Top Destinations for Emigrants from South Africa
| Country | Pathways | Min Income | Processing | Path to PR | QoL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | 26 | €1,012 | 5-180 days | No | 8/10 |
| 🇫🇷 France | 19 | €1,800 | 15-210 days | Yes | 8/10 |
| 🇰🇷 South Korea | 19 | €37,004 | 30-210 days | Yes | 8/10 |
| 🇸🇪 Sweden | 19 | €500 | 30-630 days | Yes | 9/10 |
| 🇦🇹 Austria | 19 | €3,465 | 30-1095 days | Yes | 9/10 |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | 18 | €280 | 7-210 days | Yes | 9/10 |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | 16 | €46,000 | 60-390 days | Yes | 9/10 |
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 16 | €560 | 30-210 days | Yes | 10/10 |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | 15 | — | 30-730 days | Yes | 9/10 |
| 🇳🇿 New Zealand | 15 | €1,950 | 15-245 days | Yes | 9/10 |
| 🇸🇬 Singapore | 15 | €2,200 | 14-367 days | Yes | 9/10 |
| 🇺🇸 United States | 15 | €21,285 | 30-210 days | Yes | 8/10 |
| 🇵🇹 Portugal | 14 | €667 | 14-540 days | Yes | 8/10 |
| 🇩🇰 Denmark | 14 | €1,708 | 30-210 days | Yes | 10/10 |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | 14 | €17,647 | 14-210 days | Yes | 9/10 |
Easiest Access Destinations
Countries with no passport restrictions and low difficulty scores for South Africa nationals:
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates (difficulty 4/10), 🇫🇷 France (difficulty 4/10), 🇰🇷 South Korea (difficulty 4/10), 🇸🇪 Sweden (difficulty 4/10), 🇩🇪 Germany (difficulty 4/10), 🇦🇺 Australia (difficulty 4/10), 🇨🇭 Switzerland (difficulty 4/10), 🇨🇦 Canada (difficulty 4/10), 🇳🇿 New Zealand (difficulty 4/10), 🇸🇬 Singapore (difficulty 4/10), 🇺🇸 United States (difficulty 4/10), 🇵🇹 Portugal (difficulty 3/10), 🇩🇰 Denmark (difficulty 4/10), 🇯🇵 Japan (difficulty 4/10), 🇳🇱 Netherlands (difficulty 4/10), 🇪🇸 Spain (difficulty 3/10), 🇳🇴 Norway (difficulty 3/10), 🇨🇷 Costa Rica (difficulty 4/10), 🇬🇧 United Kingdom (difficulty 4/10), 🇮🇪 Ireland (difficulty 4/10)
Financial Requirements Comparison
Minimum income thresholds across destinations (sorted lowest first).
| Country | Min Income | Pathways |
|---|---|---|
| Tajikistan | €85/mo | 3 |
| 🇹🇳 Tunisia | €134/mo | 3 |
| 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan | €162/mo | 5 |
| 🇩🇿 Algeria | €175/mo | 2 |
| 🇦🇲 Armenia | €180/mo | 4 |
| 🇰🇭 Cambodia | €188/mo | 4 |
| 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | €189/mo | 4 |
| 🇻🇳 Vietnam | €196/mo | 5 |
| 🇰🇼 Kuwait | €225/mo | 4 |
| 🇬🇭 Ghana | €244/mo | 3 |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | €280/mo | 18 |
| 🇫🇮 Finland | €280/mo | 9 |
| 🇱🇧 Lebanon | €280/mo | 4 |
| 🇦🇱 Albania | €310/mo | 7 |
| 🇵🇾 Paraguay | €348/mo | 5 |
Pathway Type Breakdown
Au Pair
Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland
Blue Card
Portugal
Business
Congo (Republic), Namibia, Sierra Leone, Timor-Leste, Togo, Turkmenistan
Business Investor
Belarus, Burkina Faso, Congo (DRC), Cuba, Djibouti, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Gabon, Gambia, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Kosovo, Solomon Islands
Business Visitor
Bangladesh, Burundi, India, Nigeria, Senegal
Digital Nomad
Albania, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Brazil, Bulgaria, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Dominica, Ecuador
Entrepreneur
Austria, Azerbaijan, Brunei, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lesotho, Libya, Maldives, Mongolia
Exchange
United States
Family
Australia, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica
Family Reunification
Guatemala, Kosovo, Portugal
Freelancer
Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Spain, United Arab Emirates
General Worker
Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas
Golden Visa
Comoros, Cuba
Graduate
Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Lithuania, Mauritius, Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden
Ict
North Macedonia, Rwanda
Intra Company
Canada, France, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States
Intra Company Transfer
Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Kazakhstan
Investor
Albania, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic
Job Seeker
Austria, Germany
Long Term Residence
