Full List of African Countries Whose Citizens Can Visit South Africa Without a Visa in 2026

• South Africa's Department of Home Affairs has published its official visa exemption list showing which African countries can enter without a visa in 2026
• Citizens of 22 African nations qualify for visa-free access to South Africa, with permitted stays ranging from 30 to 90 days depending on passport type
• The full list includes countries from across West, East, Central, and Southern Africa, covering holders of ordinary and diplomatic passports

Find it fast with our new search feature at Legit.ng!

South Africa's Department of Home Affairs has published its official visa exemption list, which also applies to 2026, confirming that citizens of 22 African countries can enter the country without obtaining a visa in advance.

The document, released by the Republic of South Africa, covers multiple passport categories, including diplomatic, official, service, ordinary, and special passports.

Permitted stays under the exemption range from 30 to 90 days, depending on the traveller's nationality and the type of passport held.

African countries on South Africa visa-free list

The following African countries appear on the exemption list published by the South African Department of Home Affairs and VFS Global:

From breaking news to viral moments. Follow Legit.ng on Instagram.

1. Algeria (30 days).
2. Benin (30 days or less).
3. Botswana (90 days or less).
4. Cabo Verde (Cape Verde) (30 days or less).
5. Comoros (90 days).
6. Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) (30 days).
7. Gabon (30 days or less).
8. Guinea (90 days).
9. Kenya (30 days).
10. Lesotho (30 days or less).
11. Madagascar (30 days).
12. Malawi (30 days or less).
13. Mauritius (30 days or less).
14. Mozambique (90 days).
15. Namibia (30 days or less).
16. Rwanda (30 days).
17. Seychelles (30 days or less).
18. Swaziland (Eswatini) (30 days or less).
19. Tanzania (90 days for ordinary passports; 30 days in the diplomatic/service passport section).
20. Tunisia (90 days).
21. Zambia (30 days or less).
22. Zimbabwe (90 days or less).

South Africa: What travellers must know

The exemption covers holders of ordinary passports in most cases, though the duration of permitted stay varies by country. Several Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states feature on the list, reflecting longstanding regional travel agreements. SADC laissez-passer holders are also covered under a separate entry in the document.

Travellers are advised to confirm the specific conditions attached to their passport category before departure, as some exemptions apply only to diplomatic or official passport holders rather than ordinary travellers. Visa fees are marked as applicable or not applicable depending on the country of origin and passport type.

The full visa exemption list, covering countries from A to Z, is publicly accessible through South Africa's Department of Home Affairs and its diplomatic missions abroad.

In a related story, Legit.ng reported a full list of countries and the number of people deported from South Africa so far.

South Africa visa-free countries

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported a full list of countries that can visit South Africa without a visa in 2026.

According to the South African government, holders of the African Union Laissez-Passer and the SADC Laissez-Passer are also granted visa-free entry, alongside United Nations Laissez-Passer holders, extending the exemption beyond individual country passports to recognised supranational travel documents.

Among the non-African countries on the list are the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.