PassportSouth Africa

Trip checklist: Guyana

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

Visa requirement

South Africans don't need a visa for Guyana.

Permitted stay

You can stay up to 30 days per visit, and you can apply to extend.

Before you go

  • Purpose of visit

    Visits and tourism. Business, employment and student visas need prior approval from the Ministry of Home Affairs.

  • Passport validity

    At least 6 months from arrival (FCDO; Wikipedia says this applies to all visitors).

  • How to apply

    No visa needed for up to 30 days. Present your passport at immigration. No visa fee or entry fee for South Africans was found on the official pages; Guyana has no general e-visa for visa-exempt nationals (eservices.iss.gov.gy handles e-visas for visa-required nationals).

  • Vaccinations, including yellow fever on return to South Africa

    Guyana: a yellow fever certificate is required if arriving from a risk country (FCDO). The WHO country list notes a broader requirement for all travellers over 1 year, with exceptions, so carry the certificate in any case. WHO recommends vaccination. South Africa's own rule on return: South Africa requires a valid yellow fever certificate from all travellers over 1 year of age, South African citizens included, arriving from a yellow-fever-risk country or after more than 12 hours' airport transit in one; Guyana is on South Africa's risk list. Without it you can be refused entry or quarantined for up to 6 days. The certificate is valid for life and only counts 10 days after vaccination.

  • Extending your stay and overstaying

    One-month extensions from the Department of Citizenship and Immigration. FCDO: overstaying can mean arrest, up to 1 year's imprisonment, a fine (about US$250) and deportation at your own cost.

  • Confirm with the embassy

    Rules change. Check the official source before you book.

Where to apply

Research sources

  1. 1. Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Guyana: Visa Information (updated 17 Jul 2025 / 16 Oct 2025) (Official, minfor.gov.gy) https://www.minfor.gov.gy/visa-information
  2. 2. UK FCDO (Other government, gov.uk) https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/guyana/entry-requirements
  3. 3. DIRCO (South African High Commission, Canberra) (Other government, dirco.gov.za) https://dirco.gov.za/canberra/yellow-fever/
  4. 4. South African National Department of Health (Other government, health.gov.za) https://www.health.gov.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/DOH-Yellow-Fever-Pamphlet-1.pdf
  5. 5. World Health Organization, International Travel and Health country list (Other government, cdn.who.int) https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/documents/emergencies/travel-advice/yellow-fever-country-list-ith-travel.pdf
  6. 6. Wikipedia: Visa policy of Guyana (Reference, en.wikipedia.org) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_policy_of_Guyana

From doineedavisa.co.za/guyana. Always confirm with the embassy before you travel.