60+ Visa–free Countries For South Africans To Visit in 2025

Wondering what are the visa–free countries for South Africans are in 2025 ? See my guide below.

One of the worst aspects of travelling is having to apply for visas.  A South African passport, while providing access to many countries, comes with several disadvantages too. One of the primary issues is the limited visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to countries, especially in Europe and North America, which often requires extensive and costly visa application processes. This can be a significant inconvenience for travellers, making it a deterrent to travel to those countries. Personally, my decision on where to travel is often affected by the country's visa requirements.

As of 2025, the South African passport ranks 47^th on the Henley Passport Index, which measures the global travel freedom of passports based on the number of destinations their holders can access without a visa. This position is a slight improvement from its previous rank of 53rd in 2023.

The highest ranked passport is that of Singapore, followed by France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain and Austria.

South African passport holders can currently travel to over 100 destinations either without requiring a visa, or by obtaining a visa on arrival or an e-visa. Ireland has recently revoked visa-free travel for South Africans.

Important: Please verify before travelling as status may have changed.

South African passports

1. Visa-free countries for South Africans to visit

These are the countries South Africans can travel to without a visa.

1. Angola
2. Antigua and Barbuda
3. Argentina
4. Bahamas
5. Barbados
6. Belize
7. Benin
8. Botswana
9. Brazil
10. British Virgin Islands
11. Cayman Islands
12. Chile
13. Cook Islands
14. Costa Rica
15. Dominica
16. Dominican Republic
17. Ecuador
18. El Salvador
19. Eswatini
20. Falkland Islands
21. Fiji
22. Gabon
23. Gambia
24. Georgia (You can still be denied entry though. Click here to read about our experience.)
25. Ghana
26. Grenada
27. Guatemala
28. Guyana
29. Haiti
30. Honduras
31. Hong Kong
32. Jamaica
33. Kenya
34. Kiribati
35. Kosovo
36. Lesotho
37. Macao
38. Malawi
39. Malaysia
40. Mauritius
41. Micronesia
42. Montserrat
43. Mozambique
44. Namibia
45. Nicaragua
46. Niue
47. Palestinian Territories
48. Panama
49. Paraguay
50. Peru
51. Philippines
52. Reunion
53. Russia
54. Rwanda
55. Saint Kitts and Nevis
56. Saint Lucia
57. Singapore
58. Vincent and the Grenadines
59. Tanzania
60. Thailand
61. Trinidad and Tobago
62. Tunisia
63. Turks and Caicos Islands
64. Uruguay
65. Vanuatu
66. Venezuela
67. Zambia
68. Zimbabwe

Victoria Falls - Zambia

2. Visa on Arrival

The following countries provide a Visa on Arrival for South Africans

1. Bolivia
2. Burundi
3. Cambodia
4. Cape Verde
5. Comoros / Comoro Islands
6. Djibouti
7. Egypt
8. Ethiopia
9. Guinea-Bissau
10. Indonesia
11. Iran (Prior application required)
12. Jordan
13. Kyrgyzstan
14. Laos
15. Maldives
16. Marshall Islands
17. Mauritania
18. Nepal
19. Nigeria
20. Palau
21. Qatar
22. Samoa
23. Sierra Leone
24. Somalia
25. Helena
26. Tajikistan
27. Timor-Leste
28. Tuvalu
29. Uzbekistan (Prior application required)

Camels at Petra in Jordan

3. E-Visas for South Africans

The following countries require an E-Visa for South Africans

1. Albania
2. Armenia
3. Australia
4. Azerbaijan
5. Bahrain
6. Cameroon
7. Congo (Democratic Republic)
8. Equatorial Guinea
9. Guinea
10. India
11. Japan
12. Kazakhstan
13. Libya
14. Madagascar
15. Myanmar
16. Oman
17. Sao Tome and Principe
18. Saudi Arabia
19. Suriname
20. Togo
21. Turkey
22. Uganda
23. United Arab Emirates
24. Vietnam

Burj Khalifa , Dubai, United Arab Emirates

4.Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) Countries for South Africa Citizens

The following countries require South Africa passport holders to obtain an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) prior to visiting. This is a digital travel document which can be obtained online prior to travel.

1. Israel
2. Pakistan
3. Seychelles
4. South Korea
5. Sri Lanka

5. Visas Required For South Africans

The following countries require South Africans to apply for a visa.

1. Afghanistan
2. Algeria
3. American Samoa
4. Andorra
5. Anguilla
6. Aruba
7. Austria
8. Bangladesh
9. Belarus
10. Belgium
11. Bermuda
12. Bhutan
13. Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba
14. Bosnia and Herzegovina
15. Brunei
16. Bulgaria
17. Burkina Faso
18. Canada
19. Central African Republic
20. Chad
21. China
22. Colombia
23. Congo
24. Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
25. Croatia
26. Cuba
27. Curacao
28. Cyprus
29. Czechia
30. Denmark
31. Eritrea
32. Estonia
33. Faroe Islands
34. Finland
35. France
36. French Guiana
37. French Polynesia
38. French West Indies
39. Germany
40. Gibraltar
41. Greece
42. Greenland
43. Guam
44. Hungary
45. Iceland
46. Iraq
47. Ireland
48. Italy
49. Kuwait
50. Latvia
51. Lebanon
52. Liberia
53. Liechtenstein
54. Lithuania
55. Luxembourg
56. Mali
57. Malta
58. Mayotte
59. Mexico
60. Moldova
61. Mongolia
62. Monaco
63. Montenegro
64. Morocco
65. Nauru
66. Netherlands
67. New Caledonia
68. New Zealand
69. Niger
70. Norfolk Island
71. North Korea
72. North Macedonia
73. Northern Mariana Islands
74. Norway
75. Papua New Guinea
76. Poland
77. Portugal
78. Puerto Rico
79. Romania
80. San Marino
81. Serbia
82. Senegal
83. Slovakia
84. Slovenia
85. Solomon Islands
86. South Sudan
87. Spain
88. Maarten
89. Pierre and Miquelon
90. Sudan
91. Sweden
92. Switzerland
93. Syria
94. Taiwan
95. Tonga
96. Turkmenistan
97. Ukraine
98. United Kingdom
99. United States of America
100. US Virgin Islands
101. Vatican City
102. Wallis and Futuna
103. Yemen

Sara Essop

Sara Essop is a travel blogger and writer based in South Africa. She writes about family travel and experiences around the world. Although she has been to 50 countries thus far, she especially loves showcasing her beautiful country and is a certified South Africa Specialist.