Over the course of two polls, Travel News readers revealed the most challenging and most efficient countries when it comes to applying for visas.
With South Africans waiting in excess of 500 days for a Canadian visa, it came as no surprise that it claimed the top spot by far for most challenging with 57% of the votes.
In 2024, Canada rejected a record number of temporary resident visas, including those for tourists, foreign workers and students, resulting in its highest-ever rejection rate.
After the Republic of Ireland announced last year that South Africans must require a visa before travelling, travel agents started to see red, complaining that once the visa was submitted, there was no way to follow up and clients could expect to receive their visa only days before they depart. It therefore claimed the second spot for most challenging with 10% of the votes.
Other traditional source markets such as the US (8%), Australia (5%), the UK (5%), and the Schengen region (5%) were also highlighted as frustrating to navigate.
The remaining for the most challenging were Morocco (6%), China (2%), India (1%), UAE (1%) and New Zealand (1%).
Easiest
There was a clear winner for the easiest visa – Turkey, with 42% of the votes.
The UAE came in second (18%), followed by Australia (11%) and the Schengen area (7%).
India also garnered 7% of the votes, followed by the US (4%), the UK (3%), New Zealand (3%), Japan (2%) and China (2%).
Drop in global ranking
The latest figures from the Henley Passport Index show that South African passport holders now have fewer visa-free travel options than they did earlier this year.
At the beginning of 2025, the passport was ranked the 48th strongest passport (out of 199) globally and allowed visa-free access to 106 countries.
However, according to the latest update from the Henley Passport Index, South Africa has dropped two positions to 50th, having lost visa-free access to two countries, Pakistan and Mauritania.
