Savvy WandererTravels

How we check our information

Official sources first, a second check, a date on everything, and fast corrections.

Our method

  1. Start from the source. We read the government portal, embassy notice or official statistics first, not blogs or listicles.
  2. Check it twice. Every rule needs the official page plus one independent source. Where the official page is silent or can’t be opened, we say so on the page.
  3. Cross-check with the airlines’ data. Airlines decide boarding with Timatic, which you can check on the IATA Travel Centre. We tell you to check it before you fly.
  4. Date everything. Every page shows when we last checked it, and every fact links to its source.
  5. Show the official price. We list the government fee beside every visa link, so agent sites can’t catch you out.
  6. Fix fast. Every page has a “report a change” form. Confirmed changes are corrected and logged below.

How sure we are

Label on a pageWhat it means
Checked against the official pageAn official government or embassy page confirms it, plus at least one independent source.
Confirmed by independent sourcesThe official page was silent or couldn’t be opened from our checker; at least two independent sources agree.
Dataset onlyOnly the open visa dataset confirms it. Check with the embassy before you book.

The visa data

For every passport and country, the entry type comes from the open Passport Index Data (updated 17 Feb 2026), which covers 199 passports. We correct it where newer official notices show a change, such as Thailand’s new rules from 15 September 2026, Kenya’s eTA exemptions, Sri Lanka’s ETA and the US travel ban, and we label every page that relies on the dataset alone.

Every source we use

The 98 sources behind the rules on this site, checked on 17 Oct 2026. Some official portals block automated checks: the pages that rely on them say so and lean on a second source.

