South Africa has officially launched its Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), introducing a digital immigration system aimed at simplifying international travel while strengthening the country's ability to screen travellers and manage migration.
Launched by President Cyril Ramaphosa at OR Tambo International Airport, the system forms part of the Department of Home Affairs' broader Home Affairs @ home programme to modernise public services through digital technology.
“This is far more than the introduction of a new digital platform. It is a statement about the kind of country we are building. It is about making South Africa more open to opportunity, more welcoming to legitimate travellers, more secure for our citizens and more competitive in the global economy,” Ramaphosa said.
Digital screening
Under the ETA system, travellers register a profile online, verify their cellphone number and email address, scan their passport and upload a selfie.
The platform uses biometric technology to compare the passport photograph with the traveller's facial photograph, while the passport is automatically checked against more than 40 parameters to verify its authenticity.
Once payment has been made, automated risk analysis is used to identify potential fraud and other risk indicators.
Approved applicants can receive their ETA within 24 hours and store it in the digital wallet on their smartphone.
At the border, biometric verification is used to confirm that the person arriving is the same person who received authorisation to travel to South Africa.
Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber described the ETA as the flagship reform of the department's efforts to modernise and digitally transform the country's immigration system.
“Today’s launch of the ETA represents a quantum leap forward for our country’s immigration system, both by unlocking economic growth through tourism, investment and legitimate travel, and by landing a decisive blow against visa fraud and illegal immigration.”
Early results
The system was initially piloted during South Africa's G20 Presidency for travellers from China, India, Indonesia and Mexico.
Since the pilot began, the ETA has processed 216,204 applications, according to Schreiber.
The system has also identified and rejected 6,126 fraudulent applications, including cases involving fraudulent passports, manipulated documents and other indicators of fraud.
Schreiber said the security capability was as important as the system's ability to simplify travel.
“A system that is modern and uncompromising when it comes to security, but welcoming and efficient when it comes to the travellers and investors we must attract to generate growth and jobs.”
Tourism and investment
Ramaphosa positioned the ETA as an economic reform as well as an immigration reform, saying the ease with which people can visit, invest, trade, study and do business influences how countries compete internationally.
The system is intended to reduce administrative obstacles for tourists, investors, conference organisers, students and highly skilled professionals.
“The Electronic Travel Authorisation system will make travel to South Africa easier, faster and more predictable. It will encourage tourism. It will support trade. It will attract investment. It will facilitate skills and knowledge exchange. And at the same time, it will strengthen the integrity of our borders and improve our ability to manage migration effectively,” Ramaphosa said.
He said unnecessary delays and cumbersome administrative processes could encourage people to choose other destinations.
“Visa reform is therefore not simply an immigration reform. It is an economic reform. It is a jobs reform.”
Ramaphosa linked increased international arrivals to activity across the tourism and wider economy, including accommodation, restaurants, tour operators, airlines, conferences, exports and investment.
“More visitors mean more hotel bookings. More restaurants filled. More tour operators employed. More flights. More conferences. More exports. More investment. More opportunities for South Africans to earn an income and build a better future,” he said.
Longer stays
The ETA also introduces a digital option for eligible travellers who enter South Africa for up to 90 days to apply for a further 90-day extension, in line with the Immigration Act.
Schreiber said this functionality could support tourism revenues by allowing lawful travellers to extend their stays without the bureaucracy associated with previous processes.
During the next phase, the ETA will progressively become compulsory for short-stay visitors from countries whose citizens require port-of-entry visas to South Africa.
Visa-exempt travellers will also be able to use the ETA voluntarily if they want to access the faster ETA queue on arrival or use the digital extension facility.
Home Affairs will inform countries as they are systematically added to the system.
Four airports
The system will initially be available to travellers arriving through OR Tambo International Airport, Cape Town International Airport, King Shaka International Airport and Lanseria International Airport.
The next phase will extend facial recognition and the upgraded Electronic Movement Control System (EMCS 2.0) to land and sea ports.
The Border Management Authority, in collaboration with the South African Revenue Service, has upgraded EMCS 2.0 at international airports to use facial verification when determining whether a traveller may enter the country.
“Unlike the BMA’s old movement control system, EMCS 2.0 is biometrically enabled to use facial verification to determine whether a traveller may enter the country, eliminating the scope for criminals to use fraudulent passports or visa papers,” Schreiber said.
The system is also intended to reduce immigration queues through dedicated ETA counters and eventual integration with eGates operated by Airports Company South Africa.
Schreiber said collaboration between ACSA, the BMA, Home Affairs and SARS would need to be accelerated to integrate the ETA with the eGates.
Border security
The digital system will also give Home Affairs the ability to detect potential overstays in real time.
When a traveller using an ETA leaves South Africa, their face is verified at the departure counter. If a departure has not been recorded within the permitted period, Home Affairs can communicate directly with the traveller and warn them that they are at risk of overstaying and prosecution.
If the warning is disregarded, Schreiber said the ETA's security features would enable immigration enforcement steps to be taken.
Ramaphosa stressed that the move towards greater efficiency should not be confused with weaker border controls.
“Let me therefore be absolutely clear. A modern immigration system is not a weaker immigration system. It is a smarter immigration system.”
He said technology would allow government to obtain more information about travellers before they arrive while strengthening biometric verification, identity management, risk assessment and border security.
“It helps us identify those who seek to abuse our immigration system while making lawful travel faster and easier.”
Digital immigration
The ETA is one of three pillars of Home Affairs' wider digital reform programme.
Schreiber said the department's digital partnership with the banking sector had already expanded fully digital Smart ID replacement services to more than 400 bank branches, with more than half a million South Africans using the service during its first five months.
The department is also developing a digital identity system that will make digital versions of identity credentials available on citizens' smartphones.
The longer-term ambition for the ETA extends beyond tourism and short visits.
Schreiber said the platform is intended to become the central entry point for an end-to-end digital immigration system, eventually processing more complex categories including study, spousal and work visas.
“Our aim is to turn it into the single-entry point and central platform for an end-to-end digital immigration system, where all visa categories are processed through biometric and machine learning technology.”
He said the system would progressively be expanded to additional visa categories over the coming months.
Economic reform
The ETA forms part of the broader structural reforms under Operation Vulindlela, which was established in 2020 to address constraints to South Africa's economic growth.
Ramaphosa said those constraints had affected electricity, logistics, telecommunications, water infrastructure, the ease of doing business and the immigration system.
“These are not isolated reforms. Together they are removing barriers to growth, investment and job creation. They are making South Africa a more competitive economy.”
The President said the success of the ETA would depend on cooperation between Home Affairs, the BMA, SARS, the Department of Tourism, South African Tourism, the aviation industry, diplomatic missions, technology partners and the private sector.
He described South Africa's borders as strategic national assets where security, trade, tourism, logistics and economic development intersect.
“Our borders are not merely points of entry. They are strategic national assets. They are where security, trade, tourism, logistics and economic development come together. They demand that government functions as one integrated system.”
Ramaphosa said the ETA ultimately represented a South Africa that could be more open to legitimate travellers while protecting its borders.
“Today’s launch is about much more than visas. It is about the future of our country.”
He said South Africa should be a country that welcomes the world, attracts investment, embraces innovation and operates efficient and responsive public institutions.
“This is the country we are building. It is a country that understands that economic growth requires both openness and security. It is a country determined to compete with the best in the world. Above all, it is a country committed to creating work, expanding opportunity and improving the lives of all its people,” the President said.
