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15 Destinations South Africans Can Visit Visa-Free in 2019

Residence and citizenship planning company, Henley & Partners, recently published its Passport Index for 2019. With its citizens enjoying visa-free access to 101 countries in total, South Africa is the third highest African country on the index.

The number of counties is down from 102 in 2018, with South Africans now requiring a visa to enter Turkey – although this can be done through a simple online process designed to issue your visa within 48 hours.

Below are 11 countries South Africans can travel to visa-free right now.

1: Panama (Visa-free for 180 days)

Panama is a country on the isthmus linking Central and South America. The Panama Canal, a famous feat of human engineering, cuts through its center, linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to create an essential shipping route. In the capital, Panama City, modern skyscrapers, casinos and nightclubs contrast with colonial buildings in the Casco Viejo district and the rainforest of Natural Metropolitan Park.

2: Peru (Visa-free for 180 days)

Peru is a country in South America that’s home to a section of Amazon rainforest and Machu Picchu, an ancient Incan city high in the Andes mountains. The region around Machu Picchu, including the Sacred Valley, Inca Trail and colonial city of Cusco, is rich in archaeological sites. On Peru’s arid Pacific coast is Lima, the capital, with a preserved colonial center and important collections of pre-Columbian art.

3: Philippines (Visa-free for 30 days)

The Philippines is a Southeast Asian country in the Western Pacific, comprising more than 7,000 islands. Its capital, Manila, is famous for its waterfront promenade and centuries-old Chinatown, Binondo. Intramuros, a walled city in colonial times, is the heart of Old Manila. It’s home to the baroque 17th-century San Agustin Church as well as Fort Santiago, a storied citadel and military prison.

4: South Korea (Visa-free for 30 days)

South Korea, an East Asian nation on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula, shares one of the world’s most heavily militarized borders with North Korea. It’s equally known for its green, hilly countryside dotted with cherry trees and centuries-old Buddhist temples, plus its coastal fishing villages, sub-tropical islands and high-tech cities such as Seoul, the capital.

5: Thailand (Visa-free for 30 days)

Thailand is a Southeast Asian country. It’s known for tropical beaches, opulent royal palaces, ancient ruins and ornate temples displaying figures of Buddha. In Bangkok, the capital, an ultramodern cityscape rises next to quiet canalside communities and the iconic temples of Wat Arun, Wat Pho and the Emerald Buddha Temple (Wat Phra Kaew). Nearby beach resorts include bustling Pattaya and fashionable Hua Hin.

6: Macau (Visa-free for 30 days)

Macau is an autonomous region on the south coast of China, across the Pearl River Delta from Hong Kong. A Portuguese territory until 1999, it reflects a mix of cultural influences. Its giant casinos and malls on the Cotai Strip, which joins the islands of Taipa and Coloane, have earned it the nickname, “Las Vegas of Asia.” One of its more striking landmarks is the tall Macau Tower, with sweeping city views.

7: Hong Kong (Visa free for 30 days)

Hong Kong is an autonomous territory, and former British colony, in southeastern China. Its vibrant, densely populated urban centre is a major port and global financial hub with a skyscraper-studded skyline. Central (the business district) features architectural landmarks like I.M. Pei’s Bank of China Tower. Hong Kong is also a major shopping destination, famed for bespoke tailors and Temple Street Night Market.

8: Fiji (Visa-free for 120 days)

Fiji, a country in the South Pacific, is an archipelago of more than 300 islands. It’s famed for rugged landscapes, palm-lined beaches and coral reefs with clear lagoons. Its major islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, contain most of the population. Viti Levu is home to the capital, Suva, a port city with British colonial architecture. The Fiji Museum, in the Victorian-era Thurston Gardens, has ethnographic exhibits.

9: Chile (Visa-free for 90 days)

Chile is a long, narrow country stretching along South America’s western edge, with more than 6,000km of Pacific Ocean coastline. Santiago, its capital, sits in a valley surrounded by the Andes and Chilean Coast Range mountains. The city’s palm-lined Plaza de Armas contains the neoclassical cathedral and the National History Museum. The massive Parque Metropolitano offers swimming pools, a botanical garden and zoo.