TypeSourcePublishedCheckedUsed for
dataPassport Index Data (visa matrix for 199 passports, updated 17 Feb 2026)
imorte, continuing the dataset by Ilya Ilyankou (MIT licence)
17 Feb 202617 Oct 2026Argentina, Botswana, Brazil, Indonesia (Bali)
officialOfficial ESTA application
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
—17 Oct 2026Site-wide
secondaryProclamation of December 16, 2025: travel ban effective January 1, 2026
NAFSA
17 Dec 202517 Oct 2026Site-wide
secondaryA guide to the travel ban and visa pause, by country (still in force)
Council on Foreign Relations
1 Sep 202617 Oct 2026Site-wide
dataRand per US dollar, 9 Oct 2026
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)
9 Oct 202617 Oct 2026Site-wide
dataUS dollars per euro, 9 Oct 2026
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)
9 Oct 202617 Oct 2026Site-wide
dataUS dollars per pound, 9 Oct 2026
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)
9 Oct 202617 Oct 2026Site-wide
officialVisa requirement by country
Passport and Immigration Office, Mauritius
—17 Oct 2026Mauritius
officialVisiting Seychelles
Immigration and Civil Status, Seychelles
—17 Oct 2026Seychelles
officialSeychelles Electronic Border System
Government of Seychelles
—17 Oct 2026Seychelles
secondaryVisa policy of Seychelles (travel authorisation fees)
Wikipedia
—17 Oct 2026Seychelles
officialTanzania visa guidelines
Immigration Services Department, Tanzania
10 Sep 202617 Oct 2026Tanzania and Zanzibar
secondaryMandatory travel insurance in mainland Tanzania from 1 October 2026
VisasNews
1 Oct 202617 Oct 2026Tanzania and Zanzibar
secondaryKenya broadens eTA exemptions for African and other nationals (Legal Notice 93 of 2025)
Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr
24 Jul 202517 Oct 2026Kenya
secondaryKenya reinstates visa-free access for South Africans
IOL
6 Feb 202617 Oct 2026Kenya
officialKenya eTA: who is exempt
Government of Kenya
—17 Oct 2026Kenya
secondaryKenya waives eTA fees for South Africans
Travelnews
15 Feb 202417 Oct 2026Kenya
officialVisa requirements to Namibia (fact sheet, version 4)
Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security, Namibia
28 May 202517 Oct 2026Namibia
officialCountries exempted
Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security, Namibia
—17 Oct 2026Namibia
officialConsular affairs: who doesn’t need a visa
High Commission of Mozambique, London
—17 Oct 2026Mozambique
secondaryMozambique tourist visa
Intergate (IBN)
13 Feb 202617 Oct 2026Mozambique
officialZimbabwe eVisa FAQs (visa categories)
Department of Immigration, Zimbabwe
—17 Oct 2026Zimbabwe
officialNationals who do not require a visa
Department of Immigration, Zambia
—17 Oct 2026Zambia
secondaryMadagascar triples e-visa fee
Travelnews
19 Feb 202617 Oct 2026Madagascar
officialEgypt e-Visa Portal: FAQ and eligible nationalities
Government of Egypt
—17 Oct 2026Egypt
secondaryEgypt visa information for South Africans
On The Go Tours
—17 Oct 2026Egypt
secondaryMorocco visas
On The Go Tours
27 Sep 202317 Oct 2026Morocco, Morocco visa for South Africans
secondaryMorocco e-Visa: which countries are eligible
Wego
12 Jun 202517 Oct 2026Morocco, Morocco visa for South Africans
secondaryMorocco electronic travel authorisation and e-Visa changes
VisasNews
29 Apr 202617 Oct 2026Morocco, Morocco visa for South Africans
officialMorocco visa and e-Visa portal
Kingdom of Morocco
—17 Oct 2026Morocco, Morocco visa for South Africans
officialVisa on arrival
Directorate General of Immigration and Emigration, Rwanda
—17 Oct 2026Rwanda
officialCheck if you need a visa to enter the UAE
UAE Government portal
—17 Oct 2026United Arab Emirates (Dubai)
secondaryDubai visa application for South Africans
Travelstart
4 Nov 202517 Oct 2026United Arab Emirates (Dubai)
secondaryUAE conditions for visa on arrival for South African passport holders
Legit.ng
11 Jul 202617 Oct 2026United Arab Emirates (Dubai)
officialFree e-visa for South African passport holders
Consulate General of Türkiye in Cape Town
12 Mar 202517 Oct 2026Türkiye
secondaryTurkey visa requirements for South Africans
In Africa and Beyond
19 Feb 202617 Oct 2026Türkiye
officialJordan Pass prices and visa waiver
Jordan Pass (Jordan Tourism Board)
—17 Oct 2026Jordan
officialQatar visas
Visit Qatar
—17 Oct 2026Qatar
secondaryQatar visa guide 2026
Elyforma
18 Apr 202617 Oct 2026Qatar
officialNew 30-day and 15-day visa exemption rules from 15 September 2026
Tourism Authority of Thailand
1 Sep 202617 Oct 2026Thailand
secondaryThailand cuts visa-free stays from 60 to 30 days for 93 countries
BusinessTech
22 May 202617 Oct 2026Thailand
officialThailand Digital Arrival Card
Immigration Bureau, Thailand
—17 Oct 2026Thailand
officialElectronic visa on arrival (e-VOA)
Directorate General of Immigration, Indonesia
—17 Oct 2026Indonesia (Bali)
secondaryIndonesia visa on arrival 2026: countries, fees and how to apply
Wego
4 May 202617 Oct 2026Indonesia (Bali)
secondaryAll Indonesia Arrival Card 2026
Wego
8 Jun 202617 Oct 2026Indonesia (Bali)
officialVietnam National Electronic Visa system
Immigration Department, Vietnam
—17 Oct 2026Vietnam
secondaryMore detailed information about Vietnam’s e-visa
VnEconomy
20 Feb 202517 Oct 2026Vietnam
officialVisa requirement by country
Immigration Department of Malaysia
—17 Oct 2026Malaysia
officialMalaysia Digital Arrival Card
Immigration Department of Malaysia
—17 Oct 2026Malaysia
officialVisa requirements
Immigration & Checkpoints Authority, Singapore
—17 Oct 2026Singapore
officialSG Arrival Card
Immigration & Checkpoints Authority, Singapore
—17 Oct 2026Singapore
officialTourist visa on arrival
Maldives Immigration
—17 Oct 2026Maldives
officialSri Lanka Electronic Travel Authorization
Department of Immigration and Emigration, Sri Lanka
—17 Oct 2026Sri Lanka
officialFree tourist visas for nationals of 40 selected countries
Department of Immigration and Emigration, Sri Lanka
25 May 202617 Oct 2026Sri Lanka
secondarySri Lanka ETA 2026 fees
Wego
28 May 202617 Oct 2026Sri Lanka
officialThe JAPAN eVISA system
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan
—17 Oct 2026Japan
officialRevision of visa fees from 1 July 2026
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan
24 Jun 202617 Oct 2026Japan
secondaryJapan raises visa fees from 1 July 2026
