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 without a visa to 74 different countries across the globe. This saves on the expense and the lengthy process of applying for a visa to travel.
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
You may enter these countries without a visa but a passport that’s valid for at least six months after your departure date will still be required for international travel.
And while you may be cutting costs on the visa-free travel, an article published by BussinessTech in July 2023 highlights another “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 costing three times less than several other countries. According to Motsoaledi, the nation hadn’t 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.