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.