100 visa-free countries for South African passport holders

Henley & Partners has released its 2019 passport index that helps travellers plan ahead for their holidays in foreign countries by ranking their passports according to the number of countries they can access without a prior visa.

Based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the Henley Passport Index has ranked Japan and Singapore first, each with a visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of 190 out of a maximum 227. The top spot had been held by a European country or the US for the past 14 years.

Finland, Germany, and South Korea tied in third place with visa-free/visa-on-arrival scores of 188, while Denmark, Italy, and Luxembourg came third with 187 destinations worldwide. The UK and the US took sixth place with a score of 184.

The UAE climbed five places over the last three months after gaining visa-free access to a number of African countries such as South Africa with a score of 172.

South Africa slipped from 52nd place in 2018 to 53rd in 2019, though the South African passport was strongest in 2007 and 2008, ranked 35th.

South African passport holders need a visa to travel to France, Greece, Italy, United Kingdom, United States, to name a few.

Dr Christian H Kaelin, the chairperson of Henley & Partners and the creator of the passport index concept, said: “Our ongoing research has shown that when we talk about ‘passport power’, we are discussing more than simply the destinations a holder can travel to without acquiring a visa in advance. Often, there is a strong correlation between visa freedom and other benefits such as business and investment freedom, independence of the judiciary, fiscal health, and property rights.”

For South Africans planning a holiday in December, these are 100 visa-free countries they can travel to:

Note: Those with asterisks require visa on arrival.

Asia:

Cambodia *
Hong Kong (SAR China)
Indonesia
Kyrgyzstan *
Laos *
Macao (SAR China)
Malaysia
Maldives *
Nepal *
Philippines
Singapore
South Korea
Sri Lanka **
Tajikistan *
Thailand
Timor-Leste *

Europe:

Ireland
Kosovo
Russian Federation

Africa:

Angola
Benin
Botswana
Cape Verde Islands *
Comores Islands *
Eswatini (Swaziland)
Ethiopia *
Gabon
Ghana *
Guinea-Bissau *
Kenya
Lesotho
Madagascar *
Malawi
Mauritania *
Mauritius
Mozambique
Namibia
Reunion
Rwanda *
Senegal
Seychelles *
Sierra Leone *
Somalia *
St. Helena *
Tanzania
Togo *
Tunisia
Uganda *
Zambia
Zimbabwe

Oceania:

Cook Islands
Fiji
Marshall Islands *
Micronesia
Niue
Palau Islands *
Samoa *
Tuvalu *
Vanuatu

Caribbean:

Antigua and Barbuda
Bahamas
Barbados
British Virgin Islands
Cayman Islands
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Grenada
Haiti
Jamaica
Montserrat
St. Kitts and Nevis
St. Lucia
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Trinidad and Tobago
Turks and Caicos Islands

Americas:

Argentina
Belize
Bolivia *
Brazil
Chile
Costa Rica
Ecuador
El Salvador
Falkland Islands
Guatemala
Guyana
Honduras
Nicaragua
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Uruguay
Venezuela

Middle East:

Armenia *
Georgia
Iran *
Israel
Jordan *
Palestinian Territory
Qatar

(Compiled by Vhahangwele Nemakonde.)

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