South Africa Yellow Fever Vaccination Requirements

Overview

South Africa requires a valid yellow fever certificate from all foreign visitors and citizens over 1 year of age travelling from an infected area or having been in transit through infected areas.

There is no risk of contracting yellow fever in South Africa. If you are travelling directly from USA or India and are not transiting through or arriving from a country with the risk of yellow fever, you do not need the yellow fever vaccination certificate.

Visit our South Africa Travel Guide for more information »

Do I require the Yellow Fever Vaccination to enter South Africa?

All citizens and international visitors to South Africa require a valid Yellow Fever Vaccination certificate to enter South Africa if they have been:

1. Travelling through a country with the risk of yellow fever
2. Transiting through a country with the risk of yellow fever (spending more than 12 hours at the airport)

What are the Yellow Fever risk countries (according to the South African government?)

Travellers arriving or transiting through the following African and South & Central American countries require a valid yellow fever vaccination certificate to enter South Africa:

What happens if I do not have a valid yellow fever vaccination certificate when entering South Africa?

If you are entering South Africa after visiting any of the countries mentioned above and you do not have a valid yellow fever vaccination certificate, then either you will be:

1. Refused entry into South Africa
2. Placed under quarantine for either six days or till when your certificate becomes valid

I have a yellow fever exemption certificate. Will I still be stopped at the port of entry in South Africa?

Travellers who are in possession of an exemption certificate due to medical reasons will be:

• allowed entry
• required to report any fever or other symptoms to the health authorities; and
• be placed under quarantine surveillance.

Tanzania & Zambia Yellow Fever Update for entering South Africa

Travellers arriving in South Africa from Tanzania, Zambia, Eritrea, Somalia, Sao Tome and Principe will no longer require a valid yellow fever certificate when entering South Africa. This is because they have been listed in the World Health Organizations low risk countries list.

Where can I get the yellow fever vaccination certificate in India?

Yellow Fever Vaccination Requirements from India

Where can I get more information?

Visit our South Africa Travel Guide for more information »