Image@ Simon MAINA
Millions of Africans planning trips to Europe in 2026 will still have to go through the standard Schengen visa process, despite a handful of countries securing limited visa exemptions from France, Belgium and Spain.
New visa guidance published this year by the three European governments shows that access to Europe remains highly uneven across Africa. Most travellers on the continent will still need to submit full visa applications and pay the required fees before they can travel.
France’s updated visa rules place South Africa in a unique position. It is the only African country whose citizens may enter France’s overseas territories without applying for a separate territorial visa. The exemption isn’t automatic. It applies only to South Africans who already hold a valid multiple-entry visa issued by a French consulate with a validity of between six months and five years.
That privilege puts South Africa among just 13 countries worldwide eligible for the arrangement, alongside Bahrain, Belarus, China, India, Indonesia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates. Eligible travellers can visit French overseas territories including Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Réunion and Mayotte without submitting another visa application, provided their existing French visa remains valid.
Kenya was not included in the policy. Kenyan citizens must still apply for a separate visa before travelling to France’s overseas territories, regardless of any other travel documents they hold.
France also makes clear that each overseas territory sets its own entry requirements through separate ministerial orders, meaning travellers should check the rules for their specific destination before departure.
For citizens of every other African country, the process remains unchanged. A full visa application must be approved before travel to any French overseas territory.
South Africa’s relatively strong travel access extends beyond France. It currently ranks as Africa’s third-most powerful passport on the Henley Passport Index, behind only Seychelles and Mauritius, offering visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to more than 100 destinations worldwide.
Belgium’s updated visa policy paints a similar picture, although South Africa is absent from its exemption list. Only Mauritius and Seychelles qualify for visa-free entry, highlighting the continued advantage enjoyed by the two Indian Ocean island nations through their long-standing diplomatic and tourism ties with Europe.
Spain’s 2026 entry rules are slightly broader. The country grants visa-free access to citizens of Botswana, Namibia, Mauritius, Seychelles, Rwanda, Cape Verde, Eswatini and Lesotho. Travellers from the rest of Africa, including Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya, must still obtain a Schengen visa before travelling and pay the standard €90 application fee.
Taken together, the latest policies underline a long-standing reality. Only a small group of African countries, often those with close bilateral ties to Europe or relatively small, affluent populations, benefit from visa exemptions. Most of the continent’s larger economies continue to face the full cost and administrative burden of the Schengen visa system.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah