SECTION 1: BEFORE YOU GO | < BACK | NEXT >

1.9        PASSPORT REQUIREMENTS

Very Important: Anyone travelling to South Africa must have two consecutive blank pages in their passport which lie side by side when the passport is open (i.e. a left and a right hand page).

Passports must also be valid for at least six months after the date of travel. Passengers travelling to South Africa with passports which do not comply with these requirements, will either be stopped from boarding the aircraft or risk deportation upon arrival in South Africa.

In addition, a parent travelling with children, WITHOUT the other parent, will need a letter of consent from the absent parent. The police must certify the letter of consent. Visitors must have a return ticket.

1.10      VISAS

Citizens of the following countries do NOT require a visa to enter South Africa on holiday:

• Argentina • Australia • Austria • Belgium • Botswana • Brazil • Canada • Chile • Czech Republi • Denmark • Ecuador • Finland • France • Germany • Greece • Iceland • Ireland • Israel • Italy • Jamaica • Japan • Liechtenstein • Luxemburg • Malta • Monaco • Netherlands • New Zealand  • Norway • Paraguay • Portugal • San Marino • Singapore • Spain • St Vincent & the Grenadines • Sweden • Switzerland • United Kingdom • Uruguay • Venezuela • United States of America

Soccer fans that have tickets to the 2010 FIFA World Cup and needed a visa to visit South Africa will be able to obtain them for free on entering South Africa, according to a recent government announcement. Fans from Mexico and Nigeria would probably make the most use of the special free visa. Special queue lanes would also be set up for fans visiting the country during the World Cup, to ensure fast processing. For more info and further details on visas, visit www.home-affairs.gov.za/visa_detail.asp

1.11      MONEY, TRAVELER CHEQUES, CASH PASSPORT & CREDIT CARDS

 

With the exception of South Africa and Namibia, the preferred - and in some cases only - acceptable currency in the region is the US Dollar. In South Africa and Namibia, US Dollar, Pound Sterling, Euro and South African Rand are accepted as cash. Therefore, any cash payments to camps for curios, or gratuities to guides or staff, need to be in one of these currencies. Rand and US Dollar are best. Travellers' cheques in any major currency are acceptable. A good alternative is a preloaded Cash Passport, issued by Travelex or Thomas Cook. Visa and MasterCard are generally accepted throughout the region, but many shops and businesses do not accept American Express and Diners Club due to their high charges. In Zimbabwe, Cash is King and small denominations of US$ notes should be taken. Note that Credit cards cannot be used to purchase fuel/petrol if one is self-driving, but Debit Cards can be used for purchasing fuel. Petro/garage/fuel cards are also accepted. NB Advice: South Africa has just issued a new R200 note, pictured at lower right. The old R200 is no longer accepted as legal tender and would need to be exchanged at a branch of the central Reserve Bank. To avoid confusion, try not to accept R200 notes, and when withdrawing money from a machine, select R100 or R50 notes as your preferred option.

 

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