Lesotho visa for South African citizens
A visa is NOT required for South African passport holders visiting Lesotho for a short-term stay: 90 days.
Visa requirements:
| Visa type | Purposes | Visa requirements | Allowed stay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tourist visa | For South African citizens to enter Lesotho for a short-term tourism purpose. | Not required | 90 days |
| Evisa | Lesotho e-visa for South African citizens | Not Available | |
| Visa on arrival | Lesotho visa on arrival for South African citizens | Not Available | |
Lesotho tourist visa requirements:
- Holding South African passport that is valid for six months beyond the period of the intended stay in Lesotho.
- Proof of onward travel (departure) from Lesotho.
If you are looking for Lesotho visa information, such as available types of visas, or how to apply from South Africa, we recommend you visit or contact the embassy or consulate of Lesotho nearest your place of residence.
- Johannesburg: The Consulate of Lesotho in Johannesburg, South Africa (Working hours: Close now. Open in 36 minutes)
- Welkom: The Consulate of Lesotho in Welkom, South Africa (Working hours: Close now. Open in 36 minutes)
- Durban: The Consulate General of Lesotho in Durban, South Africa (Working hours: Close now. Open in 36 minutes)
Lesotho visa applications & requirements (For reference purposes only, please visit the nearest Lesotho diplomatic mission offices to South Africa for guidance)
Tourism Statistics Chart
The line chart shows the number of visitors from South Africa traveling to Lesotho from 2008 to 2018.
| Year | Number of visitors (South Africa) estimated | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 929,992 | N/A |
| 2009 | 929,992 | 0.00% |
| 2010 | 939,679 | 1.04% |
| 2011 | 959,054 | 2.06% |
| 2012 | 929,992 | -3.03% |
| 2013 | 978,429 | 5.21% |
| 2014 | 968,742 | -0.99% |
| 2015 | 970,292 | 0.16% |
| 2016 | 1,081,227 | 11.43% |
| 2017 | 1,009,856 | -6.60% |
| 2018 | 1,060,348 | 5.00% |
References: UNWTO.org, World Bank and multiple sources. (This data is for informational purposes only. Please see our disclaimer page for more information.)
Lesotho & South Africa comparison
Lesotho's area is approximately 30,360 km2 (11,722 sq mi), while the area of South Africa is approximately 1,213,090 km2 (468,376 sq mi). This means South Africa is 39.96 times bigger than Lesotho.
As of November 2025, Lesotho's population is ~2.2 million people - 60,876,508 fewer people than the population of South Africa.
We have highlighted Lesotho & South Africa’s relative positions on world's map for your reference.
| Lesotho | South Africa | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population (est 2025) | 2,227,938 | 63,104,446 | 60.9 million fewer people live in Lesotho than South Africa |
| Number of diplomatic missions abroad (est) | 14 | 124 | Lesotho has 110 fewer diplomatic representations abroad compared with South Africa. |
| Travel freedom (2025) | 48 | 67 | Lesotho passport holders visit 19 fewer countries and territories without a visa. |
| Number of foreign missions hosted | 7 | 197 | Lesotho hosts 190 fewer foreign missions than South Africa. |
Frequently asked questions, answered
How many visitors from South Africa travel to Lesotho in one year?
The number of visitors from South Africa visiting Lesotho in 2018 was approximately 1,060,348.
Comments (0)
Be the first to comment on this page
Do you need a travel visa?
