{"id":878639,"date":"2026-10-07T11:10:30","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T09:10:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=878639"},"modified":"2026-10-07T11:10:33","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T09:10:33","slug":"bad-news-for-anyone-with-a-south-african-passport-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/lifestyle\/878639\/bad-news-for-anyone-with-a-south-african-passport-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Bad news for anyone with a South African passport"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the Passport Reports<\/a>‘ latest data, South Africa\u2019s 86th global position combines 59 visa-free destinations with other facilitated forms of entry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In cases where all these values are identical, the passports share the same rank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

South Africa ranked third on the continent among 54 passports and fourth among 11 BRICS countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

The report lists Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand as having arrival-card requirements; C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire is
listed with pre-registration; Seychelles with tourist registration; and Cabo Verde with the EASE procedure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below are the terms used to describe visa requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n