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International travel is anything but a breeze in the current global climate, and South Africans looking to travel to the United Kingdom in the coming months will not only to plan carefully but also fork out a bit more. The UK's new immigration and nationality fees come into effect today, 8 April.
According to the UK Home Office, the price of a six-month Standard Visitor visa will rise from £127 to £135 (about R2,794 at R22/£1). Longer-term visas will also increase, with the 10-year visitor visa jumping to £1,128 (about R24,816). If approved, your visa will no longer be a vignette pasted into your passport; instead, you'll receive an eVisa displayed digitally upon arrival.
Frequent short-term travellers to the UK will feel a slight pinch; however, those opting for the longer 10-year visa will need to fork out a considerable amount. By comparison, the cost for you to travel to the US for a 10-year, multiple-entry US visitor visa (B1/B2) is $185 USD (about R3,050 at R16,45/$).
The Henley Passport Index for 2026 shows that locals have lost some ground in terms of raw access to destinations - with visa-free or with a visa on arrival to 101 destinations - down from 106 a year ago - after losing visa-free access to Pakistan, Mauritania, Nigeria, Somalia and Kosovo.
Despite this drop, South Africa has retained its 48th position in the Passport Index; however, the global tightening of visa policies, specifically for African nations, continues.
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