South Africa Cancels Palestinian Visa Exemption, Citing Abuse Linked to Gaza Displacement
JOHANNESBURG, 6 December 2025. South Africa's Department of Home Affairs announced on Saturday that it was withdrawing the 90-day visa exemption previously granted to Palestinian passport holders, with immediate effect, saying the measure had been abused as part of efforts to relocate...
South Africa Cancels Palestinian Visa Exemption, Citing Abuse Linked to Gaza Displacement
JOHANNESBURG, 6 December 2025. South Africa's Department of Home Affairs announced on Saturday that it was withdrawing the 90-day visa exemption previously granted to Palestinian passport holders, with immediate effect, saying the measure had been abused as part of efforts to relocate Palestinians out of Gaza.
Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said: "South Africa will not be complicit in any scheme to exploit or displace Palestinians from Gaza." The department stated that national intelligence investigations had confirmed "deliberate and ongoing abuse of the 90-day visa exemption for Palestinian ordinary passport holders by Israeli actors linked to 'voluntary emigration' efforts for residents of the Gaza Strip."
The decision followed the arrival in November 2025 of two charter flights carrying Palestinians, one group of 153 individuals reported to have been taken out of Gaza without exit stamps on their passports, at Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport. The flights were organised by a company called Al-Majd Europe. The government's security cluster reviewed the circumstances and recommended withdrawal of the visa exemption after intelligence structures concluded the flights were linked to Israeli-directed emigration schemes.
Under the new arrangement, Palestinian nationals seeking to enter South Africa must apply in advance for a standard visitor's visa through a South African embassy, high commission, consulate, or authorised visa application centre in the country where they reside. Immigration practitioners noted that this would be practically difficult for many Gazans, given limited access to South African consular services and requirements that applicants present passports in person.
South Africa has been a prominent supporter of Palestinian rights internationally, and in January 2024 brought a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice alleging violations of the Genocide Convention in Gaza. The visa policy reversal highlighted Pretoria's stated opposition to what it characterised as forced depopulation of Palestinian territory.
The visa exemption for Palestinian nationals had been granted by South Africa in 2024 as a gesture of solidarity. The policy was in place for approximately one year before being revoked following the charter-flight controversy.