According to the VisaGuide Passport Index, the South African passport ranks 98th in the world, as of January 2024.
This ranking allows South African citizens, who are passport holders, to travel visa-free to 74 different countries across the globe.
Here’s the full list of countries South African citizens can visit, visa-free:
- Angola
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- Benin
- Botswana
- Brazil
- British Virgin Islands
- Cayman Islands
- Chile
- Cook Islands
- Costa Rica
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Falkland Islands
- Fiji
- Gabon
- Georgia
- Ghana
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Hong Kong
- Ireland
- Israel
- Jamaica
- Kenya
- Kiribati
- Kosovo
- Lesotho
- Macau
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Mauritius
- Micronesia
- Montserrat
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Nicaragua
- Niue
- Pakistan
- Palestine
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Philippines
- Qatar
- Réunion
- Russia
- Singapore
- South Korea
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Suriname
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Gambia
- Togo
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turks and Caicos Islands
- Uruguay
- Vanuatu
- Venezuela
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
- Eswatini
Even though you may enter these countries without a visa, a passport (that’s valid for at least six months after your departure date) will still be required.
And while you may be cutting costs on the visa-free travel, an article published by BussinessTech in July last year highlights an “endearing” expense for South Africans looking to travel internationally.
The article states:
“In November [2022], passports domestically saw a 50% price change – up from R200 to R600. Larger books for jet setters are now R1,200.”
According to Aaron Motsoaledi, the Minister of Home Affairs, this price hike was brought on by South Africa’s passport fees being three times less than many other countries at the time. According to Motsoaledi, the nation had not seen a passport price hike in over a decade.
Along with passport expenses, one must also bear in mind that most countries require travel health insurance, too – another costly but necessary requirement for international travel…
