South African passports only grant access to 100 countries worldwide. It is currently ranked 53 out of 107 as one of the most powerful passports, according to the Henley Passport Index.
South Africans seeking second passports
Australia, the United Kingdom (UK), the United States (US), Canada, and New Zealand are the most popular immigration choices for South Africans. However, a number of people also want second passports from other countries.
Having a second passport would allow international travel to be much cheaper and more accessible. Ryan Rennison, the managing director of UK visa agency, Move Up, elaborated further saying:
“Tourist visas can cost a lot of money, especially when you’re travelling with family and wanting to visit several countries or regions during a single trip that starts from Joburg or Cape Town.”
Ryan Rennison, managing director of Move Up
Rennison admitted that having a second passport could be more worth it for travellers. He stated:
“In light of South Africa being pretty middle-of-road in terms of which countries allow our passport holders in, visa-free, it would be in the interests of those South Africans desiring to travel extensively as a long-term pursuit – who can acquire a second, more powerful passport – to do so.”
Ryan Rennison, managing director of Move Up South Africans are enquiring more about dual citizenship
Earlier in the year, Henley & Partners spoke to BusinessTech noting that there had been a 125% increase in enquiries received in the second half of 2018 about dual citizenship. Henley & Partners, a residence and citizenship planning firm, said:
“South African high net worth clients who seek our professional services are not always looking to relocate, but rather invest in a Plan B for future proofing.”
Henley & Partners
The company shared that there was a very high demand for their European residency programs. These included Portugal, Greece, Malta, and Cyprus.
The firm’s records showed that Malta, Antigua and Barbuda, Portugal, and Moldova were the most popular countries for South Africans seeking second passports.
When applying for dual passports, be careful of regulations
Rennison warned that applying for dual nationality required the following of procedures laid out by Home Affairs. He said it was possible to unintentionally lose your South African citizenship.
Rennison explained:
“If they have decided to keep their citizenship, according to current local regulations SA passport holders must always enter and depart the country using valid South African passports.”
Ryan Rennison, managing director of Move Up
He also shared that the “current South African legislation did allow a South African dual citizen to use their foreign passport freely outside of the country.”
This year’s most powerful passports
Here are 2019’s top ten most powerful passports. The number of countries they are applicable for, visa-free, are in brackets:
Japan, Singapore (190)Finland, Germany, South Korea (188)Denmark, Italy, Luxembourg (187)France, Spain, Sweden (186)Austria, Netherlands, Portugal (185)Belgium, Canada, Greece, Ireland, Norway, Switzerland, UK, USA (184)Czech Republic, Malta (183)New Zealand (182)Australia, Lithuania, Slovakia (181)Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Slovenia (180)