No visa needed

Do citizens of South Africa need a visa for Guatemala?

Citizens of South Africa don’t need a visa for Guatemala and can stay up to 90 days. You need a valid passport; border officers may ask for a return ticket and accommodation. For a longer stay you need a visa or an extension.

For citizens of South Africa: the passport opens 60 countries visa-free; Pretoria — Guatemala City: ≈ 13,550 km, about 17.5 hours of flying.

Checked by visa analyst Albert Brown, 13 years of experience · September 26, 2026

At a glance

No visa needed

Stay: 90 days

Can I travel to Guatemala without a visa on a South Africa passport?

Yes, citizens of South Africa don’t need a visa for Guatemala for up to 90 days. A valid passport is enough.

Guatemala visa rules at a glance

With a South Africa passport you can visit 60 countries visa-free, 29 with a visa on arrival and 39 with an e-visa; 70 more require an embassy visa.
By the number of visa-free destinations, the South Africa passport ranks 96th of 199.
South Africa passport: visa-free access to 60 countries; Guatemala passport: 78.
Citizens of South Africa and Guatemala can travel together visa-free to 32 countries, for example: Zambia, Seychelles, Palestine, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Russia, Chile, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Citizens of Guatemala, in turn, need an embassy visa to travel to South Africa. South Africa visa for citizens of Guatemala

Travelling to Guatemala: good to know

Pretoria — Guatemala City: about 13,550 km in a straight line; a direct flight takes roughly 17.5 hours.
Time difference with your country’s capital: −8 hours.
Local time: Pretoria 12:00 — Guatemala City 04:00.
Local currency: Guatemalan Quetzal.
Languages: Spanish.
Exchange rate: $1.00 ≈ GTQ 7.64.
Guatemala is the 188th closest of 197 destinations open to citizens of South Africa.