International
travel documents.

Your travel document must be accepted for your destination and any connections. Check its expiry date, issue date where relevant, condition, and blank pages against the destination’s rules. Passport cards, emergency passports, refugee travel documents, and national identity cards can have different restrictions from an ordinary passport book.

Use the same passport details for your booking and any passport-linked authorization. If you renew or replace your passport, check whether your visa or authorization must be updated or reapplied for. Dual nationals should check which passport they must use to enter and leave each country.

A visa and a travel authorization are different types of permission. An eVisa is a visa issued electronically. Systems such as ESTA, the UK ETA, and Canada’s eTA have their own eligibility rules; they are not interchangeable and are not available to every passport holder.

Check your travel purpose, allowed stay, number of entries, and permitted entry points. A tourist permission may not allow work or study. Submit the required documents through the official application service, allow time for processing, and wait for approval. An application receipt or flight ticket is not proof of permission to travel.

An approval does not guarantee admission at the border. The immigration authority makes the entry decision.

Check each country on your route, even if you are only changing planes. Airside transit and entering the country are different situations. Collecting and rechecking bags, changing airports, spending a night outside the airport, or using separate tickets can require passing immigration.

Ask your airline whether your connection stays airside and check the transit country’s official rules. A visa or authorization for the final destination does not automatically cover the connection.

Check requirements for each child individually, including their passport and any visa or authorization. Depending on the countries involved and who is traveling, you may need proof of relationship, consent from a person with parental responsibility, custody documents, or an accompanying adult’s details.

Ask the relevant embassy or consulate whether originals, certified copies, translations, or notarization are needed. Check the airline’s rules for children traveling alone as well. South Africa’s requirements vary by nationality and accompanying adults; do not rely on the older blanket birth-certificate rule.

Some destinations require an arrival or customs declaration in addition to your visa or travel authorization. Check the official submission window; completing a form too early may not satisfy the requirement. A declaration is not a substitute for a visa.

Check whether you need to show return or onward travel, accommodation, an invitation, financial evidence, or health certificates. Keep required documents accessible during the journey and save copies securely. Use the destination authority and your airline to confirm the list for your itinerary.

EES records border crossings for covered travelers at participating European borders. It is not a visa application. The European Commission confirms that EES has been fully operational since 10 April 2026, with exemptions for certain travelers.

ETIAS is a separate planned travel authorization for eligible visa-exempt visitors. As reviewed on 4 October 2026, its official website says it is not operating and applications are not being collected. Check the official site for the announced start date before your trip.