Skip to content
South Africa/Visa-Free Entry

South Africa Visa-Free Entry: The Home Affairs Exemption List, 90 and 30 Days, and the Per-Year Rule

Who enters South Africa without a visa according to the Department of Home Affairs exemption list of 9 December 2025: the 90-day countries, the 30-day countries, the 90-days-per-year rule for Kenya, Ghana and Tanzania, and the countries whose diplomats are exempt but whose tourists are not.

Processing: None: the visitor's permit is stamped on arrival
Fee: ZAR 0
Last verified:September 2026
Updated:
|
Verified:
|
Reviewed by Sam Calder
|Editorial Policy

What This Means for You

If your passport is British, American, Canadian, Australian, European, Brazilian, Saudi, Russian, Malaysian or Japanese, you fly in with a passport valid 30 days past your return and get 90 days stamped. If it is Kenyan, Ghanaian or Tanzanian, you get 90 days a year, so count what you have used. If it is Indian, Chinese, Nigerian, Mexican or Ukrainian, the diplomatic column does not apply to you and you need a visa or the ETA.

Overview

South Africa publishes its visa exemptions as a single table on the Department of Home Affairs website, last updated on 9 December 2025. Each row is a country; the columns are diplomatic, official, service, ordinary and special passports, and a final column saying whether visa fees apply to that country's nationals when they do need a visa. Tourists read the ordinary column.

90 days per visit (ordinary passports): Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Czechia, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Paraguay, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, Uruguay, Venezuela and Zimbabwe among others.

90 days per calendar year: Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Namibia and other neighbours are marked "90 Days P/A", which the list defines as per annum. The days accumulate across visits within the year.

30 days per visit: Poland, South Korea, Thailand, Türkiye, Jordan, Peru, Hong Kong, the Maldives and Mauritius among others. The asterisked countries, Hong Kong, South Korea, Thailand and Türkiye, pay visa fees only for visits beyond the exempt period.

Exempt for diplomats only, visa required for tourists: India (no visa fee), China (fee), Nigeria (fee), Egypt (no fee), Indonesia (fee), Vietnam (fee), Ukraine (fee), Morocco (fee), Mexico (no fee), Ethiopia (fee), Uganda (fee), Algeria and Albania. These rows show days in the diplomatic and official columns and a blank under ordinary, which catches out travellers who read the first number they see.

Not on the list at all, visa required: Pakistan, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Colombia, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Myanmar and Taiwan.

What the exemption covers: Tourism and business visits, with the visitor's permit stamped on entry and calculated from that date. Work, study beyond short courses and medical treatment over three months need a visa regardless of nationality. The permit cannot be renewed by leaving and returning the same day; immigration officers treat that as an attempt to reset the clock.

Since 2026: exempt travellers do not need the Electronic Travel Authorisation but may buy one for R500 to use the automated lanes, and every traveller submits the SARS online declaration.

Eligibility Requirements

  • Ordinary passport from a country with a figure in the ordinary column of the Home Affairs exemption list
  • Purpose is tourism, visiting family or friends, or business meetings, for no longer than the exempt period
  • Passport valid for at least 30 days beyond departure with a blank page
  • Return or onward ticket, and funds and accommodation for the stay
  • For Kenyan, Ghanaian and Tanzanian citizens, fewer than 90 days already used in the calendar year
  • Yellow fever certificate where applicable

Required Documents

Passport

Required

Valid for at least 30 days beyond your departure date with at least one blank page (two per UK advice)

SARS traveller declaration

Required

Submitted online before travel through the SARS portal, the SATMS app or a QR code

Free; if you skip it you complete it at a kiosk on arrival

Return or onward ticket

Required

Evidence of departure within the exempt period

Accommodation and funds

Optional

Booking confirmation and means of support

Children's documents

Optional

Unabridged birth certificate and, where a parent is absent, consent, a court order or a death certificate

Required for every traveller under 18; checked by airlines

Yellow fever certificate

Optional

If arriving from or through a listed transmission-risk country

Application Steps

1

Find your country on the exemption list

Read the ordinary-passport column. A figure means you are exempt for that period; a blank or a missing row means you need a visa.