Cambodia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mauritius, Myanmar, Peru, Saudi Arabia
Other
Latvia, Ukraine, Vanuatu
Permanent Residence
Mexico, South Korea
Post Study
United Kingdom
Post Study Work
Hong Kong, Portugal, Taiwan
Project Worker
Bhutan
Regional Agreement
Armenia, Barbados, Brazil, Jamaica, Qatar
Remote Worker
Grenada
Retirement
Austria, Brazil, Colombia, Fiji, France, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, Philippines, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland
Seasonal
Albania, Algeria, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Italy
Seasonal Worker
Eswatini, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kosovo
Self Employment
Albania, Armenia, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Greece, Italy, Kenya, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia
Skilled Worker
Albania, Algeria, Angola, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil
Special Status
Japan
Specialist
Lesotho
Startup
Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Mauritius, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway
Student
Japan, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United States
Temporary
Malawi, Namibia, Vanuatu
Temporary Worker
Angola, Bahamas, Bhutan, Malaysia, Turkey
Training
Australia
Volunteer
Liberia
Working Holiday
Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden
Destinations by Region
Africa
🇰🇪 Kenya (9 pathways), 🇺🇬 Uganda (8 pathways), 🇲🇺 Mauritius (6 pathways), 🇲🇦 Morocco (5 pathways), 🇳🇬 Nigeria (5 pathways), Rwanda (4 pathways), 🇹🇿 Tanzania (4 pathways), 🇲🇿 Mozambique (4 pathways), 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe (4 pathways), 🇿🇲 Zambia (4 pathways)
Americas
🇨🇦 Canada (15 pathways), 🇺🇸 United States (15 pathways), 🇨🇷 Costa Rica (12 pathways), 🇧🇷 Brazil (6 pathways), 🇺🇾 Uruguay (6 pathways), 🇨🇴 Colombia (6 pathways), 🇵🇦 Panama (6 pathways), 🇪🇨 Ecuador (6 pathways), 🇨🇱 Chile (5 pathways), 🇵🇪 Peru (5 pathways)
Asia
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates (26 pathways), 🇰🇷 South Korea (19 pathways), 🇸🇬 Singapore (15 pathways), 🇯🇵 Japan (14 pathways), 🇭🇰 Hong Kong (10 pathways), 🇵🇰 Pakistan (8 pathways), 🇹🇭 Thailand (7 pathways), 🇹🇼 Taiwan (7 pathways), 🇧🇩 Bangladesh (7 pathways), 🇮🇩 Indonesia (7 pathways)
Europe
🇫🇷 France (19 pathways), 🇸🇪 Sweden (19 pathways), 🇦🇹 Austria (19 pathways), 🇩🇪 Germany (18 pathways), 🇨🇭 Switzerland (16 pathways), 🇵🇹 Portugal (14 pathways), 🇩🇰 Denmark (14 pathways), 🇳🇱 Netherlands (14 pathways), 🇪🇸 Spain (14 pathways), 🇳🇴 Norway (13 pathways)
Middle East & Central Asia
🇧🇭 Bahrain (2 pathways)
Oceania
🇦🇺 Australia (16 pathways), 🇳🇿 New Zealand (15 pathways), Vanuatu (8 pathways), Papua New Guinea (2 pathways), Solomon Islands (2 pathways), Tonga (2 pathways), Kiribati (1 pathway), Marshall Islands (1 pathway), Micronesia (1 pathway), Nauru (1 pathway)
Oceania & Pacific
🇫🇯 Fiji (1 pathway)
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best countries to emigrate to from South Africa?
Based on pathway availability, the top destinations for South Africa nationals include United Arab Emirates, France, South Korea, Sweden, Austria. These countries offer the most visa pathways accessible from South Africa.
How many countries can South Africa nationals emigrate to?
Our database shows 190+ countries & territories with active visa pathways accessible to South Africa nationals in 2026.
What is the cheapest country to emigrate to from South Africa?
The country with the lowest minimum income requirement is 85 EUR/month in Tajikistan.
Can South Africa nationals get permanent residency abroad?
Yes. 149 out of 177 destination countries offer a path to permanent residency.
What types of visas are available for South Africa nationals?
The most common pathway types are: Skilled Worker, Investor, Digital Nomad, Seasonal, Intra Company Transfer.
Which region has the most options for South Africa emigrants?
The region with the most destination countries is Europe with 46 countries.
How long does visa processing take for South Africa nationals?
Processing times vary from a few weeks to several months depending on the country and pathway. The fastest pathways typically take 2-4 weeks.
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