No visa needed

Do citizens of Latvia need a visa for South Africa?

Citizens of Latvia don’t need a visa for South Africa 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 Latvia: the passport opens 118 countries visa-free; Riga — Pretoria: ≈ 9,200 km, about 12 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 South Africa without a visa on a Latvia passport?

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

South Africa visa rules at a glance

With a Latvia passport you can visit 118 countries visa-free, 29 with a visa on arrival and 37 with an e-visa; 14 more require an embassy visa.
By the number of visa-free destinations, the Latvia passport ranks 27th of 199.
Latvia passport: visa-free access to 118 countries; South Africa passport: 60.
Citizens of Latvia and South Africa can travel together visa-free to 48 countries, for example: Georgia, Tunisia, Palestine, Gambia, Angola, Seychelles, Thailand, Macau, Zambia, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Bahamas, Saint Lucia, Barbados, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Citizens of South Africa, in turn, need an embassy visa to travel to Latvia. Latvia visa for citizens of South Africa

Travelling to South Africa: good to know

Riga — Pretoria: about 9,200 km in a straight line; a direct flight takes roughly 12 hours.
Time difference with your country’s capital: −1 hour.
Local time: Riga 12:00 — Pretoria 11:00.
Local currency: South African Rand.
Languages: Afrikaans, English, South Ndebele, and Northern Sotho.
Exchange rate: $1.00 ≈ ZAR 16.
South Africa is the 159th closest of 197 destinations open to citizens of Latvia.