We all know that travel is hardly possible without the little green book called the passport. With a passport you have valid access to any country in the world, but that is half the battle. When it comes to travel one has to think about the unbearable four letter word that usually comes up; VISA. The visa is often the difference between access and repudiation when you are traveling. Often associated with a mile long stack of paper work and questionnaires, but what can you get as a South African citizen? Just how much power does your passport have?

The South African passport is ranked 42 out of the top 51 countries giving every South African citizen visa free access to about 97 of the world’s 194 countries. What is alarming however is that a very small percentage of South Africans travel at all, let alone own a passport. The five countries with the most powerful passports are Sweden, Finland, UK, Germany and the US, with visa free access to 174 countries worldwide. Below is a list of countries that you have visa free access to as a South African.