Ireland recently removed South Africa from its visa-free list, causing a decline in the strength of the South African passport according to the Henley Passport Index. As of July 10, 2024, South African citizens now require a visa to travel to Ireland.
The Impact of Ireland’s Decision
In April 2024, Ireland began discussing the end of visa-free travel for South Africans. This move was aimed at controlling asylum applications, particularly from Zimbabweans and people from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Despite opposition, Ireland proceeded with this plan, and all South Africans now need a visa to enter the country.
Ireland’s Dublin Visa Office has established a ‘South Africa desk’ to handle applications. The costs for single-entry visas are R1,200, while multi-entry visas are R2,000, with no refunds for refused applications.
Current Visa-Free Access
The removal of Ireland from the visa-free list has reduced the number of countries South Africans can visit without a visa to 107. This has weakened South Africa’s position on the Henley Passport Index, dropping it to 53rd place, just below Qatar.
Top Passport Rankings
According to the 2024 Henley Passport Index, the strongest passports belong to:
- France
- Germany
- Italy
- Spain
- Japan
- Singapore
Citizens of these countries can travel to 194 destinations visa-free. The index, based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), highlights the growing global mobility gap.
Christian H. Kaelin, Chairman of Henley & Partners, noted the disparity: “The average number of visa-free destinations has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024. However, top-ranked countries can now access 166 more destinations visa-free than Afghanistan, which is at the bottom with access to just 28 countries.”
Visa-Free Countries for South Africans
Despite the loss of visa-free access to Ireland, South Africans can still travel to many destinations without a visa, including several in Africa, Asia, the Americas, the Caribbean, and Oceania. Here is the list of 107 countries where South Africans can travel without a visa:
Africa
- Angola
- Kenya
- Seychelles*
- Benin
- Lesotho
- Sierra Leone*
- Botswana
- Madagascar*
- Somalia*
- Burundi*
- Malawi
- St. Helena*
- Cape Verde Islands*
- Mauritania*
- Tanzania
- Comoro Islands*
- Mauritius
- The Gambia
- eSwatini
- Mozambique
- Togo*
- Ethiopia*
- Namibia
- Tunisia
- Gabon
- Nigeria*
- Uganda*
- Ghana*
- Reunion
- Zambia
- Guinea-Bissau*
- Rwanda*
- Djibouti*
- Zimbabwe
- Senegal
Americas
- Argentina
- Ecuador
- Nicaragua
- Belize
- El Salvador
- Panama
- Bolivia*
- Falkland Islands
- Paraguay
- Brazil
- Guatemala
- Peru
- Chile
- Guyana
- Uruguay
- Costa Rica
- Honduras
- Venezuela
Asia
- Cambodia*
- Malaysia
- Sri Lanka*
- Hong Kong (SAR China)
- Maldives*
- Tajikistan*
- Indonesia
- Nepal*
- Thailand
- Kyrgyzstan*
- Pakistan*
- Timor-Leste*
- Laos*
- Philippines
- South Korea**
- Macao (SAR China)
- Singapore
Caribbean
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Dominican Republic
- St. Lucia
- Bahamas
- Grenada
- St. Vincent and the Grenadines
- Barbados
- Haiti
- Trinidad and Tobago
- British Virgin Islands
- Jamaica
- Turks and Caicos
- Cayman Islands
- Montserrat
- Dominica
- St. Kitts and Nevis
Europe
- Georgia
- Russian Federation
- Kosovo
Middle East
- Armenia*
- Jordan*
- Qatar
- Iran*
- Oman
- Saudi Arabia*
- Israel
- Palestinian Territories
Oceania
- Cook Islands
- Micronesia
- Samoa*
- Fiji
- Niue
- Tuvalu*
- Kiribati
- Palau Islands*
- Vanuatu
- Marshall Islands*
(Note: * indicates visa on arrival, ** indicates electronic travel authorization)
While the removal of Ireland from the visa-free list is a setback, South Africans still have the opportunity to travel to 107 countries without needing a visa. This list includes a diverse range of destinations, allowing for continued global mobility despite recent changes.