PassportSouth Africa

Trip checklist: Guinea-Bissau

For South African passport holders. Last checked 5 October 2026.

Visa requirement

We're still confirming this with official sources. What we've found so far: Visa on arrival. Check with the embassy before you rely on it.

Permitted stay

You can stay up to 90 days per visit.

Before you go

  • Passport validity

    At least 6 months after arrival (UK advice).

  • How to apply

    Two reported routes. 1. Pre-enrol and pay online at rgb-visa.com, print the approval receipt and show it with your passport at the border; a EUR 2.5 processing fee is added and nothing is refunded if refused. 2. Get a letter of authorisation from the Migration Office in Bissau through a local contact, then collect the visa on arrival. Visa fee amount not confirmed; Wikipedia says fees may be paid in CFA francs, euros or US dollars. Wikipedia says the online service is currently suspended. Treat as unconfirmed.

  • Where South Africans apply

    Not confirmed. No Guinea-Bissau mission in South Africa found; UK advice points to the embassies in Paris and Dakar (Senegal).

  • Vaccinations, including yellow fever on return to South Africa

    GUINEA-BISSAU: A yellow fever certificate is required to enter (UK advice). SOUTH AFRICA: Guinea-Bissau is on South Africa's yellow fever risk list (DIRCO lists the whole country). Everyone over 1 year old, South Africans included, returning to South Africa from Guinea-Bissau, or after an airport transit of more than 12 hours there, must show a valid yellow fever certificate on arrival in South Africa. Get vaccinated at least 10 days before travel; the certificate is valid for life.

  • Confirm with the embassy

    Rules change. Check the official source before you book.

Where to apply

  • UK FCDO https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/guinea-bissau/entry-requirements

Research sources

  1. 1. DIRCO, South African High Commission Canberra (Other government, dirco.gov.za) https://dirco.gov.za/canberra/yellow-fever/
  2. 2. UK FCDO (Other government, gov.uk) https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/guinea-bissau/entry-requirements
  3. 3. Wikipedia (Reference, en.wikipedia.org) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_requirements_for_South_African_citizens
  4. 4. Wikipedia (Reference, en.wikipedia.org) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_policy_of_Guinea-Bissau
  5. 5. rgb-visa.com (Guinea-Bissau online visa site cited by Wikipedia; official status unclear) (Commercial, rgb-visa.com) https://www.rgb-visa.com/

From doineedavisa.co.za/guinea-bissau. Always confirm with the embassy before you travel.