SA passport holders can now visit these 101 countries visa-free
· The South African
SA passport holders have gained access to another visa-free travel destination, bringing the total number of countries and territories they can visit without first applying for a visa to 101.
The increase comes despite the South African passport slipping in the latest Henley Passport Index, one of the world’s most widely cited passport rankings.
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According to the updated index, South Africa now ranks 51st out of 199 passports globally, down from 47th place earlier in 2026.
While the drop in ranking may appear disappointing at first glance, there is some positive news for local travellers. South African passport holders have gained visa-free access to Togo, a West African nation, increasing the total number of destinations they can visit without a pre-approved visa from 100 to 101.
What the Henley Passport Index measures
The Henley Passport Index ranks passports based on the number of destinations their holders can access without obtaining a visa before departure.
The ranking draws on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), and tracks travel access across 227 destinations worldwide.
Countries score points for destinations that allow entry without a visa, through a visa-on-arrival process, or via an electronic travel authorisation (eTA), which is generally faster and easier to obtain than a traditional visa.
The latest rankings show that although South Africa has slipped a few places compared to earlier this year, its passport still provides access to more than 100 destinations across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Oceania and parts of the Americas.
The 101 visa-free destinations SA passport holders can visit
Here is the updated list of all the visa-free, visa-on-arrival, and eTA-required destinations South Africans with an SA passport can travel to, as per the Henley Passport Index:
RegionCountryEntry Type AfricaAngolaVisa-free AfricaBeninVisa-free AfricaBotswanaVisa-free AfricaBurundiVisa-free AfricaCape Verde IslandsVisa-free AfricaComoro IslandsVisa-free AfricaDjiboutiVisa-free AfricaEgyptVisa on arrival AfricaEthiopiaVisa on arrival AfricaeSwatiniVisa-free AfricaGabonVisa-free AfricaGhanaVisa-free AfricaGuinea-BissauVisa on arrival AfricaKenyaVisa-free AfricaLesothoVisa-free AfricaMadagascarVisa on arrival AfricaMalawiVisa-free AfricaMauritiusVisa-free AfricaMozambiqueVisa-free AfricaNamibiaVisa-free AfricaRéunionVisa-free AfricaRwandaVisa-free AfricaSenegalVisa-free AfricaSeychellesETA required AfricaSierra LeoneVisa on arrival AfricaTanzaniaVisa-free AfricaThe GambiaVisa-free AfricaTogoVisa-free AfricaTunisiaVisa-free AfricaZambiaVisa-free AfricaZimbabweVisa-free AmericasArgentinaVisa-free AmericasBelizeVisa-free AmericasBoliviaVisa on arrival AmericasBrazilVisa-free AmericasChileVisa-free AmericasCosta RicaVisa-free AmericasEcuadorVisa-free AmericasEl SalvadorVisa-free AmericasGuatemalaVisa-free AmericasGuyanaVisa-free AmericasHondurasVisa-free AmericasNicaraguaVisa-free AmericasPanamaVisa-free AmericasParaguayVisa-free AmericasPeruVisa-free AmericasUruguayVisa-free AmericasVenezuelaVisa-free AsiaCambodiaVisa on arrival AsiaHong Kong (SAR China)Visa-free AsiaIndonesiaVisa on arrival AsiaKyrgyzstanVisa on arrival AsiaLaosVisa on arrival AsiaMalaysiaVisa-free AsiaMaldivesVisa on arrival AsiaMacao (SAR China)Visa-free AsiaNepalVisa on arrival AsiaPalestinian TerritoryETA required AsiaPhilippinesVisa-free AsiaSingaporeVisa-free AsiaSri LankaETA required AsiaTajikistanVisa on arrival AsiaThailandVisa-free AsiaTimor-LesteVisa on arrival AsiaSouth KoreaETA required CaribbeanAntigua and BarbudaVisa-free CaribbeanBahamasVisa-free CaribbeanBarbadosVisa-free CaribbeanBritish Virgin IslandsVisa-free CaribbeanCayman IslandsVisa-free CaribbeanDominicaVisa-free CaribbeanDominican RepublicVisa-free CaribbeanGrenadaVisa-free CaribbeanHaitiVisa-free CaribbeanJamaicaVisa-free CaribbeanMontserratVisa-free CaribbeanSt. HelenaVisa-free CaribbeanSt. Kitts and NevisETA required CaribbeanSt. LuciaVisa-free CaribbeanSt. Vincent and the GrenadinesVisa-free CaribbeanTrinidad and TobagoVisa-free CaribbeanTurks and CaicosVisa-free EuropeGeorgiaVisa-free EuropeRussian FederationETA required Middle EastArmeniaVisa on arrival Middle EastIranVisa on arrival Middle EastIsraeleta required Middle EastJordanVisa on arrival Middle EastOmanVisa-free Middle EastQatarVisa on arrival Middle EastSaudi ArabiaVisa on arrival OceaniaCook IslandsVisa-free OceaniaFijiVisa-free OceaniaKiribatiVisa-free OceaniaMarshall IslandsVisa on arrival OceaniaMicronesiaVisa-free OceaniaNiueVisa on arrival OceaniaPalau IslandsVisa on arrival OceaniaSamoaVisa on arrival OceaniaTuvaluVisa on arrival OceaniaVanuatuVisa-free