90 Visa-Free Countries that South Africans Can Visit in 2017

South Africans are the proud holders of the third most powerful passport in Africa… which gives them visa-free access to 90 countries around the globe, according to the 2017 global ranking report by Passport Index. Only the Seychelles with 125 visa-free countries, and Mauritius with 118 were positioned higher.

Meanwhile citizens of Somalia have the worst passport on the African continent, which only gives them access to 30 countries.

The South African passport is ranked globally as the 46th most powerful in the world, out of 96 countries which were ranked. Afghanistan is the 96th.

According to the 2017 global rankings update by Passport Index, which was announced on 12 January, Germany takes the lead (157 countries) with Singapore (156) in second place.

While South Africans have visa-free access to 90 countries, those expats who’ve gained dual citizenship in countries like Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States, the Netherlands, France and Canada have visa-free access to over 150 countries.

According to John Hanafin, CEO of Arton Capital which compile the index, “The desire to improve one’s opportunity and security for their family transcends borders. As such, having a second citizenship has never been more relevant.”

In recent years, citizenship by investment has become a $2-billion industry, with over 20,000 investors seeking a second residency or citizenship around the globe every year.

In a press release, issued by Passport Index, it explained that the visa-free score represents the number of countries a passport holder can visit visa-free or with visa on arrival.

Here are the Visa-Free Countries that South African Passport-Holders can Visit in 2017:

Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Benin
Botswana
Brazil
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
El Salvador
Fiji
Gabon
Georgia
Grenada
Guatemala
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Hong Kong
Indonesia
Ireland
Israel
Jamaica
Kenya
Kosovo
Lesotho
Macao
Malawi
Malaysia
Micronesia
Mozambique
Namibia
Nicaragua
Palestinian Territories
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Senegal
Singapore
South Korea
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Swaziland
Tanzania
Thailand
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Uruguay
Vanuatu
Venezuela
Zambia
Zimbabwe

Visa on Arrival:

Armenia
Cambodia
Cape Verde
Comoros
Djibouti
Ethiopia
Ghana
Guinea-Bissau
Iran
Jordan
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Madagascar
Maldives
Marshall Islands
Mauritania
Mauritius
Nepal
Oman
Palau
Rwanda
Samoa
Seychelles
Tajikistan
Timor-Leste
Togo
Turkey
Tuvalu
Uganda

Electronic Travel Authority (eTA) Entry

India and Sri Lanka

You can view the visa-free South African list here, and the full list of countries here.

Please note the Index got it wrong about New Zealand passport-holders who, as of yesterday, do require a visa to visit South Africa (the Index reflects visa-free status)… so please do double-check these countries’ visa requirements before booking travel.