As per the Henley & Partners Passport Index for 2023, SA passport holders can visit these SEVEN Middle East countries visa-free.
By: Garrin Lambley
The Henley & Partners Passport Index for 2023 lists the 106 countries that South Africans can travel to without requiring a visa.
The index included 199 passports and 227 travel destinations, ranking them in terms of travel power.
Each passport as scored on the total number of destinations that the holder can access visa-free.
South Africa placed 53rd with a visa-free score of 106.
That means there are 106 countries across the world that a South African passport holder can travel to visa-free.
ALSO READ: These European countries allow visa-free visits for South Africans
South Africa has slipped two positions from 51st last year, but its score has increased by two after Burundi and Gambia allowed visa-free South African passport holders to enter the country.
Meanwhile, the index found that the Japanese passport was the most powerful with a visa-free score of 193, followed by Singapore and South Korea in a tie with 192.
Afghanistan sits at the bottom of the list with a score of 27.
MIDDLE EASTERN COUNTRIES
Of those 106 countries, only SEVEN Middle Eastern allow visa-free travel for South Africans.
They are: Armenia, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Oman, Qatar and Palestinian Territory.
COUNTRIES SOUTH AFRICAN PASSPORT HOLDERS CAN VISIT VISA-FREE PER REGION:
Africa – 35
Americas – 18
Asia – 17
Caribbean – 16
Europe – 4
Middle East – 7
Oceania – 9
THE 106 COUNTRIES SOUTH AFRICANS CAN VISIT WITHOUT A VISA
* visa on arrival, ** electronic travel authority (ETA)
Angola
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia *
Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Benin
Bolivia *
Botswana
Brazil
British Virgin Islands
Burundi *
Cambodia *
Cape Verde Islands *
Cayman Islands
Chile
Comoro Islands *
Cook Islands
Costa Rica
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt *
El Salvador
eSwatini
Ethiopia *
Falkland Islands
Fiji
Gabon
Georgia
Ghana *
Grenada
Guatemala
Guinea-Bissau *
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Hong Kong (SAR China)
Indonesia
Iran *
Ireland
Israel
Jamaica
Jordan *
Kenya
Kosovo
Kyrgyzstan *
Laos *
Lesotho
Macao (SAR China)
Madagascar *
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives *
Marshall Islands *
Mauritania *
Mauritius
Micronesia
Montserrat
Mozambique
Namibia
Nepal *
Nicaragua
Nigeria *
Niue
Oman
Pakistan **
Palau Islands *
Palestinian Territory
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Qatar
Reunion
Russian Federation
Rwanda *
Samoa *
Senegal
Seychelles *
Sierra Leone *
Singapore
Somalia *
South Korea **
Sri Lanka **
St. Helena *
St. Kitts and Nevis
St. Lucia
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Tajikistan *
Tanzania
Thailand
The Gambia
Timor-Leste *
Togo *
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Turks and Caicos Islands
Tuvalu *
Uganda *
Uruguay
Vanuatu
Venezuela
Zambia
Zimbabwe
