Passports & Travel Visas

Requirements for Best of South Africa

Visa Required: You should have 2 consecutive blank visa pages for any necessary stamps when traveling into South Africa. (4 blank pages if you have selected the Victoria Falls Extension, and 7 if you add the Chobe day trip during your visit.) For Zimbabwe, U.S. citizens must have a visa for entry. Zimbabwe visas will be granted upon arrival. Have a passport from another country? Please review the visa requirements.

Information by Destination

South Africa

U.S. citizens must have a passport which is valid for at least 90 days after your return date, though we strongly recommend at least six months. Passports must have at least two consecutive blank pages for each entry into South Africa. (You will need four if visiting Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, and seven if you add the Chobe day trip during your visit.)

U.S. passport holders do not need a visa prior to travel to enter South Africa. Tourist visas will be issued upon arrival for stays up to 90 days. Consult the South African Embassy or the U.S. Dept. of State website for more information.

If you do not hold a U.S. passport, you are responsible for obtaining any necessary visas and meeting all entry requirements. If a visa is required, we recommend using a fee-based visa service, such as our preferred provider VisaHQ.

Minors (age 17 and younger) must present an original or certified copy of their birth certificate which lists both parents. If the birth certificate is in a language other than English, it must be accompanied by a sworn translation. Children traveling alone, with one parent, or with a third party must have written authorization and copies of the identity documents or passports from the absent parent, as well as other documents. See the information leaflet from the South African government or the U.S. State Department website for more information.

Zimbabwe

U.S. citizens must have a passport which is valid at the time of entry, though we strongly recommend it be valid for at least six months after your return date. U.S. passport holders must have a visa to enter Zimbabwe. Tourist visas will be issued upon arrival when entering at Harare (HRE) or Victoria Falls (VFA) International Airports, for a fee of $30. If you are going to Chobe, you will need a multiple-entry visa, for a fee of $60. Passports must have at least two blank visa pages for each entry into Zimbabwe, and one blank visa page for Botswana. Consult the Zimbabwe eVisa website or the U.S. Dept. of State website for more information.

If you do not hold a U.S. passport, you are responsible for obtaining any necessary visas and meeting all entry requirements. If a visa is required, we recommend using a fee-based visa service, such as our preferred provider VisaHQ.

Botswana

U.S. citizens must have a passport which is valid for at least 90 days after your return date, though we strongly recommend at least six months. U.S. passport holders do not need a visa to enter Botswana for stays up to 90 days. Passports must have at least one blank visa page. See the U.S. Dept. of State website for more information.

If you do not hold a U.S. passport, you are responsible for obtaining any necessary visas and meeting all entry requirements. If a visa is required, we recommend using a fee-based visa service, such as our preferred provider VisaHQ.

It is the responsibility of each traveler to determine passport and visa requirements and comply with them and to secure the proper travel documents. To avoid disappointment and unnecessary expenses, please carefully review the requirements so that you can obtain all necessary documents well before your trip. Requirements are subject to change, often without notice, and we suggest you verify requirements with the relevant embassy or consulate. We will not be held responsible for any charges, trip interruptions, or cancellations due to incorrect or missing visas, nor will travel insurance cover your lost expenses.

General Requirements & Guidelines

• To travel abroad, U.S. citizens must have a passport. In general, it should be valid for at least six months after your return date, and passports expiring before then should be renewed as soon as possible. We recommend that passports contain at least 2 blank pages for each country visited. If your passport does not have this many pages, you should obtain a new passport as soon as possible.
• Any changes in names or passport information should be reported to us immediately.
• Many countries also require a travel visa for entry. Requirements vary by country. Some countries issue visas upon arrival, but in most cases, you need to obtain visas prior to travel.
• Airlines and cruises may deny boarding and your tour may be disrupted if your passport and visa are not in order.
• Minors (age 17 or younger) departing and/or returning to the U.S. without parents or with only one parent may be required by U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) to present a notarized parental consent letter and/or unabridged birth certificate (more information). Many other countries have similar entry requirements, especially for minors traveling with a parent/guardian with a different surname; check with the consulates of all countries you'll be visiting to learn more.

Getting a Visa

In general, if you are a U.S. citizen, we will send you visa instructions.

If you are not a U.S. passport holder, you are responsible for checking the requirements to obtain your own visa. Please carefully review your entire itinerary (including all ports of call on cruises) to determine which countries you will visit. (Pay special attention to international flight routing, as some countries require visas for transiting through their airports, even if you are en route to another country.) Then determine the passport & visa requirements for each country on your itinerary, including whether you may need a multiple-entry visa. We recommend using an expedited visa service—see below.

Select a destination above to see more specific instructions.

Expedited Visa Service

Need to obtain your own visas? Though it is possible to obtain a visa directly from the consulate of the country you're visiting, we recommend using a fee-based visa service, such as our preferred provider for most destinations, VisaHQ. Here's why:

• It is much easier and faster to arrange your visa through a service.
• You can complete the entire process online, including all forms.
• Your information is stored on a secure server and can be re-used for multiple visa applications.
• For a nominal cost, you enjoy professional and expert handling of your visa application. If there's a problem, a specialist with contacts at the various consulates will ensure you get your visa in a timely way.

To get started, select the countries that you will be visiting.