SA passport holders can visit these 17 Caribbean countries visa-free

The updated Henley & Partners Passport Index for 2026 details the 101 countries that South African passport holders can currently travel to without requiring a visa.

The index includes 199 passports and 227 travel destinations, ranking them in terms of travel power.

Most powerful

Each passport was scored on the total number of destinations that the holder can access visa-free.

South Africa placed 96th out of 199 countries with a visa-free score of 101, behind Qatar (111) and just ahead of Belize (99).

That means there are 101 countries across the world that a South African passport holder can travel to visa-free.

Meanwhile, the index found that the Singapore passport was the most powerful with a visa-free score of 192, followed by Japan and South Korea on 188.

Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland are all tied for fourth with 186.

Afghanistan sits at the bottom of the list with a score of 24.

Three visa categories

These 101 destinations fall into three main categories, each offering different visa levels of convenience:

Visa-Free Access: The golden ticket for travellers. Simply show your South African passport at immigration and you’re in. No applications, no waiting periods, no extra fees.

Visa on Arrival: Nearly as convenient, these destinations allow you to obtain your visa at the airport or port of entry. While there may be a fee involved, it eliminates the need for advance planning and embassy visits.

Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) Required: A middle ground that requires online registration before travel, but without the complexity of a full visa application. Think of it as a digital screening process that typically takes minutes to complete.

Of those 101 countries that South Africans can visit, 17 are in the Caribbean.

They are: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Helena, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands.

All of the above-mentioned countries offer visa-free access, apart from St. Kitts and Nevis which requires an ETA.

Countries SA passport holders can visit visa-free per region:

Africa – 30

Americas – 18

Asia – 16

Caribbean – 17

Europe – 2

Middle East – 8

Oceania – 10

The 101 countries SA passport holders can visit visa-free:

* visa on arrival, ** electronic travel authority (ETA)

Africa

Americas 

Asia

Caribbean

Europe

Middle East 

Oceania