10: Belize (Visa-free)

Belize is a nation on the eastern coast of Central America, with Caribbean Sea shorelines to the east and dense jungle to the west. Offshore, the massive Belize Barrier Reef, dotted with hundreds of low-lying islands called cayes, hosts rich marine life. Belize’s jungle areas are home to Mayan ruins like Caracol, renowned for its towering pyramid; lagoon-side Lamanai; and Altun Ha, just outside Belize City.

11: Bahamas (Visa-free for 90 days)

The Bahamas is a coral-based archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean. Its 700-plus islands and cays range from uninhabited to packed with resorts. The northernmost, Grand Bahama, and Paradise Island, home to many large-scale hotels, are among the best known. Scuba diving and snorkeling sites include the massive Andros Barrier Reef, Thunderball Grotto (used in James Bond films) and the black-coral gardens off Bimini.

12: Indonesia (Visa-free for 30 days)

Indonesia, a Southeast Asian nation made up of thousands of volcanic islands, is home to hundreds of ethnic groups speaking many different languages. It’s known for beaches, volcanoes, Komodo dragons and jungles sheltering elephants, orangutans and tigers. On the island of Java lies Indonesia’s vibrant, sprawling capital, Jakarta, and the city of Yogyakarta, known for gamelan music and traditional puppetry.

13: Ireland (Visa-free for 90 days)

The Republic of Ireland occupies most of the island of Ireland, off the coast of England and Wales. Its capital, Dublin, is the birthplace of writers like Oscar Wilde, and home of Guinness beer. The 9th-century Book of Kells and other illustrated manuscripts are on show in Dublin’s Trinity College Library. Dubbed the “Emerald Isle” for its lush landscape, the country is dotted with castles like medieval Cahir Castle.

14: Singapore (Visa-free for 30 days)

Singapore, an island city-state off southern Malaysia, is a global financial center with a tropical climate and multicultural population. Popular attractions include Gardens by the Bay, Universal Studios Singapore, Chinatown, the Singapore Zoo, the Merlion statue, Clarke Quay, and the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

15: Argentina (Visa-free for 90 days)

Argentina is a massive South American nation with terrain encompassing Andes mountains, glacial lakes and Pampas grassland, the traditional grazing ground of its famed beef cattle. The country is famous for tango dance and music. Its big, cosmopolitan capital, Buenos Aires, is centered on the Plaza de Mayo, lined with stately 19th-century buildings including Casa Rosada, the iconic, balconied presidential palace.

For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, Remuneration, and Expat Tax needs, email marketing@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.

Sources: [1], [2]. Image sources: Octavio Fossatti [1], [2], Cahal Pech Village Resort [3], Florian Wehde [4], Dennis Rochel [5], Fancycrave [6], Leighton Smith [7], Sander Crombach [8].

Africa

ACI Announces Top 5 Busiest Airports in Africa

Africa’s busiest airports have been measured by the total number of passenger flights defined as passengers enplaned plus passengers deplaned plus direct-transit passengers as per the data obtained from the Airports Council International (ACI).

A lot of people traveling to and out of Africa book flights every day with little interest in finding out how big a certain airport is. Lucky for you, here is a list of the top 5 busiest airports in Africa with in-depth information about their capacities:

1: Johannesburg International Airport, South Africa
Johannesburg International (JNB) is the largest airport in South Africa. The airport is so busy that it handles around 281 passenger flights on average per day. You can fly to 84 destinations with 42 airlines in scheduled passenger traffic.

The route with the longest flight time from Johannesburg is to Atlanta and takes about 16hours 50minutes with a Boeing 777.

The route with the most departures is the route to Cape Town with an average of 321 flights from Johannesburg International every week which is 16 percent of all weekly departures. The top international destinations from here are Gaborone and Harare.

South African Airways is the largest airline at the airport by counting the number of departures. The airline has around 868 scheduled take-offs every week, that’s about 4 times as many as the second biggest airline in the airport, British Airways.

