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Travel from Spain to South Africa: All the requirements
These are the requirements for travelling to South Africa from Spain in 2025. Do you need a visa? Are there any mandatory vaccinations? We tell you all about it.
Are you planning a trip to visit Kruger National Park, Cape Town or any other part of South Africa, but aren’t sure what documents you need? Having everything ready will save you from uncomfortable moments at the airport and delays during immigration control. Although there aren’t many requirements to travel to South Africa from Spain, you’ll be asked to meet the mandatory ones.
To help you prepare for your trip, today we’ve compiled all the information you need to know. Do you need a visa? Are there any mandatory vaccinations? Will you be required to show proof of financial solvency or an exit ticket? We’ll go over everything so you can get started on the itinerary and more exciting things.
A tip before talking about the requirements for travelling to South Africa from Spain
Before we go into the requirements for travelling to South Africa from Spain in 2025, allow us to digress for a moment. We wanted to talk to you about something that, although it isn’t compulsory, will be very useful for your trip. It’s about having an internet connection. Have you thought about how you will consult Google to find the best places once you arrive? How to notify your accommodation that you’ve arrived or to book private transport? Having it organised before you arrive will save you a lot of headaches. You don’t want to rely on public Wi-Fi networks once at your destination.
For short trips of a few days or weeks, we can recommend Holafly’s eSIM for South Africa. You can enjoy unlimited data during your stay without having to roam or spend time installing local cards. It’s available from just €8.90 ($9.50), and you can choose the days you need.
If you plan to stay for several months exploring South Africa or visit nearby countries, Holafly Connect’s global internet plans will interest you. You’ll have 10GB, 25GB or unlimited data (depending on the plan you choose, available from €39.90 / $40.93) to connect to during your stay.
Both services work via an eSIM and are very easy to install. You can do this before you get on the plane and in just a few minutes.
If you’re a frequent traveller and want to stay connected without worrying about costly roaming or looking for a new SIM at every destination, Holafly’s subscription plans from Holafly subscription plans are for you. With a single eSIM, enjoy internet in more than 170 countries for one fixed price and no bill surprises. Travel without limits and connect easily and safely! 🚀🌍
Now that said, let’s go over the requirements for travelling to Southafrica from Spain in 2025.
1. A plane ticket to South Africa and back to Spain
Let’s start with one of the most basic, the airline ticket. In addition to the one-way ticket, you’ll need a return ticket if you don’t want to have problems at the airport. You wouldn’t be the first traveller turned away at the airport for not proving they plan to leave the country within the allowed period (90 days without a visa, we’ll cover this shortly). In fact, some people have had to buy their return ticket on the spot.
If you’re travelling on a work, study or residence visa, this requirement may not apply to you. It’s always best to check with the South African embassy in Madrid for specific visa requirements before organizing your trip.
2. Tourist, residence or work visas for South Africa
Spanish citizens don’t need a visa to enter South Africa. If your trip is for tourism and does not exceed 90 days, you don’t need to do this procedure. Once on South African soil, your passport will be stamped with a temporary entry permit.
Please note that, unlike in other countries, it cannot be renewed for another 90 days, not even when travelling to other nearby countries (in such cases, only 7 days are added). To stay longer in the country, you’ll need to return to your home country or apply for a visa before you go. What kind of visas do you grant in South Africa?
- Student visa: For those who plan to study at a university or other educational institution. To obtain it, you must present an acceptance letter from the educational institution in South Africa, proof of financial means, and international medical insurance.
- Work visa: For those who are going to work, it’s valid for up to five years. You’ll need a work permit issued by the South African government, a work contract, and in some cases, proof that the position cannot be filled by locals. Employees of multinational companies who are transferred to a subsidiary or branch in South Africa can apply for the intra-corporate transfer (ICT) visa.
- Residence or long-stay visa: For permanent residence or long-term residence. There are different categories, such as visas for investors, spouses of South African citizens or retirees.
If you aren’t going for tourism, it’s advisable to start organising visa arrangements in advance. The process can take up to eight weeks. The average price? About R 2,540 (€124.46 / $134.62).
3. Spanish passport to travel to South Africa
As you would expect, you’ll also need a valid passport. But be careful, they won’t accept just any passport. The authorities are quite strict about this. It must be valid for at least 30 days after the intended date of departure from the country. Also two blank pages for officers to affix entry and exit stamps.
