logo
SA passport drops lower on Henley Passport Index

SA passport drops lower on Henley Passport Index

South Africa's passport power has decreased yet again, according to the latest Henley Passport Index, which revealed the newest rankings of all of the world's passports for 2025.
The Henley Passport Index is the original, authoritative ranking of all the world's passports according to the number of destinations their passport-holders can travel to visa-free.
'With historical data spanning 19 years, the Henley Passport Index is the only one of its kind based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Authority (IATA). The index includes 199 different passports and 227 different travel destinations.' Henley & Partners says.
And now, according to these rankings, the SA passport has dropped a further spot from 49, now ranking at number 50 on the list of 199 passports.
Despite this, however, the index highlighted that South Africans with an SA passport can still travel to 104 destinations without requiring a visa.
Here are is the updated list of the top five most powerful passports: Rank Country Number of visa-free countries 1 Singapore 193 2 Japan 190 2 South Korea 190 3 Denmark 189 3 Finland 189 3 France 189 3 Germany 189 3 Ireland 189 3 Italy 189 3 Spain 189 4 Austria 188 4 Belgium 188 4 Luxembourg 188 4 Netherlands 188 4 Norway 188 4 Portugal 188 4 Sweden 188 5 Greece 187 5 New Zealand 187 5 Switzerland 187
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1.
Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Malaysia border control glitch hits travellers
Malaysia border control glitch hits travellers

eNCA

time14 hours ago

  • eNCA

Malaysia border control glitch hits travellers

KUALA LUMPUR - A glitch in Malaysia's self-service border control machines has hit tens of thousands of travellers, the immigration department estimated Saturday, causing delays at the capital's airport and land crossings. Among major gateways affected since Friday afternoon are Kuala Lumpur International Airport's two main terminals, as well as southern land crossings with Singapore. "It should be more than tens of thousands of travellers who have to wait longer at the manual counters to clear immigration," estimated Zakaria Shaaban, director-general of Malaysia's Immigration Department. Zakaria was unable to give a precise number of people affected when asked by AFP. "We don't have many manual counters over in Johor because we have converted most of them into autogates," Zakaria said, referring to the southern state neighbouring Singapore. Malaysian daily The Star said the breakdown has been described as the "worst ever", involving over 200 machines and affecting only foreign passport holders. Singapore's Immigration and Checkpoints Authority warned people intending to travel to Malaysia to expect delays. "Those who are already at the land checkpoints and need to U-turn can approach officers for assistance," it said in a Facebook post. Since June 2024 travellers from 63 countries, as well as accredited diplomats and their families, have been allowed to use Malaysia's self-service machines for immigration clearance. The Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency said initial investigations found the "technical disruption" was due to a data integration issue. "This caused the delays in the cross-checking process within the MyIMMS (immigration) system," it said in a statement. "All manual counters have been fully activated and additional personnel have been deployed to manage the flow of visitors and control the queues at the best capacity," the agency added. llk/rsc

Malaysia border control glitch hits travellers
Malaysia border control glitch hits travellers

Eyewitness News

time16 hours ago

  • Eyewitness News

Malaysia border control glitch hits travellers

KUALA LUMPUR - A glitch in Malaysia's self-service border control machines has hit tens of thousands of travellers, the immigration department estimated Saturday, causing delays at the capital's airport and land crossings. Among major gateways affected since Friday afternoon are Kuala Lumpur International Airport's two main terminals, as well as southern land crossings with Singapore. "It should be more than tens of thousands of travellers who have to wait longer at the manual counters to clear immigration," estimated Zakaria Shaaban, director-general of Malaysia's Immigration Department. Zakaria was unable to give a precise number of people affected when asked by AFP. "We don't have many manual counters over in Johor because we have converted most of them into autogates," Zakaria said, referring to the southern state neighbouring Singapore. Malaysian daily The Star said the breakdown has been described as the "worst ever", involving over 200 machines and affecting only foreign passport holders. Singapore's Immigration and Checkpoints Authority warned people intending to travel to Malaysia to expect delays. "Those who are already at the land checkpoints and need to U-turn can approach officers for assistance," it said in a Facebook post. Since June 2024 travellers from 63 countries, as well as accredited diplomats and their families, have been allowed to use Malaysia's self-service machines for immigration clearance. The Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency said initial investigations found the "technical disruption" was due to a data integration issue. "This caused the delays in the cross-checking process within the MyIMMS (immigration) system," it said in a statement. "All manual counters have been fully activated and additional personnel have been deployed to manage the flow of visitors and control the queues at the best capacity," the agency added.

Home Affairs cuts passport delays for expats with new global service centres
Home Affairs cuts passport delays for expats with new global service centres

IOL News

time18 hours ago

  • IOL News

Home Affairs cuts passport delays for expats with new global service centres

Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Leon Schreiber, launches new service centre in Sydney, marking a milestone in faster, more dignified service delivery for South Africans living abroad. In a landmark move to restore dignity and improve service delivery for South Africans living overseas, the Department of Home Affairs has launched a series of new international service centres, drastically reducing passport turnaround times from over a year to just five weeks. Announcing the rollout, Minister of Home Affairs Dr Leon Schreiber said the initiative aims to resolve long-standing frustrations experienced by citizens abroad who previously faced delays of up to 18 months for documents such as passports. 'The rollout of these service centres is yet another step on our journey towards delivering Home Affairs @ home,' said Minister Schreiber. 'Home Affairs is now closer than ever before for South Africans living abroad.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store