South Africa Visa and Entry Requirements

Your first trip to South Africa is booked, including flight tickets, rental car, and accommodations. But before your vacation begins, there are a few things you need to know. What do you need for entry into South Africa? Are vaccinations required, and how does it work if I want to enter with a child? I'll explain what you need to know for entry into South Africa.

German citizens do not need a visa for entry and a stay of up to 90 days. You will receive a "Visitor's Permit" upon entry, which is a stamp in your passport. Your passport must be valid for at least 30 days beyond your departure date and have at least 2 blank pages.

Pay attention to the date stamped in your passport, as both the entry and exit date count. Sometimes the date may not be correct.

My tip: Scan your passport and important documents before departure and save them offline on your phone (Google Drive or Dropbox). This makes it easier to recover them if lost through the German embassy in South Africa.

Check your standard vaccinations before your trip and protect yourself from mosquitoes.

General travel and safety advice from the German Foreign Office can be checked here. However, I prefer the British equivalent, as it is more specific and not as "exaggerated" as the advice from the Foreign Office often is (based on my experience and opinion).

You need a valid passport for each child. An entry in the parents' passport is not sufficient. For a South Africa vacation, you do not need an extra visa. You will receive a 90-day visa upon arrival, allowing you to stay in the country for up to three months. If you are traveling to South Africa alone with a child, like Isa without a partner, you do not need any extra documents. Nevertheless, we recommend carrying a consent letter from the other parent and/or the birth certificate. Better safe than sorry.

However, a valid passport for you and your baby is mandatory. The passport must be valid for at least 30 days beyond the departure date, and you must ensure that at least two blank pages are available for stamps.

An overview of the current entry regulations for minors to South Africa can be found on the website of the German Foreign Office.

Read about Isa's experience traveling to South Africa with a toddler here.

When entering South Africa, there are a few things to keep in mind. South Africa and neighboring countries have a customs union. This means you can bring in personal items duty-free.

This includes:

200 cigarettes or 250 g of tobacco

50 ml of perfume

1 liter of spirits or 2 liters of wine

Other goods worth up to 3,000 Rand

Up to 5,000 Rand in cash

If you are taking expensive items (watches) with you, it's advisable to have a receipt with you (a digital copy is sufficient).

I have never been checked at entry. They have always been very friendly and pleased that I have so many stamps from South Africa in my passport. "Man, you must love our country" - of course.

What is much more important for us: the export of goods and the entry and customs regulations in Germany.

Of course, there are also customs regulations for the export of goods when leaving South Africa and when entering Europe. Importing personal items is also allowed. It is prohibited to bring animal products like ivory, stuffed animals, or furs back from your tour of South Africa. There is also a ban on importing various plants like cacti, orchids, and products made from coral, tortoise, or reptile skins.

No vaccinations are mandatory for South Africa. For trips to rural areas, the German Foreign Office recommends standard vaccinations such as Tetanus, Diphtheria, Hepatitis A and B, Rabies, and Typhoid.

For long-term stays (such as study abroad), vaccination against Hepatitis B is recommended. Consult a doctor for more information and vaccination advice. You should generally check your vaccinations before any trip and update them if necessary.

For trips to South Africa, I always bring the essential medications. Even though you can certainly buy everything in South Africa, we didn't want to leave anything to chance in case of illness. I want my most important medicine to be readily available. The farther you travel from major cities like Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Durban, the harder it will be to find specific medications. Therefore, I brought the following to South Africa:

Nasal spray (always in carry-on)

Sinupret (for chronic sinus issues)

Hand sanitizer (as a substitute for water, as often there's no soap) - you can also buy it locally.

Band-aids

Sunscreen SPF 50

Electrolyte-glucose powder, e.g., Elotrans

Ibuprofen

Perenterol forte, Loperamide, and Imodium acute (for diarrhea)

View my travel pharmacy checklist as a PDF to print

Here you can find my packing list for Africa and safaris

I often receive emails asking: Malaria prophylaxis for South Africa? I always advise consulting a doctor. Everyone needs to come to their own conclusion about it. I do not take malaria prophylaxis for South Africa.

In South Africa, the Garden Route, Cape Town, and the Western Cape are malaria-free. The private game reserves along the Garden Route and the Addo Elephant Park are ideal for families with children. For Kruger National Park or Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park in the northwest, you should consult a doctor. I do not take malaria prophylaxis in South Africa. Cases are extremely rare (almost never).

More common is tick-borne fever, which some of my Eco Quest participants in Greater Kruger (February, March) contracted because they did not apply insect spray.

I hope you found this article helpful in answering your questions. If you have any further ideas or questions, we look forward to your comments here on the travel blog.

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