South Africa 
Vatican City
South Africa passport holders need a visa for Vatican City, issued by an embassy or consulate before travel.
Source: Passport Index dataset — not yet confirmed against an official source.
Vatican City visa options for South Africa citizensThe EU Visa Code sets the fee at EUR 90; children from the age of six years and below the age of 12 years pay EUR 45, and the fee is waived for children under six years.
Set by the EU–Armenia visa facilitation agreement: the fee for processing visa applications is EUR 35, and it is waived for listed categories of persons, among them pensioners and children under the age of 12.
Set by the EU–Azerbaijan visa facilitation agreement: the fee for processing visa applications is EUR 35, and it is waived for listed categories of persons, among them pensioners and children under the age of 12.
Set by the EU–Belarus visa facilitation agreement: the fee for processing visa applications is EUR 35, or EUR 70 where the applicant has requested a decision within two days of submission and the consulate has accepted; it is waived for listed categories of persons, among them children under the age of 12. Council Decision (EU) 2021/1940 suspended certain provisions of the agreement for members of Belarusian official delegations, of the national and regional Governments and Parliaments of Belarus, and of its Constitutional and Supreme Courts.
Set by the EU–Cabo Verde visa facilitation agreement as amended in 2021: the fee for processing visa applications is 75 % of the amount charged under the applicable domestic legislation; children who are at least 12 but below 18 years old are charged 50 % of that fee, and no fee is collected from listed categories, among them children under 12 years of age.
The EU Visa Code sets the fee at EUR 90; children from the age of six years and below the age of 12 years pay EUR 45, and the fee is waived for children under six years. Council Decision (EU) 2022/1500 suspended the EU–Russia visa facilitation agreement in whole as regards citizens of the Russian Federation from 12 September 2022. The European Commission says Russian nationals will no longer be able to receive multiple-entry visas.
South Africa citizens need a visa issued in advance by an embassy or consulate of Vatican City. Start the application several weeks before departure: you will typically need a passport valid for six months with blank pages, a completed application form, passport photos, a travel itinerary, proof of accommodation and of sufficient funds, and sometimes an invitation letter or bank statements.
The main option is the Schengen short-stay visa, which costs 90 EUR with a processing time of —. Vatican City also offers Schengen short-stay visa — Armenia facilitation agreement, Schengen short-stay visa — Azerbaijan facilitation agreement, Schengen short-stay visa — Belarus facilitation agreement, Schengen short-stay visa — Cabo Verde agreement and 1 more — see the visa options above.
Whatever your visa status, Vatican City applies the same entry conditions to every traveller:
Vatican City lets 93 passports in without a visa and requires an embassy visa from 105. South Africa citizens are treated the same way as Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana and Burkina Faso. Overall the South Africa passport ranks #96 in the world with 61 visa-free destinations.
Planning a longer trip in Europe? With a South Africa passport you can also visit 2 countries in the region without a visa, including Georgia and Russia.
In the other direction, Vatican City citizens need a visa to visit South Africa.
Entry requirements for Vatican CityThe U.S. State Department says there is no passport control at Vatican City's border with Rome. Under the Schengen Borders Code, a third-country national's travel document must be valid for at least three months after the intended date of departure from the territory of the Member States and must have been issued within the previous 10 years.
Schengen Borders Code (Regulation (EU) 2016/399), consolidated text — EUR-Lex✓ Checked 3 Oct 2026
Under the EU Visa Code, applicants for a Schengen visa must prove that they hold adequate and valid travel medical insurance, with a minimum coverage of EUR 30,000. No official source we could read states an insurance requirement for visa-exempt visitors.
Visa Code (Regulation (EC) No 810/2009), consolidated text — EUR-Lex✓ Checked 3 Oct 2026
No official source we could read states that a return or onward ticket is required to enter Italy. The Schengen Borders Code says Annex I contains a non-exhaustive list of supporting documents a border guard may request from a third-country national, and that list includes a return or round-trip ticket.
Schengen Borders Code (Regulation (EU) 2016/399), consolidated text — EUR-Lex✓ Checked 6 Oct 2026
Under the Schengen Borders Code, third-country nationals entering the Schengen Area must have sufficient means of subsistence, both for the duration of the intended stay and for the return to their country of origin or transit to a third country into which they are certain to be admitted, or be in a position to acquire such means lawfully.
Schengen Borders Code (Regulation (EU) 2016/399), consolidated text — EUR-Lex✓ Checked 6 Oct 2026
The EU's Entry/Exit System website says that when you arrive at a border crossing point for the first time since the EES started, passport control officers will take a photo of your face and/or scan your fingerprints. The U.S. State Department says there is no passport control at Vatican City's border with Rome. The UK government's travel advice for Italy says there is no cost for EES registration.
UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office — Italy travel advice: entry requirements✓ Checked 7 Oct 2026
The EU's official ETIAS website lists the 30 European countries that require visa-exempt travellers to have an ETIAS travel authorisation; Italy is on the list and Vatican City is not. It says ETIAS is currently not in operation and no applications are collected, and that the EU will inform about the start date several months before its launch.
ETIAS — Official EU website✓ Checked 8 Oct 2026
The EU says that if you plan to enter or leave the EU with €10,000 in cash (or its equivalent in other currencies), you must declare it to the customs authorities in the EU country you are entering or leaving.
Your Europe (EU) — travelling with cash✓ Checked 3 Oct 2026
Data: TravelRequirements.info — Entry Requirements Dataset, AXG Sp. z o.o. (CC BY 4.0); this answer comes from the Passport Index dataset (MIT). Entry rules can change — confirm with official sources before travel.
Vatican City
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