Anyone who’s travelled overseas on a South African passport knows just how useless it is. All major nations require a supporting travel visa, and holders of a South African passport are often subjected to additional checks. Nevertheless, a new report from Australian-based Compare the Market has found the Department of Home Affairs‘ South African passport is least be one of the cheapest in the world, reports Business Tech.
HOW CHEAP IS A SOUTH AFRICAN PASSPORT?
Looking at the data, the South African passport is the fourth cheapest globally. But this is offset in practical terms by the additional cost of visas. The most affordable is the United Arab Emirates R336. India is second at R343, Hungary third at R394. The South African passport comes in at fourth, costing R600. We beat out Kenya in fifth at R611 (all prices are a Rand-dollar conversion).
Notable nations with more expensive passports than ours are New Zealand at R2 402, USA R3 134 and Australia R4 291, confirms the report. However, in contrast to the cost, the Henly Passport Index, ranks South Africa lower due to the number of countries a passport holder can travel to without a visa. South Africans can visit just 108 countries visa-free. While nations like France, Germany, Italy, Singapore and Japan can visit upwards of 194 countries without a visa.
HOW MZANSI COMPARES
| Rank | Nation | Cost | Visa-free countries | Cost per visa-free country |
| 1. | UAE | R336 | 183 | R1.86 |
| 2. | Hungary | R394 | 188 | R2.11 |
| 3. | Spain | – | – | R3.23 |
| – | – | – | – | – |
| 13. | India | R343 | 62 | R5.58 |
| 14. | South Africa | R600 | 108 | R5.58 |
| 15. | Germany | – | 194 | R7.44 |
| – | – | – | – | – |
| 28. | Australia | R4 291 | 190 | R22.58 |
| 29. | Mexico | R4 389 | 162 | R27.04 |
NEXT READ: UPDATED info: May 2024 SASSA Older Persons grants
What do you think of how much a South African passport costs compared to the rest of the world? Worth it, or another useless bureaucracy? Be sure to share your thoughts with our audience in the comments section below. And don’t forget to follow us @TheSANews on X and The South African on Facebook for the latest updates.
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