2: Cairo International Airport, Egypt
Cairo International (CIA) is the largest airport in Egypt. The airport handles around 175 passenger flights per day. You can fly to 84 destinations with 40 airlines in scheduled passenger traffic.

The route with the longest flight time from Cairo is to Toronto, Canada and takes about 12h 10min with a Boeing 777-300.

The most frequently departed route is the route to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia with an average of 128 flights from Cairo International every week which is 10 percent of all weekly departures.

EgyptAir is the largest airline here by counting the number of departures. With around 690 scheduled take-offs every week, that’s about 6 times as the second largest airlines in the airport, Saudia Airlines.

Nile Air A320 in Special ‘Egypt Tourism’ Livery (2016).

3: Bole International Airport, Ethiopia
Bole International (ADD) is the largest airport in Ethiopia and is based in Addis Ababa. The airport has the capacity to accommodate approximately 137 passenger flights per day. You can fly to 106 destinations with 17 airlines in scheduled passenger traffic.

The route with the longest flight time from Addis Ababa is to Toronto and takes about 14hours 50minutes with a Boeing 777-200LR.

The route with the most departures is the route to Makale with an average of 59 flights from Bole International every week which is 6 percent of all weekly departures. The top international destinations from here are Nairobi and Dubai.

Ethiopian Airlines is the largest airline here by counting the number of departures. With around 934 scheduled take-offs every week, that’s about 68 times as many as the second largest airline in the airport, Kenya Airways.

4: Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Kenya
Jomo Kenyatta International (NBO) is the largest airport in Kenya and is based in Nairobi. The airport currently handles around 126 passenger flights daily. You can fly to 63 destinations with 32 airlines in scheduled passenger traffic.

The route with the longest flight time from Nairobi is to New York and takes about 15hours with a Boeing 787-8.

The route with the most departures is the route to Mombasa with an average of 126 flights from Jomo Kenyatta International every week which is 14 percent of all weekly departures. The top international destinations from here are Entebbe and Dar Es Salaam.

Kenya Airways is the largest airline here by counting the number of departures. With around 462 scheduled take-offs every week, that’s about 3 times as many as the second biggest airline in the country, Jambojet Limited.

5: Cape Town International Airport, South Africa
Cape Town International (CPT) is the second largest airport in South Africa. The airport handles around 117 passenger flights on a daily. You can fly to 38 destinations with 27 airlines in scheduled passenger traffic.

The route with the longest flight time from Cape Town is to Hong Kong and takes about 13hours 50minutes with the Airbus A350-900.

The route with the most departures is the route to Johannesburg with an average of 321 flights from Cape Town International every week which is 39 percent of all weekly departures. The top international destinations from here are Windhoek and Dubai.

South African Airways is the largest airline here by counting the number of departures with around 200 scheduled take-offs every week.

Sources: [1], [2]. Image sources: [1], Dahab777 [2].

South Africa

Proposed Changes to South Africa’s Expat Tax Legislation

The South African government is making a move towards changing its tax on remuneration earned outside South Africa – which could see some expats pay as much as 45% on earnings outside R1 million.

According to Tax Consulting SA, National Treasury has invited key stakeholders to a workshop in March 2019 to address concerns around the planned regulations, which opens up the way for possible tweaking and changes ahead of the planned implementation date of March 2020.

Industry experts believe that the changes are a certainty, even if the draft laws are changed in some way before implementation – and this has some expats worried, with confusion persisting over who the new laws will affect, and how.

Current laws

Currently, South Africans who are earning income abroad are assessed in terms of residency.

In terms of section 10(1)(o)(ii) of the Income Tax Act, if you are working overseas and do not meet the physical presence requirements to be an ordinary resident in South Africa, you are exempt from tax on any foreign income.

To qualify for this exemption, an employee needs to have spent more than 183 full days (including a continuous period of more than 60 full days) outside of the country working, in any 12-month period.

If this requirement isn’t met, then the employee is taxed on worldwide income.

Proposed changes

Originally, the draft regulations proposed the complete repeal of section 10(1)(o)(ii) of the Income Tax Act – the section that deals directly with taxation on foreign remuneration.

Under these conditions, all foreign income would have been taxed by SARS, and citizens would have to claim a credit against South African tax payable for any foreign taxes paid on that foreign income.

