Visa Requirements
Do South African citizens need a visa for Canada?
Official Requirement
Visa required
for South Africa citizens travelling to Canada
Travellers from countries that are not visa-exempt must apply for a Temporary Resident Visa (visitor visa) before travelling to Canada. The visa allows the holder to seek entry at a Canadian port of entry, where a border services officer determines the permitted length of stay, normally up to six months.
Checked 8 September 2026
We are not a government authority. Requirements change without notice. Always verify with the official consulate link before travel.
Banff, Alberta
The short answer
South African citizens need a visa arranged in advance to enter Canada for stays of up to 180 days. A visa has to be obtained before travelling to Canada. Conditions: which document you need depends on how you arrive. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada states that everyone needs the right documents to travel to or transit through Canada, being an electronic travel authorisation, a visitor visa, or just a passport, and its checker asks whether you are arriving by air or by car, train, bus or boat. The checker provides information only: an application is assessed under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and its regulations. This covers tourist and short business visits only, not work, study or residence, and a border officer makes the final decision on entry in every case. This was last checked on 8 September 2026.
At a glance
Key facts for South African citizens visiting Canada
- Requirement
- Visa required
- Maximum stay
- Up to 180 days
- Conditions
- Which document you need depends on how you arrive. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada states that everyone needs the right documents to travel to or transit through Canada, being an electronic travel authorisation, a visitor visa, or just a passport, and its checker asks whether you are arriving by air or by car, train, bus or boat. The checker provides information only: an application is assessed under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and its regulations.
- Official source
- Official source for this route →
Step by step
How South African citizens enter Canada
Check your passport is valid for the whole trip. Many countries also want it valid for a period beyond your departure date, so confirm the exact rule on the official page below.
Apply online before you travel and wait for approval. Book nothing that you cannot change until the approval arrives.
Carry proof of onward or return travel and of where you are staying. Border officers ask for both, and an airline can refuse boarding without them.
Check the requirement again close to your departure date. This route was last checked on 8 September 2026, and rules change without notice.
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Practical Info
Travel Essentials
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Questions
What South African citizens ask about entering Canada
Yes. South African citizens need a visa arranged before travelling to Canada. This was last checked on 8 September 2026.
Up to 180 days on this entry route. A longer trip needs a different permission, which this page does not cover. A border officer decides the length granted on the day.
Through the official application page linked on this page. Yoogo does not process applications and takes no fee for them.
A passport valid for the trip, proof of onward or return travel, and proof of where you are staying. Officers can ask for evidence that you can support yourself for the visit. Entry is always the officer's decision, whatever the paperwork says.
Canada uses CAD. Check the rate before you exchange anything at the airport, where the spread is usually widest.
Changes to this route
No changes recorded since the first check on 8 September 2026.
Full change history for this route →