Slovenian citizens may now visit this country visa-free

Slovenian citizens may now visit South Africa without all the hassle involved in obtaining a travel visa as any trips there lasting up to 90 days are now visa-free.

This means Slovenia has joined the majority of EU countries whose citizens do not need visas for holidaying in South Africa. The change does not apply in cases of specific purpose visits though or longer stays for the purpose of study or work, CE Report quotes The Slovenia Times.

"The abolition of visa requirements does not apply in the case of specific purposes of entry or longer stays, such as to study, fulfil international obligations, or for longer business visits (investors), crew members, longer medical treatment, family reunification, work, retirement, posted workers, study and other exchanges, and asylum," the Foreign Ministry said on its website as it announced the new agreement on 16 September.

Slovenian travellers are advised to check with all transit and destination countries regarding any other entry requirements before travelling to South Africa. Additional information is also available at the South African embassy in Vienna.

South Africa is currently marked yellow or second-level in the ministry's five-level colour-coded security risk classification of countries. This means extra caution is needed when travelling there. There are security concerns regarding travelling to some parts of South Africa, which are listed on the website, and the ministry advises against non-essential travel to these areas.

South Africa popular tourist destination

Despite those security concerns South Africa is considered a popular tourist destination due to its stunning coastlines, national parks and other natural landmarks, as well as urban attractions such as Cape Town, one of its three capitals.

South Africa's honorary consul in Ljubljana Nevenka Črešnar Pergar is happy about the visa-free travel agreement, seeing it "as a sign of mutual trust and desire for closer cooperation".

"We are confident that it will bring fresh impetus for tourism and the economy on both sides," she said.

Even though most EU countries have visa-free travel agreements with South Africa, Slovenia had until now been an exception. Slovenian citizens travelling to South Africa had to face a complicated and lengthy procedure to obtain a travel visa, which was made all the more difficult because there is no South African embassy in Ljubljana. It usually took three weeks to obtain the visa, so the new agreement is a welcome change for travellers.

Slovenian passport among top 10 in the world

According to the latest Henley Passport Index, the official passport index ranking, the Slovenian passport ranks 9th, which is one spot higher than at the beginning of 2025. The index, which is based on data from the International Air Transport Association, takes into account the number of visa-free travel destinations a passport allows - holders of the Slovenian passport may visit 183 countries without a prior visa.

Meanwhile, the Singaporean passport remains the strongest in the world. With it, travellers can visit 193 out of 227 global destinations without a prior visa.