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Algeria
- American Samoa
- Andorra
- Angola
- Anguilla
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Aruba
- Australia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Bahamas
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Barbados
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Belize
- Benin
- Bermuda
- Bhutan
- Bolivia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Brazil
- British Virgin Islands
- Brunei
- Bulgaria
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Canada
- Cape Verde
- Cayman Islands
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Chile
- China
- Christmas Island
- Colombia
- Comoros
- Cook Islands
- Costa Rica
- Côte d'Ivoire
- Croatia
- Cuba
- Curacao
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Denmark
- Djibouti
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- El Salvador
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Estonia
- Eswatini
- Ethiopia
- Falkland Islands
- Faroe Islands
- Fiji
- Finland
- France
- French Guiana
- French Polynesia
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Georgia
- Germany
- Ghana
- Gibraltar
- Greece
- Greenland
- Grenada
- Guam
- Guatemala
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Hungary
- Iceland
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Jamaica
- Japan
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Kiribati
- Kosovo
- Kuwait
- Kyrgyzstan
- Laos
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Libya
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Mali
- Malta
- Marshall Islands
- Martinique
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Mayotte
- Mexico
- Micronesia
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Montserrat
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Myanmar
- Namibia
- Nauru
- Nepal
- Netherlands
- New Caledonia
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Niue
- Northern Mariana Islands
- North Korea
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Palau
- Panama
- Papua New Guinea
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Philippines
- Poland
- Portugal
- Puerto Rico
- Qatar
- Republic of the Congo
- Reunion
- Romania
- Russia
- Rwanda
- Saint Helena
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Samoa
- San Marino
- São Tomé and Príncipe
- Saudi Arabia
- Scotland
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Singapore
- Sint Maarten
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Solomon Islands
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Korea
- South Sudan
- Spain
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Suriname
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Syria
- Tajikistan
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Timor-Leste
- Togo
- Tonga
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Turkmenistan
- Turks and Caicos
- Tuvalu
- Uganda
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Uruguay
- U.S. Virgin Islands
- Uzbekistan
- Vanuatu
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
- Wallis and Futuna
- Yemen
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Algeria
- American Samoa
- Andorra
- Angola
- Anguilla
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Aruba
- Australia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Bahamas
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Barbados
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Belize
- Benin
- Bermuda
- Bhutan
- Bolivia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Brazil
- British Virgin Islands
- Brunei
- Bulgaria
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Canada
- Cape Verde
- Cayman Islands
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Chile
- China
- Christmas Island
- Colombia
- Comoros
- Cook Islands
- Costa Rica
- Côte d'Ivoire
- Croatia
- Cuba
- Curacao
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Denmark
- Djibouti
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- El Salvador
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Estonia
- Eswatini
- Ethiopia
- Falkland Islands
- Faroe Islands
- Fiji
- Finland
- France
- French Guiana
- French Polynesia
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Georgia
- Germany
- Ghana
- Gibraltar
- Greece
- Greenland
- Grenada
- Guam
- Guatemala
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Hungary
- Iceland
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Jamaica
- Japan
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Kiribati
- Kosovo
- Kuwait
- Kyrgyzstan
- Laos
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Libya
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Mali
- Malta
- Marshall Islands
- Martinique
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Mayotte
- Mexico
- Micronesia
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Montserrat
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Myanmar
- Namibia
- Nauru
- Nepal
- Netherlands
- New Caledonia
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Niue
- Northern Mariana Islands
- North Korea
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Palau
- Panama
- Papua New Guinea
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Philippines
- Poland
- Portugal
- Puerto Rico
- Qatar
- Republic of the Congo
- Reunion
- Romania
- Russia
- Rwanda
- Saint Helena
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Samoa
- San Marino
- São Tomé and Príncipe
- Saudi Arabia
- Scotland
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Singapore
- Sint Maarten
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Solomon Islands
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Korea
- South Sudan
- Spain
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Suriname
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Syria
- Tajikistan
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Timor-Leste
- Togo
- Tonga
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Turkmenistan
- Turks and Caicos
- Tuvalu
- Uganda
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Uruguay
- U.S. Virgin Islands
- Uzbekistan
- Vanuatu
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
- Wallis and Futuna
- Yemen
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Today’s Forecast
| ° / °C | ||
| Precipitation Probability | % | |
| Wind | km/h | |
| Sunrise | ||
Useful Information
- Maseru to Pretoria: 538.05 km (334.33 mi)
- Travel time: 1 hours 7 minutes
This page was last updated on: November 2025