Countries that are Visa-Exempt when Travelling to South Africa

Today, we want to give you a very short overview what visa exemption means for you.

Our team has also developed a useful map for travellers interested in visiting South Africa. This interactive tool displays which passport holders are visa exempt when travelling to South Africa. The map can be found using this link.

What does it mean to be visa exempt?

To be visa exempt or visa free basically means that if you’re passport holder from a visa exempt country, you can board a plane to South Africa without any visa in your passport. There’s no need to obtain a visa at the South African mission or E-Visa or online. You can get into the plane fly to OR Tambo, or Durban, or Cape Town, and then you will be issued with a visa (most likely a tourist visa) on arrival.

Then it depends on your passport for how many days you can stay. In South Africa, there’s two alternatives, either 30 days or 90. Most countries qualify for 90 days on arrival. Some Asian and some African countries get 30 days on arrival, and then some very, very few outliers get 90 days per calendar year. The general rule is that the vast majority of South America, North America, and Europe would get 90 days on arrival.

So where do you find that list?

You could look on the Department of Home Affairs websites, you’ll find a list it’s updated. The last update was in December; they changed the Kenyans so that they can come now, so that’s great. Don’t get confused; there are a couple of columns for different passports, including diplomatic passport and service passports. You need to look under the ordinary passport because most people like you and me, we have ordinary passports and not diplomatic ones. Then you will see if you qualify for a visa exemption or if you must apply for a visa beforehand.

You can also see if you’re exempt through a South African mission and potentially E-Visa Services. South Africa is rolling out more and more E-Visa services like other African countries. You need to check if you qualify for an E-Visa or not, and that again depends on where you come from.

How IBN Immigration Solutions can help you

IBN Immigration Solutions has assisted numerous clients in successfully receiving their South African Visas and would love to assist you too! We are familiar with all the requirements for applications, possible red-flags, and hold-ups with the government’s immigration department, meaning that you’ll be in safe hands.