UK Transit visas for South Africa Passports Holders
Do I need a transit visa?
South African nationals require a visa or exemption document to transit the UK whether they are
transiting airside (without passing through border control) or landside (passing through border
control possibly to collect luggage or change airports).
There are a number of exemption documents that can be used in place of a transit visa. For
example, any South African national who holds a valid visa for either Australia, Canada, New
Zealand or the United States of America can use that document to transit airside via the UK to
anywhere in the world without the need to obtain a direct airside transit visa for the UK. They
must have the correct documents for their final destination.
Airside transit means you will arrive into and leave the UK from the same airport, on the same
day, without passing through border control. You will remain “airside” and move through the
airport transit channels with your luggage checked through automatically to your final
destination. If you need to enter the UK to collect your luggage and check in for your onward
flight (even if your onward journey is from the same airport) or if you are departing from a
different airport, this is landside transit.