<\/td><\/tr> Montserrat<\/td><\/tr> St. Helena<\/td><\/tr> St. Kitts and Nevis<\/td><\/tr> St. Lucia<\/td><\/tr> St. Vincent and the Grenadines<\/td><\/tr> Trinidad and Tobago<\/td><\/tr> Turks and Caicos<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nCountry<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> Georgia<\/td><\/tr> Kosovo<\/td><\/tr> Russian Federation<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nCountry<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> Armenia*<\/td><\/tr> Iran*<\/td><\/tr> Israel<\/td><\/tr> Jordan*<\/td><\/tr> Oman<\/td><\/tr> Palestine<\/td><\/tr> Qatar<\/td><\/tr> Saudi Arabia*<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nCountry<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> Cook Islands<\/td><\/tr> Fiji<\/td><\/tr> Kiribati<\/td><\/tr> Marshall Islands*<\/td><\/tr> Micronesia<\/td><\/tr> Niue<\/td><\/tr> Palau Islands*<\/td><\/tr> Samoa*<\/td><\/tr> Tuvalu*<\/td><\/tr> Vanuatu<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n