South Africa entry requirements, by passport
South Africa visa requirements at a glance: 51 of the 81 passports VisaRadar tracks can enter South Africa without arranging a visa beforehand — visa-free, with a visa on arrival, or with an electronic travel authorization. The other 30 must obtain a visa before they travel.
Which passport do you hold?
We'll take you straight to the entry requirements for South Africa for your nationality.
What we've verified for South Africa
Beyond the yes/no matrix, we've checked these against an official primary source (last checked 2026-08-18). The specifics depend on your nationality — open your passport's row in the table for the detail that applies to you.
- Standard short-stay visa fee: ZAR 500.00
- Typical processing time
- Required documents (2)
- Required vaccinations
- Health-insurance rules
- Customs limits (cash, alcohol, tobacco)
- Overstay penalties
- Airport transit rules
Sources: dha.gov.za and eta.dha.gov.za (Department of Home Affairs — ETA phased rollout, eligible countries, airports, ZAR 500 fee effective 17/08/2026 per the Government Gazette); sars.gov.za, "SC-PA-01-03 Duty Free Allowances for Travellers" document with an effective date of 01/07/2026 (South African Revenue Service — alcohol/tobacco allowances, ZAR 100,000 cash declaration, mandatory online traveller declaration) (checked 18/08/2026).
South Africa sets its entry regime by nationality: most passports from the Americas and Western Europe enter visa-free for tourism, while other nationalities need a prior consular visa. Since October 2025, South Africa has rolled out a new Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) system to simplify entry control, still being phased in by nationality.
This table summarizes the exact entry mechanism for every passport we track — the difference between entering visa-free, with an electronic authorization, with an e-Visa, or with a traditional visa is explained in visa, e-Visa, and electronic authorization: what's the difference. How we verify every row before publishing it is on methodology.
Base entry rules refreshed 2026-09-17. Published: 2026-08-20.
| Passport | Requirement | Max. stay |
|---|---|---|
| Visa-free | ||
| Argentina | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Australia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Austria | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Belgium | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Bolivia | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Brazil | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Canada | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Cape Verde | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Chile | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Costa Rica | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Czech Republic | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Denmark | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Ecuador | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Finland | Visa-free | 90 days |
| France | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Germany | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Ghana | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Greece | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Hungary | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Iceland | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Ireland | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Israel | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Italy | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Japan | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Jordan | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Kenya | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Malaysia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Malta | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Netherlands | Visa-free | 90 days |
| New Zealand | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Norway | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Panama | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Paraguay | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Peru | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Poland | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Portugal | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Russia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Saudi Arabia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Singapore | Visa-free | 90 days |
| South Korea | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Spain | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Sweden | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Switzerland | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Thailand | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Tunisia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Turkey | Visa-free | 30 days |
| United Arab Emirates | Visa-free | 90 days |
| United Kingdom | Visa-free | 90 days |
| United States | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Uruguay | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Venezuela | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Visa required | ||
| Algeria | e-Visa | — |
| Bangladesh | Visa required | — |
| Bulgaria | e-Visa | — |
| China | e-Visa | — |
| Colombia | Visa required | — |
| Croatia | e-Visa | — |
| Cuba | e-Visa | — |
| Dominican Republic | Visa required | — |
| Egypt | e-Visa | — |
| El Salvador | Visa required | — |
| Equatorial Guinea | Visa required | — |
| Gambia | Visa required | — |
| Georgia | Visa required | — |
| Guatemala | Visa required | — |
| Honduras | Visa required | — |
| India | e-Visa | — |
| Indonesia | e-Visa | — |
| Mali | e-Visa | — |
| Mexico | e-Visa | — |
| Moldova | Visa required | — |
| Morocco | e-Visa | — |
| Nicaragua | Visa required | — |
| Nigeria | e-Visa | — |
| Pakistan | e-Visa | — |
| Philippines | e-Visa | — |
| Romania | e-Visa | — |
| Senegal | e-Visa | — |
| Sri Lanka | Visa required | — |
| Ukraine | Visa required | — |
| Vietnam | Visa required | — |
Recommended travel insurance
Recognized Spanish provider, useful as a second comparison option
Get a quote →This is an affiliate link: if you buy through it, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Do you need a different visa for Cape Town, Johannesburg, or Durban?
No. South Africa sets the requirements, so entering through Cape Town asks for the same as entering through Johannesburg or Durban. If you're arriving overland or through a small border post, check that separately: some countries apply their own rules to specific crossings.
What does change is where you file the application when a visa is needed, and that depends on the country you live in rather than the city you're travelling to.
What draws travelers to South Africa
South Africa combines safari, city and coast in a single trip. Cape Town, between Table Mountain and two oceans, is the base for the south-west: the Cape of Good Hope, the Boulders penguin colony, the Stellenbosch vineyards and Robben Island, Mandela's prison and a World Heritage site. To the east begins the Garden Route, of forest and cliffs. The north-east has Kruger National Park, one of the great African parks for the "big five". And the Drakensberg range and the Sterkfontein cradle of humankind round out the World Heritage list. South Africa has 12 UNESCO World Heritage sites. Two weeks cover Cape Town, the Garden Route and a few days on safari. Being in the southern hemisphere, the austral winter (May-September) is the best time for safari; check safety by area and avoid walking at night in the cities.
Sources for this section: southafrica.net (South African Tourism); UNESCO World Heritage List (whc.unesco.org, 12 sites in South Africa); UK FCDO travel advice for South Africa. Accessed 31 August 2026.
Things to see and do in South Africa
Tours, skip-the-line tickets and day trips, most with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Seeing the featured activities here needs advertising cookies. In the meantime, you can open them directly:
Browse activities on GetYourGuide →This is an affiliate link: if you buy through it, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Where can South Africa passport holders travel visa-free? →
Informational only. Always verify requirements with the official embassy or consulate before you travel.