2

Check the period type

90 days per visit for most; 90 days per calendar year for Kenya, Ghana and Tanzania; 30 days for Poland, South Korea, Thailand, Türkiye and Jordan.

3

Submit the SARS declaration

Before you fly, on the app or the portal. Keep the confirmation.

4

Carry the border documents

Passport with 30 days' validity and blank pages, return ticket, accommodation, yellow fever certificate if relevant, and the children's papers for anyone under 18.

Visa Fees

TypeAmountNote
Visa-free entryZAR 0No fee; the SARS declaration is free
Optional ETA for exempt travellersZAR 500Voluntary; speeds border processing
View full South Africa fee breakdown

Common Reasons for Refusal

Understanding these can help you strengthen your application

  • 1Reading the diplomatic column as the tourist allowance (India, China, Nigeria, Mexico, Ukraine)
  • 2Passport expiring within 30 days of departure or without a blank page
  • 3Kenyan, Ghanaian or Tanzanian traveller over the 90-day annual total
  • 4Child without an unabridged birth certificate or parental consent
  • 5Missing yellow fever certificate from a listed country
  • 6Previous overstay leading to an undesirable-person declaration

If your application is refused: You will receive a letter explaining the reason. In most cases, you can reapply immediately with a stronger application addressing the concerns raised.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Americans and Britons visa-free for South Africa?

Yes, for 90 days per visit, per the Home Affairs exemption list, and the UK government confirms the 90 days for British citizens. The passport must be valid for 30 days beyond departure with two blank pages by UK advice. The SARS declaration is required; the ETA is optional.

Is South Africa visa-free for Saudi and Emirati citizens?

Yes. The exemption list gives 90 days to Saudi, Emirati and Qatari ordinary passports.

Is Malaysia 30 or 90 days for South Africa?

Ninety. The exemption list shows 90 days in every column for Malaysia. Thailand, by contrast, shows 30 days for ordinary passports.

Are Ukrainians and Mexicans visa-free for South Africa?

No. Both countries show 90 days for diplomatic, official and service passports and a blank for ordinary passports, so tourists need a visa. Mexican applicants pay no visa fee and can use the ETA; Ukrainian applicants pay the fee.

What does "90 Days P/A" mean on the exemption list?

Per annum, which the list defines as per calendar year. Kenyan, Ghanaian and Tanzanian visitors can spend a total of 90 days in South Africa in a year across any number of visits.

Can I extend a visa-free stay in South Africa?

Only by applying for an extension through VFS Global inside South Africa before the permit expires, which Home Affairs lists with a 60-working-day turnaround. Leaving and re-entering to reset the 90 days is refused at the officer's discretion.

Generate Your Documents

Create all required documents for your Visa-Free Entry application

Plan a Trip TogetherTrip Planner
View all tools

Processing Time

None: the visitor's permit is stamped on arrival
Standard processing

Important

Requirements may change. Always verify current requirements with the official embassy or consulate website before applying.

Travel essentials

Partner links
WisePartner

Pay visa fees in GBP, EUR, or USD at the real exchange rate — typically 3–5x cheaper than your bank's international transfer.

Check my rate
SafetyWingPartner

Travel medical insurance covering 180+ countries with up to $250,000 in coverage. Meets Schengen EUR 30,000 minimum. Download your proof-of-insurance visa letter instantly from your dashboard — no emails, no waiting.

Get covered

We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. How affiliate links work

Official Sources

This information is based on the following official sources. Always verify with these sources before submitting applications.

Department of Home Affairs — Visa Exemption List (9 December 2025)

The official table: for every country, whether ordinary passports are exempt and for how long, and whether visa fees apply to those who need a visa.

dha.gov.za
Department of Home Affairs — Types of Visas (visitor's visa)

Purposes, documents, passport validity, blank pages and the extra papers for children.

dha.gov.za
SARS — Required Online Traveller Declarations from 1 July 2026

The customs declaration every traveller submits online before entering or leaving South Africa.

sars.gov.za
GOV.UK — South Africa entry requirements

Ninety days for British citizens, passport validity of 30 days beyond departure with two blank pages, yellow fever and children's documents.

gov.ukOfficial

Links open in a new tab. VisaCalm is not responsible for external website content.

More South Africa Visas

View all South Africa visas