Five countries South Africans can travel to visa-free

Updated June 4, 2024, 3:03 p.m. | By The Drive with Rob and Roz

You can still live your best jet-setter life without the stress of visa applications.

Five countries South Africans can travel to visa-free — iStock/Above Everywhere

South Africans notoriously don’t think their passport carries much weight.

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The French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, and Singapore passports are some of the most powerful passports in the world, which give their holders visa-free access to 194 countries.

South African passport holders might think they haven’t got it as good, but they are still able to travel to 108 countries without a visa.

Many of these countries are known tourist hotspots, so a dream vacation is still on the cards.

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The list includes Ireland, Argentina, Mauritius, Barbados and South Korea.

According to the 2024 Henley Passport Index, South Africa has an average rank, given the number of destinations citizens can enter without a visa, compared to other countries.

The index uses data gathered by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the most accurate travel information database.

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While it is still good news for SA passport holders, the strength has declined since 2006. SA was as high as 35 in 2009 and hit a low of 58 in 2021.

If you are keen to go international for your next holiday, then why not consider one of these wonderful destinations?