VisasNews
19 Jun 202617 Oct 2026Japan
secondaryGood news for South African passport holders (Japan eVISA)
BusinessTech
20 Jul 202617 Oct 2026Japan
officialApply for a Standard Visitor visa
GOV.UK
—17 Oct 2026UK visitor visa for South Africans, United Kingdom
secondaryUK immigration fee changes from 8 April 2026
Bates Wells
March 202617 Oct 2026UK visitor visa for South Africans, United Kingdom
secondaryUK visa from South Africa 2026: routes, fees and biometric centres
Kael Tripton
13 May 202617 Oct 2026UK visitor visa for South Africans, United Kingdom
secondaryUK visa decisions for African applicants, 2025
Intelpoint (Home Office data)
202617 Oct 2026UK visitor visa for South Africans
secondaryUK visitor visa refusal: how to appeal and what to do next
EIN (LawSentis)
11 May 202617 Oct 2026UK visitor visa for South Africans, United Kingdom
officialFees for visa services
U.S. Department of State
—17 Oct 2026US visitor visa (B1/B2) for South Africans, United States
officialGlobal visa wait times (updated 17 Sept 2026)
U.S. Department of State
17 Sep 202617 Oct 2026US visitor visa (B1/B2) for South Africans, United States
officialHow to apply for a U.S. visa in South Africa
U.S. Embassy & Consulates in South Africa
—17 Oct 2026US visitor visa (B1/B2) for South Africans, United States
secondaryState Department consolidates visa processing to regional hubs in Africa
Harvard International Office
28 Jul 202617 Oct 2026US visitor visa (B1/B2) for South Africans, United States
secondaryUnited States ends routine visa services in Durban
BusinessTech
28 Jul 202617 Oct 2026US visitor visa (B1/B2) for South Africans, United States
secondaryVisa interview waiver rollback from 2 September 2025
BrownWinick
202517 Oct 2026US visitor visa (B1/B2) for South Africans
secondaryVisa integrity fee
Boston University ISSO
19 May 202617 Oct 2026US visitor visa (B1/B2) for South Africans, United States
secondaryFinal rule on the permanent visa bond programme
Miller Mayer
10 Aug 202617 Oct 2026US visitor visa (B1/B2) for South Africans
secondaryUS travel ban 2026: full list of countries
Wego
7 Apr 202617 Oct 2026US visitor visa (B1/B2) for South Africans
secondaryUS entry ban expanded to additional countries
Boston University ISSO
17 Dec 202517 Oct 2026US visitor visa (B1/B2) for South Africans
secondaryUS visa application for South Africans
Travelstart
3 Aug 202617 Oct 2026US visitor visa (B1/B2) for South Africans
officialApplying for a Schengen visa
European Commission
—17 Oct 2026Europe (Schengen area), Schengen visa for South Africans
officialShort-stay calculator (90 days in any 180)
European Commission
—17 Oct 2026Schengen visa for South Africans
officialSchengen visas
Consulate General of Spain in Cape Town
—17 Oct 2026Europe (Schengen area), Schengen visa for South Africans
officialVisas for Germany
German Missions in South Africa
—17 Oct 2026Schengen visa for South Africans
officialApplying in South Africa
France-Visas
—17 Oct 2026Schengen visa for South Africans
officialApply for a Schengen visa in South Africa
Netherlands Worldwide
—17 Oct 2026Schengen visa for South Africans
officialSchengen visa application: step-by-step guide
Consulate General of Italy in Johannesburg
—17 Oct 2026Schengen visa for South Africans
officialWhere to apply for a Schengen visa
Embassy of Switzerland in South Africa
—17 Oct 2026Schengen visa for South Africans
secondarySA Schengen visa demand rises (2025 statistics)
Travelnews
2 Jun 202617 Oct 2026Europe (Schengen area), Schengen visa for South Africans
secondaryMore than 10 million Schengen visas issued in 2025
VisasNews (European Commission data)
28 May 202617 Oct 2026Europe (Schengen area), Schengen visa for South Africans
secondaryAfrican travellers hit hard by soaring Schengen rejections (2024 data)
Africanews
26 May 202517 Oct 2026Schengen visa for South Africans
secondarySchengen visa proof of funds 2026: minimum bank balance by country
Wego
5 May 202617 Oct 2026Schengen visa for South Africans
secondarySchengen visa guide for South Africans
Elyforma
22 Jun 202617 Oct 2026Schengen visa for South Africans
officialYellow fever vaccination requirements for South Africa
South African Tourism
—17 Oct 2026Argentina, Brazil, Kenya
secondaryYellow fever: cost, timing and validity
Travelstart
1 Jul 202617 Oct 2026Brazil, Kenya
officialInternational Tourism 2025
Statistics South Africa
202617 Oct 2026Site-wide
officialMinister Aaron Motsoaledi approves new fees for passports and travel documents
South African Government
9 Oct 202217 Oct 2026Site-wide
officialFAQs for the required online traveller declarations from 1 July 2026
South African Revenue Service
—17 Oct 2026Site-wide
officialDuties and taxes for travellers
South African Revenue Service
13 Dec 202417 Oct 2026Site-wide
secondarySARS clarifies traveller declaration rules
Tourism Update
7 Aug 202617 Oct 2026Site-wide
secondarySARB finalises Budget-linked exchange control reforms (allowance raised to R2 million)
Moonstone
16 Apr 202617 Oct 2026Site-wide
officialConsular services
Department of International Relations and Cooperation
—17 Oct 2026Site-wide
officialOver 6 400 South Africans in the Middle East register on Travel Smart
SAnews (South African Government News Agency)
5 Mar 202617 Oct 2026Site-wide

Corrections log

  • We switched to a newer visa dataset (Passport Index Data, updated 17 February 2026) and now cover every passport. Our earlier pages said the dataset was from 18 February 2026, but that was the date its archive was last edited: the visa data itself was from 12 January 2025. About 2,900 passport and country entries changed. We also applied Thailand’s new rules and the full US travel ban to every passport, and marked passports that Thailand’s new lists don’t name as “check first”.

Data licences

Visa data adapted from Passport Index Data (github.com/imorte/passport-index-data), which continues the Passport Index dataset by Ilya Ilyankou. Both are used under the MIT licence:

MIT License

Copyright (c) 2019 Ilya Ilyankou (Passport Index dataset)
Copyright (c) 2019 (Passport Index Data, imorte)

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.

Map shapes: Natural Earth (naturalearthdata.com), public domain.

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