Tourist Visa Requirements for South African Citizens

Are you a South African citizen planning to visit Asia? Well, you’re in luck! The following guide covers the latest visa requirements for popular travel destinations in Asia. It has all the basic information you need to plan your trip and attain your visa quickly and easily. The guide is applicable to South African citizens, holders of passports issued in South Africa and those born in South Africa, and it’s for Tourist Visas only, not Business or Diplomatic Visas.

We’ve sorted the guide based on the suggested time required to apply for your tourist visa in certain countries, they are – No advanced planning, Three-day preparation, and Two-week preparation:

No Advance Planning

Some Asian countries will grant you a tourist visa automatically upon your arrival, and there’s no need for pre-arrangements or payments. The immigration officer will simply stamp your passport with a date showing either the number of days you can stay, or a date indicating when you must leave the country.

The stamp on your passport will technically serve as a ‘visa,’ which allows you to enter the country multiple times within a specific number of days. The countdown begins on the first day you enter the country. Sometimes, this is also known as ‘a multiple-entry visa.’

In some countries, a visa on arrival comes with a fee. Basically, when you arrive at an entry point, you’ll need to visit the ‘visa-on-arrival’ counter to submit a visa application. You’ll be required to provide passport-sized photos and a stamping fee.

The visa they issue will usually take the form of a sticker or stamp on your passport. By default, you will get a single-entry visa. However, some countries will give you the option to pay for longer stays and multiple entries. Those with single-entry visas will be allowed to stay only for a specific number of days. Each time you leave the country and re-enter, you’ll have to apply for another visa.

Three-day Preparation

Some Asian countries require you to submit your visa application in advance, that is before you arrive at the entry point. Usually, you’ll be given a reference number or an approval letter to indicate that your visa has already been approved.

While some countries will grant you the visa without payment, others will require you to pay for a stamping fee at the visa-on-arrival counter. These days, you can submit a visa application online, without the need to hand over your original passport.

Certain nations will grant you a Visa by email, soon after you’ve submitted your online application. Since you get the visa in advance, this is by far the most convenient way. All you need to do is print out your visa and carry it with your passport. Once your visa application has been approved, however, you must usually enter the country within a specific number of days.

Two-week Preparation

Some Asian countries expect you to get a visa ready well before you make the trip to their country. This usually means you’ll have to apply for the visa at the embassy of the country you wish to visit, and they’ll issue the visa to you. For obvious reasons, visa applications at embassies are usually much easier to do when you’re in your home country, before you travel.

In some cases, you can also apply for a visa through travel agents; they have ‘runners’ who’ll go to the embassy for you. Some embassies will even let you mail in your passport and visa application. Depending on the country you visit, the start date of your visa may begin once it has been issued to you, instead of counting down from the day you first entered the country.

List of Foreign Embassies in South Africa

As we’ve mentioned earlier, it’s generally much easier for you to get your visa in South Africa, before you hop on that plane. To help you find foreign embassies in South Africa, we’ve created these tables for your reference. Please note that they apply mainly to Asian countries that require advanced visa applications. Good luck planning that trip and travel safe!

India’s Embassy and Consulates in South Africa

Australia’s Embassy and Consulates in South Africa

China’s Embassy and Consulates in South Africa

Myanmar’s Embassy and Consulates in South Africa

Russia’s Embassy and Consulates in South Africa

Taiwan’s Embassy and Consulates in South Africa

List of Embassies outside South Africa

If you’re not in South Africa, you’ll need to find an embassy nearest to your present location to get your tourist Visa. We have included here, a complete list of embassies outside South Africa.

India’s Embassies and Consulates outside South Africa

Australia’s Embassies and Consulates outside South Africa

China’s Embassies and Consulates outside South Africa

Myanmar’s Embassies and Consulates outside South Africa

Russia’s Embassies and Consulates outside South Africa