We will be arriving in Jo Burg and spending the night before going on to Nairobi to start our safari. Will we need a visa for South Africa? I know we will be required to get one at Nairobi airport for Kenya, but wasn't sure about SA.
Thanks

If you are carrying passports from Canada or the US, you do not need a visa for S.A. However, your passport must have 2 blank, facing pages.

Thank you so much for your quick response. One less document to acquire!

Immigration in SA will simply stamp a Visa (or coupon) into your passport, the reason for the 2/blank facing pages. No fee, just the visa. Then next day you go onto Kenya.

Technically it's not even a visa, but a 90-day entry permit. You may be asked to show evidence of your return ticket, or in your case your onward trip.

If only it was that easy for South Africans travelling to most other countries, especially to the U.S.!

ArthurSA,

Travelling from India, i need a visa prior to landing in JNB. Thesedays, the SA consulate in Bombay is under staffed and they take forever to return the passports.....

Hari

Hari, some countries are "luckier" than others regarding visa requirements for travellers to S.A. There's a long list of countries (including the U.S. and Canada) whose citizens don't need a visa. Although I'm willing to bet that the majority of those require South Africans to have a visa when travelling to their countries. I've had to go through that "pain" many times! Although after many visits to the U.S., much to my surprise I eventually got given a 10-year multiple entry visa without even asking for it. Except my last visit was Decemeber 2000 and I assume that post-9/11 I'll have a problem if I try and enter with just that current visa.

In the case of India, a visa is required by both countries and in both cases passports have to be surrendered. But hopefully the Indian Consulates are more efficient than you're finding the SA Consulate.

ArthurSA,

Thanks...yes, true

Rgds to the US visa. You shouldnt have any problems with your older visa, as long as it is valid. I travel on my 10 year visa that is still valid for a couple of years. They just need all visitors to be finger printed on arrival. Very easy and hassle free, regardless.

Hari

Thanks Hari, that's good news. I'd read about the finger-printing, but I also feared that there would be some need to travel to the U.S. Embassy as well.