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🇿🇦 South Africa

Many passports can visit South Africa visa-free for 30 or 90 days under the Department of Home Affairs exemption list. Below: visa rules for every passport.

Check your visa route for South Africa

Pick your passport and where you live — South Africa is already filled in.

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Visa rules for your passport ↓

Explore South Africa: things to do, shopping, food and getting around

A short guide based on South African Tourism.

Things to do

Summarised in our own words from the linked pages, official tourism boards and transport authorities first; items marked "Not official" come from other guides. Prices and opening times change, so check the source before you go. Last checked 24 Oct 2026.

Common tourist traps and how to avoid them

Scams and risky spots named in official travel advice for South Africa, plus a few reported in public visitor reviews (labelled), in our own words.

  1. Fake ride-hailing drivers

    How it works: Unregistered drivers pose as Uber or other app drivers, especially at airports.

    How to avoid it: Check the car and driver match the app, and wait in a designated pick-up area.

  2. 'Help' at ATMs

    How it works: Crime around ATMs and money exchanges is common, including strangers offering help or luring you to an ATM.

    How to avoid it: Refuse help from strangers at ATMs, and change large sums only in banks or secure malls.

  3. Followed from the airport

    How it works: Criminals have followed people from OR Tambo airport to where they were going and robbed them, often at gunpoint.

    How to avoid it: Stay alert to anyone following you after you leave the airport.

  4. Free drinks and drink spiking

    How it works: Strangers offering free drinks, rides or unexpected attention have spiked drinks to rob or assault people.

    How to avoid it: Don't accept drinks or rides from strangers, and get medical help at once if you feel unwell.

  5. Fake 'permit' and ATM help scams

    How it works: Strangers, sometimes posing as officials, say you need a walking or other permit and steer you to an ATM. Others offer 'help' at the machine. An accomplice then swaps your card or watches your PIN.

    How to avoid it: You don't need a permit to walk around. Refuse all help at ATMs, never let anyone see your PIN, and walk away.

    From visitor reviews, not official Cape Town city centre, V&A Waterfront and Sea Point. Sources: reddit.com · reddit.com · capetownetc.com. Researched 23 Oct 2026; there is no official page to re-check, so this date is not updated automatically.

Areas flagged in official advice

  • Table Mountain National Park, including Lion's Head and Signal Hill (attacks on hikers)
  • Numbi gate, Kruger National Park (SANParks advise against using it)

Official advice: FCDO: no areas advised against; high levels of violent crime, card skimming and confidence scams.

Emergency numbers in South Africa

Other traps paraphrased from official travel advice: FCDO travel advice – Safety and security · FCDO travel advice – Warnings and insurance · FCDO travel advice – Getting help (emergency numbers) · FCDO page updated 8 Jul 2026 · Last checked 24 Oct 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Cash you can bring in and take out

Customs rules for banknotes and other cash when you enter or leave South Africa.

Not yet confirmed — check the official customs page of South Africa.

South Africa visa rules by passport

The general rule for each passport, from official sources. Open a passport to see conditions and options that depend on where you live.

Visa-free93 passports
eVisa6 passports
Embassy visa99 passports

Verified rules for South Africa: 198 of 198 passports; awaiting verification: 0; not yet covered: 0. A rule that is awaiting verification or not yet covered is not a negative visa decision: it only means we haven't confirmed it on an official source yet.

Nearby destinations

Official travel advice

Suggest something for our South Africa guide

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Optional travel offers

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Plan your trip to South Africa

Verify with the embassy before you book. Visa rules change without notice. We link every rule to its official source and last checked it on 24 Oct 2026, but the embassy, official e-visa portal and your airline have the final say. MyVisaPort is not a visa agent and is not affiliated with any government.