The draft regulations were later softened to not be a complete repeal, but that section 10(1)(0)(ii) be changed so that only the first R1 million of foreign remuneration will remain exempt from tax in SA – even if an individual meets the requirements of exemption.

One of the main reasons given for the changes is to curb situations of double non-taxation – being situations in which an individual’s employment income is not subject to tax in either South Africa or in the foreign country where the services are rendered.

Who does it affect?

The proposed changes will affect any South African employees who are earning an income overseas, making over R1 million in the year of assessment.

It will also impact companies that send employees overseas for work, who will have to deal with the new tax implications.

South Africans who have permanently left the country, who have not settled their tax affairs (through financial emigration) may also be subject to the changes, depending on their individual circumstances.

Young people, or anyone who is travelling and working abroad who qualify for exemption under section 10(1)(o)(ii) will remain exempt, provided they earn less than R1 million in the year.

Non-residents

The tax changes could also impact people who are permanently living abroad, who currently qualify for exemption based on section 10(1)(o)(ii). These South Africans are typically not ordinarily resident in South Africa, but may have assets in the country, which could impact how SARS sees their tax affairs.

SARS has a set guideline – called the physical presence test – to determine whether a South African is resident, based on physical presence in the country.

This is for a period or periods exceeding:

91 days in total during the year of assessment under consideration;
91 days in total during each of the five years of assessment preceding the year of assessment under consideration; and
915 days in total during those five preceding years of assessment.
“An individual who fails to meet any one of these three requirements will not satisfy the physical presence test. In addition, any individual who meets the physical presence test, but is outside South Africa for a continuous period of at least 330 full days, will not be regarded as a resident from the day on which that individual ceased to be physically present,” SARS said.

If an individual passes the physical presence test, they will be taxed on their worldwide income in South Africa.

What if you are living in two countries?

In situations where South Africans are split between two nations – working overseas for extended periods of time, but remaining an ordinary resident in South Africa – SARS has double taxation agreements (DTA) with certain countries to determine who has exclusive rights to your taxes.

“South Africa has DTAs with a number of other countries with a view to, amongst other things; prevent double taxation of income accruing to South African taxpayers from foreign sources, or of income accruing to foreign taxpayers from South African sources,” SARS said.

In an interview after the draft regulations were published, Sable International, explained that DTA has different checks and balances, but typically boils down to where most of your assets are (like a permanent home) and where your family is. However, this is subject to a more in-depth investigation from SARS.

It is worth noting, however, that for ordinary residents, all income sources within South Africa will still be taxable in South Africa.

The coming laws only apply to your foreign income – normal tax is paid on all South African assets and capital gains made on those assets in the country.

South Africans who have permanently left the country, who still have assets in the country, are still taxed on those assets, with the only way to divorce being through financial emigration.

Is financial emigration necessary?

According to Sable International, financial emigration – being the legal process of cutting all tax ties to South Africa – may not be necessary to avoid the expat tax, provided you meet the right requirements.

If you are a non-resident (South African living abroad) and can prove to SARS you are ordinarily resident in the country you’re living in, then the tax should not apply.

If you are in a dual-residency situation, SARS may have a DTA with the country you’re living in that may make you exempt.

However, this is specific to each individual situation, with no real general exemption that applies to all expats outside the section 10(1)(0)(ii) limits.

Sources: [1], [2]. Image sources: rawpixel [1], [2].

South Africa

South Africa Will Chair The African Union In 2020

South Africa is set for a big 2020 on the international stage after it was announced that its president (most likely Cyril Ramaphosa) will be chairing the African Union next year. It will also be footing the bills for a certain monarchy on its border with Mpumalanga, to play host to AU activities.

There were handshakes and jokes as President Cyril Ramaphosa took his place behind the small South African flag in the front row on the floor of the vast Nelson Mandela Plenary Hall at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa for the opening session of the 32nd African Union heads of state summit. Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta, en route to his seat, paused a bit longer to chat, full of jokes, possibly reminiscing about the ANC’s birthday bash in January 2018 which he came to attend in East London. Ramaphosa apparently reached out to Kenyatta himself on that occasion to pull the countries closer.

