How to apply for an e-visa as a South African: Vietnam, Thailand and Sri Lanka

An e-visa (or eTA — electronic travel authorisation) is the easy middle ground between “just show up” and a full embassy visa. You apply online, pay by card, and the approval lands in your inbox — no consulate visit, no courier. This walks through the three South Africans search for most.

One rule first, because it costs people real money: use the official government portal. Every country below has swarms of lookalike sites that copy the design and charge two or three times the real fee. The official domains are the giveaway — .gov.vn, .gov.lk, .go.th.

Vietnam e-visa (90 days)

South Africans can’t get a visa on arrival for Vietnam, so the e-visa is your route in — and it’s a good one: up to 90 days, single or multiple entry.

1. Go to the official portal, evisa.gov.vn (the only legitimate site — it also runs as thithucdientu.gov.vn).
2. Upload a passport photo and the photo page of a passport valid 6+ months with two blank pages.
3. Choose single or multiple entry and your entry/exit dates and port.
4. Pay the government fee — USD 25 single-entry, USD 50 multiple-entry — by card. Because it’s charged in dollars, the rand cost tracks the exchange rate on the day.
5. Wait 3–5 working days, then download the PDF when approved and print it.

Common mistake: a photo that doesn’t meet spec (plain background, no glasses) is the top cause of delay. And the e-visa can’t be extended in-country — if you’ll need longer, apply for the right entry type upfront.

Thailand: usually no e-visa needed

Here’s the honest version: for a normal holiday, you don’t need a Thai e-visa at all. South Africans get 30 days visa-free (since 15 September 2026 — it was 60 before). You’re stamped in on arrival.

Two things that do apply to everyone:

• The Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) is mandatory and free — fill it in online at tdac.immigration.go.th within 72 hours before you arrive. Ignore any site charging you for it; those are fakes.
• If you want to stay longer than 30 days, apply for a tourist visa through the official Thai e-Visa portal, thaievisa.go.th, before you travel — check the stay it grants and apply in good time.

So for most trips: no visa, just the free TDAC. Don’t let a paid “Thailand e-visa” service sell you something you don’t need.

Sri Lanka ETA (30 days)

Sri Lanka needs an ETA — a lightweight online authorisation — before you fly.

1. Apply on the official portal, eta.gov.lk (it warns you to check for the .gov.lk domain — heed it).
2. Enter your passport and travel details; you’ll want a passport valid 6+ months and an onward ticket.
3. Pay the fee. It has moved around a lot — recently roughly USD 35–50, and Sri Lanka waived it for a set of nationalities in 2026, so check what applies to you on the portal rather than trusting an old figure.
4. Approval is usually quick — often 24–72 hours. It typically allows about 30 days with two entries, extendable in-country.

Common mistake: applying through a paid clone site and overpaying. The official ETA is cheaper than getting one on arrival, and far cheaper than the fakes.

When a paid service is worth it

If forms stress you out, a service like iVisa will complete and submit the application for you and chase the approval — for a markup on top of the government fee. It’s a convenience, not a requirement: the official portals above are open to South Africans and always cheaper. Use a paid service because you want the hand-holding, not because you think you have to.

Before you fly

Whichever you’re applying for, save or print the approval and carry it with your passport. Then sort the practical stuff: land with a data eSIM so you can pull up your e-visa PDF and book onward travel straight from the airport. For the full map of where else your passport goes easily, see visa-free and visa-on-arrival countries for South Africans.