The strength of South Africa’s passport has grown slightly, ranking as the 51st most powerful out of 103 rankings in 2023, up from 55th in 2022.
This makes it the third strongest passport in the African region, though it trails Seychelles (24th) and Mauritius (29th).
This is according to the 2023 Henley Passport Index by Henley & Partners released on Tuesday.
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The country’s citizens can visit 106 of 227 destinations around the globe without a visa, a third of which are on the continent.
Back in January 2022, South Africans were able to visit 104 countries without a visa (based on Henley’s research) and by August last year this had increased to 105 countries.
In terms of rankings, SA’s best showing was in 2009 when it came in 35th spot, while in 2014 it ranked 41st. The country has not been below the 50th spot since 2014.
The continent least open to South African nationals is Europe, which only grants visa-free access to four countries (Georgia, Kosovo, Ireland and the Russian Federation).
Significance?
Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa, CEO of the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA), says it is important to interrogate the factors contributing to the country’s newfound passport strength before celebrating the development.
“What has moved? What if the passport has moved [in the rankings] not because of what we did, but because someone else did something wrong?”
Henley & Partners chair Christian Kaelin says only eight countries worldwide have dropped their visa-free access in the past decade, while more countries have successfully improved their accessibility.
“The UAE has added an impressive 107 destinations to its visa-free score since 2013, resulting in a massive leap of 44 places in the ranking over the past 10 years from 56th to 12th position,” notes Kaelin.
“This is almost double the next biggest climber, Colombia, which has enjoyed a jump of 28 places in the ranking to sit in 37th spot.”
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Despite his uncertainty about the true impact of South Africa’s latest result, Tshivhengwa tells Moneyweb that South Africans being welcomed visa-free to many destinations around the world is a reflection that the country still enjoys trust from its global counterparts.
“In general, when we have a passport that is well-recognised across various countries and we are able to travel as South Africans to many countries without requiring visas, I think that’s where we want to be at because what it will mean is that we are trusted more and we have a robust system.”
He says increased trust in the country’s systems could ultimately attract more international tourists to the country, improving investment in the local tourism sector – a sentiment Kaelin largely shares.
“Far more than just a travel document that defines our freedom of movement, a strong passport also provides significant financial freedoms in terms of international investment and business opportunities,” says Kaelin.
“Global connectivity and access have become indispensable features of wealth creation and preservation, and its value will only grow as geopolitical volatility and regional instability increase.”
Superpowers
Despite the improvement South Africa is still a long way from the number one spot occupied by Singapore, which affords its citizen visa-free access to 192 destinations, making it the most powerful passport in the world.
According to this latest research, Singapore has unseated fellow Asian nation Japan which prior to 2023 held the position for five consecutive years.
Japan now boasts the third strongest passport after Germany, Italy and Spain which have tied for second place with visa-free access to 190 destinations.
“Japanese passport holders join those of six other nations — Austria, Finland, France, Luxembourg, South Korea, and Sweden — in 3rd place with access to 189 destinations without a prior visa,” according to the report.
Unfair world
One of the key critiques of the research is that developed economies generally remain largely closed to foreigners on a visa-free basis while having pretty much free access to developing nations.
According to the Henley Openness Index, the top 20 most open countries are found on small islands and the African continent.
The United States, New Zealand and Japan are among the nations mentioned for their unwelcoming culture.
These countries’ citizens have broad visa-free access to destinations around the globe, but allow fewer nationalities to enter their borders.
According to Henley & Partners CEO Juerg Steffen, additional research by the group indicates that it is generally up to countries with more progressive open-door visa policies to forge links with the traditionally more resistant nations that will in turn allow their citizens valuable visa waivers to sought-after destinations.
“Visa policy is a significant lever that governments can use to positively impact and improve their passport’s power, making it even more attractive for foreign investors seeking citizenship or residence by investment opportunities,” he says.
“For entrepreneurs and businesspeople, improving their economic mobility through visa-free access to more stable economies and key markets that represent a higher proportion of the world’s GDP provides them with a pathway to lucrative jurisdictions, helps mitigate country- or regional-specific risks, and enables them to build valuable partnerships with industry leaders, and expand their own network of innovators and investors.”
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