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Practical guides: South Africa

Entry and residence

Visa, passport, vaccination required at the border, customs and consular assistance. Rules depend on your nationality: each point says who it applies to.

Visa

  • Passport: France

    French passport holders do not need a visa for tourist stays under 90 days; a 90-day permit is issued at the border. Check the date on the entry stamp: overstaying leads to a 1 to 5-year entry ban.

    Verified factVerified on 10/2/26High confidence
    France Diplomatie, Travel advice: South Africa, entry and residence

  • Internships, volunteering, work or business require a visa obtained before departure; a tourist visa cannot be converted locally. Tourist extensions must be requested at least 60 days before expiry.

    Verified factVerified on 10/2/26High confidence
    France Diplomatie, Travel advice: South Africa, entry and residence
  • Passport: United States

    Passport valid for 30 days after leaving South Africa, with two consecutive blank pages. For visa rules, check with the Embassy of South Africa.

    Verified factVerified on 10/2/26High confidence
    U.S. Department of State, South Africa International Travel Information
  • Passport: Germany

    Visa-free for short tourist, visit or business stays: a visitor's permit is issued at entry for the planned length of stay, at most 90 days, on showing a return ticket.

    Verified factVerified on 10/2/26High confidence
    Auswärtiges Amt, Südafrika: Reise- und Sicherheitshinweise
  • Passport: Spain

    Visa-free for tourist stays of up to 90 days, according to the South African Department of Home Affairs list. Since 1 July 2026, an electronic customs declaration must be completed within 24 hours before entry or exit.

    Verified factVerified on 10/2/26High confidence
    Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores (España), Recomendaciones de viaje: Sudáfrica
  • Passports of 8 countries (see the list)Angola, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Namibia, Seychelles, Tanzania, Zambia

    Visa-free, according to the official exemption list: up to 90 days in total per 12-month period.

    Verified factVerified on 10/2/26High confidence
    Department of Home Affairs (South Africa), Countries exempt from South African visas
  • Passports of 74 countries (see the list)Andorra, Anguilla, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bermuda, Botswana, Brazil, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Bulgaria, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Falkland Islands, Finland, France, Gibraltar, Greece, Guernsey, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Latvia, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Monaco, Montserrat, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Pitcairn Islands, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, San Marino, São Tomé & Príncipe, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands, St. Helena, St. Vincent & Grenadines, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, Turks & Caicos Islands, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Venezuela, Zimbabwe

    Visa-free, according to the official exemption list: stay of up to 90 days.

    Verified factVerified on 10/2/26High confidence
    Department of Home Affairs (South Africa), Countries exempt from South African visas
  • Passports of 23 countries (see the list)Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Eswatini, Gabon, Guyana, Hong Kong SAR China, Jordan, Macao SAR China, Malawi, Maldives, Mozambique, Peru, Poland, South Korea, Thailand, Türkiye

    Visa-free, according to the official exemption list: stay of up to 30 days.

    Verified factVerified on 10/2/26High confidence
    Department of Home Affairs (South Africa), Countries exempt from South African visas
  • Passports of 130 countries (see the list)Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, American Samoa, Armenia, Aruba, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bhutan, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Caribbean Netherlands, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo - Brazzaville, Congo - Kinshasa, Cook Islands, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Curaçao, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Faroe Islands, Fiji, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gambia, Georgia, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Mali, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritania, Mayotte, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Myanmar (Burma), Nauru, Nepal, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, North Korea, North Macedonia, Northern Mariana Islands, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Palestinian Territories, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Réunion, Rwanda, Samoa, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Sint Maarten, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, St. Barthélemy, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Martin, St. Pierre & Miquelon, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, U.S. Virgin Islands, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vatican City, Vietnam, Wallis & Futuna, Western Sahara, Yemen

    A visa is required before departure: this passport is not on the official exemption list.

    Verified factVerified on 10/2/26High confidence
    Department of Home Affairs (South Africa), Countries exempt from South African visas

Passport and documents

Vaccination required at entry

Customs and currency

Useful contacts

Contact details taken from the official sources cited. Check them before going.

Sources for this guide

AfriPilot is not an official body. Information comes from the sources cited and may change: each source's date is shown.