South Africa to Chad visa requirements

South African ordinary passport holders need a visa for Chad, and as of December 2024 this is obtained online via the official Chad eVisa portal (evisa.td) before travel. A yellow fever vaccination certificate is mandatory on arrival. Chad requires South African (ZA) ordinary passport holders to hold a visa for tourism or short visits. Chad is not in the Schengen area; it is a Central African nation that historically required an embassy visa but launched its official electronic visa system, eVisa.td, on 11 December 2024 under the Direction de l'Emigration et de l'Immigration (D.E.I). South Africans are not among the roughly 27-28 visa-exempt nationalities (mostly ECOWAS/CEMAC African states), so they must apply for the eVisa online before departure. The standard product is a short-stay eVisa valid for up to 90 days, commonly issued as multiple-entry, with a published fee around EUR 100 (paid online). Applications must be submitted no more than 90 days and at least 7 days before arrival; processing is automated but travelers should allow several business days to be safe. A printed eVisa must be presented at the border, and a valid yellow fever vaccination certificate is compulsory for entry. Because the portal is relatively new and has historically had payment/technical issues and is primarily in French, travelers should confirm current status on the official site and consider the Embassy of Chad in Pretoria as a fallback. Conservatively, the verdict is eVisa: no visa-free or visa-on-arrival channel exists for South African ordinary passport holders.