South Africa Visa 2026: Visa-Free Entry, the New ETA, Visitor Visas and Fee-Exempt Nationalities

South Africa runs its entry rules off one document: the Department of Home Affairs visa exemption list, most recently updated on 9 December 2025. For each country it states whether ordinary passports are exempt, for how long, and whether the people who do need a visa pay for it. In 2026 two new layers sit on top: the Electronic Travel Authorisation launched by the President on 12 August 2026, mandatory so far for Indian, Chinese, Indonesian and Mexican visitors, and the SARS online traveller declaration required of everyone since 1 July 2026.

Key points about South Africa entry rules: - Ordinary passports from the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Romania, Brazil, Argentina, Israel, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Malaysia, Singapore and Japan are exempt for 90 days per visit. Kenya, Ghana and Tanzania are exempt for 90 days per calendar year. Poland, South Korea, Thailand, Türkiye and Jordan get 30 days - Indian, Chinese, Indonesian, Mexican, Nigerian, Pakistani, Philippine, Bangladeshi, Egyptian, Vietnamese, Ukrainian, Moroccan, Colombian, Taiwanese, Ethiopian and Ugandan ordinary passports need a visa. The list's fee column exempts Indian, Egyptian and Mexican applicants from the visa fee; Nigerian, Chinese, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Ukrainian, Moroccan, Ethiopian and Ugandan applicants pay it - The Electronic Travel Authorisation, piloted during the G20 presidency and launched on 12 August 2026, is the online route for visa-required nationals. Its first phase covers China, India, Mexico and Indonesia; SAnews reports it will be extended to all visa-required countries. The processing fee is R500 under the fee amendment of 17 August 2026, and visa-exempt travellers may buy one voluntarily - The visitor's visa itself costs R425 for nationalities that pay, is lodged through VFS Global or the mission, needs a passport valid 30 days beyond departure with a blank page, form BI-84, photos, funds, a return ticket and for children an unabridged birth certificate. Home Affairs' published turnaround is 60 working days - Since 1 July 2026 every traveller entering or leaving South Africa submits the SARS online traveller declaration, on the web, the SATMS app or a QR code; nobody is refused entry for not having one, but officials will make you complete it at the port - Tour groups from India and China can use the Trusted Tour Operator Scheme, under which vetted operators lodge group visas digitally and get outcomes on average within 24 hours

The exemption list in detail: The table has columns for diplomatic, official, service, ordinary and special passports, and a visa-fee column. Only the ordinary column matters for tourists. Where it is blank, an ordinary passport needs a visa even if diplomats are exempt: that is the case for India, China, Nigeria, Egypt, Indonesia, Vietnam, Ukraine, Morocco, Mexico, Ethiopia and Uganda. Countries not on the table at all, including Pakistan, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Colombia, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Myanmar and Taiwan, need a visa. "90 Days P/A" means 90 days in a calendar year, not per visit, and applies to Kenya, Ghana and Tanzania. Hong Kong, Thailand, South Korea and Türkiye carry an asterisk: fees apply only to visits beyond the exempt period.

Where Indians, Nigerians and Filipinos stand: Indian citizens need a visa but pay no visa fee; they apply for the ETA (R500) or through VFS Global, and tour groups go through the Trusted Tour Operator Scheme. Nigerian citizens need a visa, pay R425 plus the VFS service charge, and apply through VFS in Lagos or the High Commission in Abuja; the ETA has not reached Nigeria yet. Philippine, Pakistani and Bangladeshi citizens are not on the table at all and apply for the visitor's visa through VFS or the mission. Chinese citizens use the ETA, with the R425 visa fee on top of the R500 processing fee.

Documents at the border: Passport valid for at least 30 days beyond your departure (the UK government adds two blank pages; Home Affairs asks for at least one), the SARS declaration confirmation, a return ticket, proof of accommodation and funds, and a yellow fever certificate if arriving from a listed country. Children under 18 travel with an unabridged birth certificate and, if one parent is absent, that parent's consent.