Visitors from five countries, including South Africa, are to face new security checks before travelling to Britain after the government carried out its first global review of visa requirements.

The new security measures, including fingerprint visas, will also be introduced for visitors from Bolivia, Lesotho, Venezuela and Swaziland under Home Office guidelines after they failed the UK's new visa waiver test.

All non-European countries were subject to the waiver test, which has been designed to determine the risk posed to the UK in terms of illegal immigration, crime and security.

It follows the UK Border Agency's (UKBA) announcement last July that 11 countries did not meet the required standard, although it has been working with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in a bid to improve passport and border controls with those countries.

Nationals from the five countries that failed the waiver test already require visas to work and settle in the UK, although that requirement will be extended for visits of less than six months. However, Venezuelans who possess a secure fingerprint passport issued since 2007 will still be allowed to enter the UK without a visa.

Border and immigration minister, Phil Woolas, said: The government said it would get tough and we meant it. Already our shake-up of border security is delivering results, with three millions fingerprints taken from visa applicants and 3,000 people caught trying to hide their identity.

"Fingerprint visas make up one part of Britain's triple ring of security, alongside hi-tech watch-list checks at the border and ID cards for foreign nationals."

Other countries named by the UKBA as needing to improve security include Botswana, Brazil, Malaysia, Mauritius, Namibia and Trinidad and Tobago.