US Visa Waiver Program: Did South Africa make the list?

The US recently released its 2025 Visa Waiver Program, which states the countries eligible for visa-free travel to the United States.

African countries excluded from US Visa Waiver Program

The United States unveiled its list of countries eligible for the 2025 US Visa Waiver Program on Monday, 24 February.

According to Business Insider Africa, forty nations from Asia, Europe, and parts of the Middle East were awarded visa-free entry into the US, while none of Africa’s 54 countries were listed.

US visa rejection rates for African nationalities have increased over the years, due to a number of concerns, including immigration violations, fraud, security risks, a high number of asylum seekers, economic instability and weak diplomatic ties.

What is the Visa Waiver Program about?

The US Visa Waiver Program allows travellers from listed countries to visit the United States visa-free for up to 90 days. These travellers will still need prior approval through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), the U.S. Bureau of Consular Affairs states.

The 2025 list remains mostly unchanged, although Romania was a new addition this year.

The full list of countries eligible for the 2025 US visa waiver program:

Andorra	France	Portugal	Lithuania
Australia	Germany	San Marino	Sweden
Austria	Greece	Singapore	Luxembourg
Belgium	Hungary	Slovakia	Switzerland
Chile	Iceland	Japan	Malta
Czech Republic	Ireland	Slovenia	Netherlands
Croatia	Italy	Latvia	New Zealand
Denmark	Israel	South Korea	Qatar
Estonia	Norway	Liechtenstein	Romania
Finland	Poland	Spain	Monaco

SA Passport jumps up a spot on Henley Passport Index

In other visa-free travel news, South Africa’s passport has moved up even further on the Henley & Partners Passport Index, ranking at number 47 on the list of 199 passports.

Despite this, however, the index highlighted that South Africans can now only travel to 104 destinations without requiring a visa, down from last month’s 106 destinations.

The two countries which now do not allow visa-free travel for South Africans are Mauritania and Pakistan, both having moved to an e-visa system for SA tourists instead.

Do you think its fair of the United States to exclude South Africa based on their reasoning?