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Yellow Fever
Health Requirements
A person seeking to enter the Republic of South Africa may be required to produce an international health certificate containing details of vaccination.
Immunization for yellow fever is a requirement if the journey starts or entails passing through the yellow fever belt of Africa or Central and South America.
Travellers going to or coming from Zambia, Tanzania, Eritrea, Somalia as well as Sao Tome and Principe will no longer be required to produce a yellow fever vaccination certificate when in South Africa as these countries have been included on the World Health Organization (WHO) list of countries with low potential for exposure to yellow fever virus.
In line with the International Health Regulations, 2005, South Africa requires a valid yellow fever certificate from all citizens and non citizens over one year of age:
- Travelling from a yellow fever risk country; or
- Having been in transit exceeding 12 hours, through the airport of a country with risk of yellow fever transmission.
List of countries for which a Yellow Fever vaccination certificate is required for entry into South Africa.
Africa
| Angola |
| Burundi |
| Benin |
| Burkina Faso |
| Cameroon |
| Central Africa Republic |
| Chad |
| Congo |
| Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Equatorial Guinea |
| Ethiopia |
| Gambia |
| Gabon |
| Ghana |
| Guinea |
| Guinea-Bissau |
| Ivory Coast |
| Kenya |
| Liberia |
| Mali |
| Mauritania |
| Niger |
| Nigeria |
| Rwanda |
| Senegal |
| Sierra Leone |
| Sudan |
| South Sudan |
| Togo |
| Uganda |
Central and South America
| Argentina |
| Bolivia |
| Brazil |
| Colombia |
| Ecuador |
| French Guyana |
| Guyana |
| Panama |
| Paraguay |
| Peru |
| Suriname |
| Trinidad and Tobago |
| Venezuela |
South Africa implements the following measures for all travellers from Yellow Fever risk countries who are unable to produce a valid yellow fever vaccination certificate at the point of entry:
- Refuse entry; or
- Place traveller under quarantine surveillance until their certificate becomes valid, or for a period of not more than 6 days.
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
NB: Definition of a valid Yellow Fever vaccination certificate:
Vaccine should be approved by the WHO and administered at least 10 days before departure to South Africa at a Yellow Fever approved vaccination centre. The vaccine offers protection 10 days after administration and provides lifetime immunity.
In terms of the amendment to Annex 7 of the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005) changes the period of validity of the related international certificate of vaccination against yellow fever, and the protection provided by vaccination against yellow fever infection from ten (10) years to the life of the person (traveller) vaccinated.
As of 11 July 2016, for both existing or new certificates, revaccination or a booster dose of yellow fever vaccine cannot be required of international travellers as a condition of entry into a State Party, regardless of the date their international certificate of vaccination was issued. This lifetime validity of these certificates applies automatically to certificates issued after 11 July 2016, as well as certificates already issued.
