How many visa-free countries with a South African passport?

94 destinations out of 198 open without a prior application (60 visa-free, 5 with an electronic authorisation, 29 with a visa on arrival). Counting e-visas too, which remain an online application, the total is 129. Data dated 2026-02-17.

Why do websites give different numbers for the South African passport?

Because they count different things. Strictly visa-free gives 60 countries; adding electronic authorisations and visas on arrival (the Henley Passport Index count) gives 94; adding e-visas gives 129. An outdated source adds another gap.

What is the rank of the South African passport?

97 out of 199 ranked passports, by destinations reachable without a prior application.

Entry right

Visa-free countries with a South African passport

94 destinations without a prior application, out of 198.

Rank 97 of 199 passports. Data dated 2026-02-17, 39,402 passport/destination pairs.

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Why you read different numbers elsewhere

For the same South African passport, websites give totals that don't match. They are not necessarily wrong: they count different things, without saying so. Here are the three definitions, applied to the same data.

Strictly visa-free: 60; You show your passport, nothing else.
No prior application: 94; + electronic authorisation and visa on arrival. The Henley Passport Index count, and ours.
Counting e-visas: 129; + e-visa. More flattering, but still an application.

Where the South African passport opens doors

Destinations reachable without prior application by region, South African passport
Region	Open doors	Countries
Western Europe	0	24
Central & Eastern Europe	1	21
North America	0	3
Latin America & Caribbean	29	32
East Asia	3	8
Southeast Asia	8	11
South Asia	3	8
Central Asia	2	5
Middle East	9	19
North Africa	2	6
West Africa	8	16
East Africa & Horn	10	14
Central Africa	2	9
Southern Africa	8	8
Oceania	9	14

All 198 countries, one by one

Visa-free entry. — 60

Georgia · 360 days
Antigua & Barbuda · 180 days
Barbados · 180 days
Costa Rica · 180 days
Dominica · 180 days
El Salvador · 180 days
Peru · 180 days
Fiji · 120 days
Vanuatu · 120 days
Argentina · 90 days
Bahamas · 90 days
Benin · 90 days
Bolivia · 90 days
Botswana · 90 days
Brazil · 90 days
Chile · 90 days
Ecuador · 90 days
Gambia · 90 days
Ghana · 90 days
Grenada · 90 days
Guatemala · 90 days
Haiti · 90 days
Honduras · 90 days
Kenya · 90 days
Kiribati · 90 days
Malawi · 90 days
Malaysia · 90 days
Mauritius · 90 days
Namibia · 90 days
Nicaragua · 90 days
Panama · 90 days
Paraguay · 90 days
Russia · 90 days
Seychelles · 90 days
St. Vincent & Grenadines · 90 days
Tanzania · 90 days
Trinidad & Tobago · 90 days
Tunisia · 90 days
Uruguay · 90 days
Venezuela · 90 days
Zambia · 90 days
Zimbabwe · 90 days
Thailand · 60 days
St. Lucia · 42 days
Angola · 30 days
Dominican Republic · 30 days
Eswatini · 30 days
Gabon · 30 days
Guyana · 30 days
Hong Kong · 30 days
Macau · 30 days
Micronesia · 30 days
Philippines · 30 days
Rwanda · 30 days
Singapore · 30 days
Belize
Jamaica
Lesotho
Mozambique
Palestine

Electronic authorisation to obtain before departure. — 5

Visa issued on arrival. — 29

E-visa to apply for online before leaving. — 35

The Schengen visa, consulate by consulate

5.3% of Schengen visa applications filed there were refused in 2025. Each consulate's rate, and its change:

See refusals by consulate

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What this page does not replace

Entry rules change often, sometimes overnight. This record gives the known state, with its source; it does not replace checking with the destination’s embassy or consulate, the only authority on the day you leave. Source: passport-index-data, compiled from passportindex.org, dated 2026-02-17. South African passport, 2026.