In the row behind Ramaphosa sat Zimbabwean president Emmerson Mnangagwa. When he arrived moments before, he paused for a discussion with international relations and co-operation minister Lindiwe Sisulu – part of the six or seven-strong Cabinet delegation that travelled to Addis with Ramaphosa. For the rest, the man with his now-famous scarf mostly sat quietly, possibly thinking of the economic troubles back home, and devoid of the adulation that was normally reserved in this forum for his aged, stumbling predecessor.

Ramaphosa’s first AU summit in Ethiopia turned out to be an important one, as South Africa was chosen to chair the continental body in 2020. The chair is rotational, and this year it was the turn of the Southern African Development Community to put forward a candidate. The lobbying wasn’t half as tough as, say, in 2012 when Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma was elected AU Commission chairperson, but South Africa wasn’t the first choice. There was talk initially that it was eSwatini’s turn to lead. Officials, however, said the monarchy – which is heavily in debt – complained about “capacity constraints”. The officials didn’t clarify the meaning of this, but it seems to be about money.

eSwatini would still be “hosting”, officials said, which means the mid-year summit would go to the kingdom. Except, following the AU reforms, mid-year summits are supposed to have been downgraded to gatherings. This aspect of the reform hasn’t gained too much traction so far because hosting summits is a matter of national pride, and perhaps the continental body would agree to make an exception for eSwatini. It has, after all, spent billions of rand (an estimated R4.8-billion, to be more exact) it doesn’t really have, to build a massive convention centre for this purpose.

“South Africa will still have to help foot the bill,” an official said, “because it would have to provide security and logistics.”

eSwatini does not have the military or the cars and drivers to ferry all the big people around, but King Mswati III built a big airport a year or two ago. This means fugitives of international justice, like Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir, could jet in and out for the summit without the fuss caused in 2015 when the AU summit was hosted in Sandton. (eSwatini is not a signatory to the Rome Statute.)

Bar a big upset during the May 8 general elections, Ramaphosa will still be in the seat in 2020. As AU chair he is likely to focus strongly on trade and investment, and perhaps pay some polite lip service, at the very least, to human rights issues. During a ceremony where South Africa ratified the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) late Sunday afternoon, AU Commission chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat praised the country for its political commitment to free trade in the continent.

“With the support of South Africa, we can see this become a reality,” Mahamat said.

Ramaphosa said the AfCFTA would move “our continent in a direction that will see African countries progress”. Only about five more ratifications are needed to have the agreement come into effect.

Ramaphosa might also want to see AU meetings start more punctually, although his powers to enforce this might be limited. He appeared to have spent an hour or more waiting on Saturday night for all to arrive for the SADC meeting, which ended up not starting on time, just like the opening session of the summit, which kicked off more than 90 minutes late.

Rwandan president Paul Kagame’s term at the helm of the AU ended in a bit of a storm on Sunday. His invitation to Microsoft founder Bill Gates, whose foundation does a lot of work in health in Africa, and Fifa president Gianni Infantino, to address the African heads of state, caused some friction with fellow leaders. It’s highly unusual to invite speakers from outside the continent. Despite this, Kagame failed to live up to his good record of keeping gender balances. Apart from a report-back on refugees, not a single woman spoke during the opening session.

Kagame, however, worked hard in the past year to make the role of AU chair a prominent one, and he hosted no fewer than two summits in Kigali – one on the AfCFTA and the other on AU reforms.

Apart from the AU, South Africa is also currently a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, where numerous countries and pressure groups have tried to lobby the country to pursue what they consider to be a human rights approach.

South Africa did review its vote on Myanmar in favour of such, but the way it’s downplayed opposition concerns of rigging during the Democratic Republic of Congo elections in favour or stability had some questioning its commitment. (Even at the AU opening on Sunday, newly-elected president Felix Tshisekedi was welcomed without any references to concerns around the integrity of the vote.) 1

South Africa would be in a strong position to represent the continental body’s concerns on an international stage through this.

Sources: [1], [2]. Image sources: [1], [2].