No visa needed

Do citizens of the United Arab Emirates need a visa for South Africa?

Citizens of the United Arab Emirates 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 the United Arab Emirates: the passport opens 127 countries visa-free; Abu Dhabi — Pretoria: ≈ 6,250 km, about 8.5 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 South Africa without a visa on a United Arab Emirates passport?

Yes, citizens of the United Arab Emirates 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 United Arab Emirates passport you can visit 127 countries visa-free, 34 with a visa on arrival and 26 with an e-visa; 11 more require an embassy visa.
By the number of visa-free destinations, the United Arab Emirates passport ranks 2nd of 199.
United Arab Emirates passport: visa-free access to 127 countries; South Africa passport: 60.
Citizens of the United Arab Emirates and South Africa can travel together visa-free to 46 countries, for example: Palestine, Georgia, Seychelles, Russia, Tunisia, Thailand, Mauritius, Zambia, Malaysia, Angola, Singapore, Macau, Mozambique, Eswatini, and Botswana.
Citizens of South Africa, in turn, need an e-visa to travel to the United Arab Emirates. United Arab Emirates visa for citizens of South Africa

Travelling to South Africa: good to know

Abu Dhabi — Pretoria: about 6,250 km in a straight line; a direct flight takes roughly 8.5 hours.
Time difference with your country’s capital: −2 hours.
Local time: Abu Dhabi 12:00 — Pretoria 10:00.
Local currency: South African Rand.
Languages: Afrikaans, English, South Ndebele, and Northern Sotho.
Exchange rate: $1.00 ≈ ZAR 16.
South Africa is the 126th closest of 197 destinations open to citizens of the United Arab Emirates.