4. Address of your accommodation in South Africa
This requirement is especially important for those travelling on work, study or residence visas. Tourists aren’t usually required to provide information about their accommodation, but those staying longer will be.
It’s mandatory to provide a fixed address. In fact, in most cases, it’s requested in order to grant the visa. If you cannot prove where you’ll be staying, you may be refused entry into the country.
5. Vaccinations mandatory to travel to South Africa
Are you visiting a country where yellow fever is endemic (countries like Brazil, Angola, Nigeria, or the Democratic Republic of the Congo) within six days prior to your arrival? In that case, you’ll be required to present a vaccination certificate clearly showing that you’ve received the yellow fever vaccine.
If this isn’t the case, you won’t be required to have any vaccinations. That’s the only exception. In any case, the Ministry of Health recommends being vaccinated against hepatitis A and B, tetanus and diphtheria, and typhoid fever.
However, to be sure and up-to-date, it’s best to visit the nearest International Vaccination Center a few weeks before your trip.
6. Medical insurance to travel to South Africa
Another requirement that only applies to those travelling with a visa. It’s not always mandatory to pass control, but it’s important to check your visa conditions beforehand as you may be required to have international medical insurance.
However, if you’re going to stay longer than required, it’s advisable. South Africa has excellent private hospitals, but medical care is very expensive.
7. Pass immigration control in South Africa
Finally, let’s talk about what it will be like to go through immigration control once you land in South Africa. The truth is that it’s not too complicated and you don’t need to be nervous.
Upon arrival, a migration officer will review your documents and may ask questions about the purpose of your trip, the length of your stay, and your planned activities. If you have everything ready, you’ll have your entry stamp in a few minutes and you can start your adventure in South Africa without any problems.
More tips to travel to South Africa
With these seven points, we’d have already covered the requirements to travel to Southafrica from Spain in 2025. However, before concluding this guide, we want to mention a few things that, although not mandatory, should be considered to make your trip more comfortable. Some recommendations:
1. Travel insurance for South Africa
As mentioned above, only travellers going to South Africa on a visa need medical insurance. However, whatever type of trip you’re organising, it’s a very wise decision to take out a policy to cover you against unforeseen events.
Not only treatments in private health care, which, as we said, are very expensive. Also repatriations, lost luggage, flight delays or cancellations. If you don’t have any preferred company, you can consult our post on international travel insurance, where we talk about several of them.
2. Driving licence in South Africa
Are you planning to rent a car to explore the country? To move every day because you are going to live there for a while? In that case, you’ll be pleased to know that you can drive with your Spanish driving licence without any problems. But only for the first 90 days. You’ll then need to get a South African driver’s licence. What will you need to get it?
- Have a temporary or permanent residence permit.
- Present your valid Spanish driving licence.
- Pass a vision test at an approved centre.
- Apply for the homologation of your licence at the corresponding traffic office.
In addition, the homologation of licences isn’t the same in all provinces. It’s best to check with the embassy or local traffic department before starting the process to know what you need to do. Be careful, because if you don’t make the change within the stipulated time, you’ll need to take both a theoretical and practical test to obtain a South African license.
Frequently Asked Questions about requirements to travel to South Africa from Spain
No, Spanish citizens can travel to South Africa without a visa. However, only for stays of less than 90 days and for tourism purposes. For longer stays or for work, study, or residency purposes, it’s mandatory to apply for a visa before travelling.
Yes, although it isn’t always requested, immigration authorities may ask for a ticket out of the country. This is to make sure you don’t plan to overstay your welcome. If you ‘re travelling on a long-stay visa, this requirement may not be necessary.
It must be valid for at least 30 days after the intended date of departure from the country. It must have two blank pages for immigration stamps. If you don’t meet these requirements, you may be refused at immigration control.
It isn’t mandatory for tourists, but may be a requirement for certain work or study visas. In any case, it’s recommended to get international health insurance, as private healthcare in South Africa is expensive and there is no agreement with Spain.
It depends on the country you are travelling from. If you’ve been to a country where yellow fever is endemic in the six days before your arrival, you must present a vaccination certificate. If you’re travelling directly from Spain, no vaccinations are required.
