South African passport visa requirements & visa-free countries (2026)

Algeria uses an advance consular visa route for ordinary tourist travel unless a specific exemption applies. The MFA page states that the maximum authorized stay at each entry is 90 days and cumulative stay may not exceed 180 days per year, but the exact stay depends on the visa issued.

Andorra does not issue a separate short-stay tourist visa, but this passport normally needs the right Schengen route document to reach Andorra through France or Spain.

Angola's official government notice says tourist visas can be handled through the official SME internet portal with a decision also expected within up to three working days. The checked public pages do not expose one universal stay cap or fee for every non-exempt nationality, so the live SME route or Angolan mission should be reconfirmed before travel.

Bahrain's public eVisa country list confirms the route type, while the FAQ says exact validity and period of stay depend on the visa type shown after completing the eligibility flow.

A Bangladesh visitor visa must be obtained before travel unless an official authority confirms a separate visa-on-arrival exception for the traveller's exact circumstances.

South African citizens generally need a Bosnia and Herzegovina entry visa for ordinary short visits.

Brunei's MFA places South African ordinary passports in Category B, which requires a visa before travel for social visits. The published processing time is 3 working days.

A Chinese visitor visa is normally required for ordinary tourist entry unless a specific visa-free, transit-without-visa, port-visa or regional exception applies to the exact route.

The current Republic of Congo mission publishes 15-day and 91-day visa products. These are consular visa categories, not a universal promise of permitted stay; the issued visa controls the actual duration.

Fiji Immigration lists this nationality as visa-exempt for travel to Fiji, but still requiring the relevant permit depending on purpose. Visitor permits are issued on arrival and the issued period may vary from several days up to a maximum of four months.

Gabon DGDI's current passport-type catalog lists this ordinary passport as visa-exempt. The reviewed official pages do not publish a shorter exemption-specific stay cap, while Gabon's general short-stay framework uses a maximum of 90 days; confirm the permitted period for the exact trip.

Ghana's official eligibility API classifies this African Union ordinary passport through the ETA route. It reports a 30-day single-entry ETA validity signal and no ETA fee, but does not publish one universal permitted stay, so no stay cap is listed here.

Iran MFA says tourists can submit the online visa application as the first step. Some applicants may need an interview, some nationalities may need in-person mission handling, and the permitted stay depends on the issued visa.

This launched passport is not in the pinned Kuwait eligible-nationality list for ordinary visa-on-arrival/eVisa access; treat the traveller as needing a Kuwaiti visitor visa or official confirmation before travel.

Lebanese General Security says citizens of countries not previously mentioned require a visa from a Lebanese embassy or previous authorization from General Security; some named worker-exporter cohorts also require previous authorization.

The official Embassy table marks this passport as NO for travel to Lesotho, meaning citizens do not require a visa. The checked public sources do not publish one universal stay cap for this no-visa group.

The Liberia Visa on Arrival portal says VoA approval is valid for entry within 3 months, the visa is valid for a single visit only, and the stay validity is determined by the airport officer based on the estimated visit time: 30 or 90 days. If there is a Liberian embassy in the traveller's country, the same portal requires applying directly at the embassy rather than through the VoA portal.

Malaysia Immigration's visa-requirement page does not list this nationality among countries required to apply for a visa to enter Malaysia. For tourism/social visits, a Short-Term Social Visit Pass is issued on arrival, but this source set does not publish a single public day cap for this nationality; the pass issued controls the permitted stay.

The Mali MDC official missions portal returned a visa-required alert in the checked ordinary-passport visitor flow and redirected to the visa-application path. Exact visa validity and stay period depend on the issued visa and the responsible Malian mission.

South African citizens generally need a Moldovan visa before ordinary short travel unless a published document-based exemption applies.

South African citizens generally need a Montenegro visa before ordinary short travel unless a published supporting-document exemption applies.

Acces Maroc's official eligibility check does not return visa exemption or direct eVisa access for the base passport/residence/no-supporting-visa scenario.

South African citizens generally need a North Macedonia short-stay visa unless a qualifying Schengen/EU/US/UK/Canada document exception applies.

Papua New Guinea ICSA says all foreign visitors need a visa and lists online visitor classes including Easy Visitor Permit (EVP 60 days), Easy Visitor Permit (EVP 30 days), Tourist (Own Itinerary) and Tourist (tour package). The issued eVisa or visitor visa controls the exact stay.

Senegal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says nationals of countries not mentioned in the no-visa list need a visa to enter Senegal. The visa page describes a consular process, form, passport, copy of the passport photo page and variable processing times.

South African citizens generally need a Serbian short-stay visa or Digital Travel Authorization before travel unless a separate document-based exemption applies. Serbia's MFA also lists a visa-free route for holders of certain valid Schengen/UK/EU/US visas or Schengen/EU/US residence permits.

ICA does not publish one universal public stay duration on the source page used for this matrix wave. Short-term visitor stay is determined by the Visit Pass/e-Pass issued at the checkpoint upon entry.

The checked official Sudan mission sources describe a consular entry/tourist visa route and do not publish a safe ordinary-passport tourist visa-free stay table for this nationality. Visa validity, stay period and approval timing depend on the issued visa, sponsor route and responsible Sudanese mission.

Taiwan BOCA visitor visas can be issued for stay durations including 14, 30, 60 or 90 days depending on the visa and case decision.

The Government of Tonga says citizens of countries not on the arrival list need a visa before arrival; the issued permit controls the stay period.

Turkmenistan's checked official mission pages require a visa route supported by an invitation letter certified by the State Migration Service; the exact permitted stay depends on the issued visa category, validity and invitation.

Tourist entry permits are issued for 30 or 60 days. The approved permit controls the actual stay and any extension.

South African citizens are absent from Uzbekistan’s current visa-free and eVisa nationality lists, so a regular visa is required before ordinary short travel unless a published exception applies.