Japan visa for South African citizens
e-Visa (apply online)
🇿🇦 South African passport → 🇯🇵 Japan: yes — an e-visa, applied for online before travel.
How it works
Apply online before you travel: passport scan, photo, fee. Approval typically takes a few days — apply at least a week ahead, print or save the approval, and carry it.
Heads-up: Japan commonly asks for proof of onward travel (airline check-in; immigration occasionally).
Before the airport: run the "Will I board?" checklist for this route →
Beyond Japan: the South Africa passport
The 🇿🇦 South Africa passport ranks #96 of 199 worldwide, entering 98 destinations without a visa arranged in advance (see the world ranking).
Also visa-free on the South Africa passport: 🇹🇭 Thailand (60 days), 🇸🇬 Singapore (30 days), 🇲🇾 Malaysia (90 days) — all 98 open destinations.
Going the other way? Japanese citizens visiting South Africa need no visa — visa-free for up to 90 days.
Never get caught out
Visa rules change with little notice. Get one email when Japan changes its entry rules for South African passports.
Capital Tokyo · Currency Japanese yen (¥) · Dialling +81
Before you travel
Sorting your Japan trip on the South Africa passport:
See the whole picture
Every destination for the South Africa passport, and everyone who can enter Japan.
South African passport: all destinations Who can enter Japan Plan the trip