Tunisia Now Visa-Exempt for Travel to South Africa
A New Era of Cooperation and Economic Exchange
Photo credit: Managers.
Tunisia has been added to the list of African countries whose citizens can enter South Africa without a prior visa. Pretoria has published a new list of 32 African countries that are exempt from visa requirements, a decision presented as a step towards facilitating mobility on the continent.
For Tunisia, this decision opens up new opportunities for deepening exchanges with one of the major economies in Africa. With a GDP estimated at $427 billion in 2025, South Africa is one of the largest economies in Africa and a strategic market for Tunisian businesses, particularly in the industries of manufacturing, services, food processing, and technology. Furthermore, this facilitation of travel could encourage business missions, partnerships, and professional exchanges between the two countries, as Tunisia seeks to diversify its African markets. In 2025, Tunisia's foreign trade reached $63.7 billion in exports and $85.5 billion in imports, highlighting the importance of strengthening the presence of Tunisian businesses in new markets.
It's no secret that facilitating travel is a key driver for business, tourism, investment, and academic exchanges. This move aligns with the ambitions of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which aims to strengthen trade between African countries. The new migration policy also seeks to send a message of openness and regional cooperation, while maintaining controls related to security requirements and passport categories.
This measure allows citizens of the concerned countries to stay in South Africa for a period of 30 to 90 days, depending on their nationality and the type of passport presented. The exemption applies to different categories of travel documents, including ordinary, diplomatic, official, or service passports, with varying conditions depending on the country.
In addition to Tunisia, the list includes:
- Algeria
- Angola
- Botswana
- Cape Verde
- Congo
- Egypt
- Ethiopia
- Gabon
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Ivory Coast
- Kenya
- Kingdom of Eswatini
- Lesotho
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mali
- Mauritius
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Rwanda
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Senegal
- Seychelles
- Tanzania
- Tunisia
- Uganda
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
This development is expected to have a positive impact on the economic and cultural exchanges between Tunisia and South Africa, and to contribute to the growth of trade and investment between the two countries.
