Electronic Travel Authorisation: what all travellers need to know about South Africa's new visa system

In a bold move towards modernising the country's immigration framework, South Africa's Home Affairs Minister, Leon Schreiber, announced a comprehensive digital visa system that will soon be mandatory for all entrants to the nation.

Presenting his budget for the upcoming financial year, Schreiber stated, “No person will be able to enter South Africa without first obtaining a digital visa through the ETA,” marking a significant shift in how the country manages immigration.

The launch of the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) is set for the end of September 2025, coinciding with the G20 leaders' meeting.

According to Schreiber, the ETA will digitalise the entire visa process, enhancing efficiency and combating corruption that has plagued the traditional paper-based system.

“The endpoint of all of these reforms,” Schreiber explained, “is to enable both South Africans and legitimate visitors to apply for and obtain enabling documents online, including in digital format, from the comfort of their own homes.”

The ETA system will first cater to travellers arriving by air at OR Tambo and Cape Town International Airports, with plans to expand to additional visa categories and ports of entry over time.

In recent months, the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has made noteworthy strides in its reform efforts, boasting that since February 2025, over 17,000 Chinese and Indian tourists have successfully secured visas through a tailor-made online trusted tour operator scheme.

Cape Town Harbor

“The days of pieces of paper and handwritten visa documents are coming to an end before our eyes because we are tired of corruption, we are tired of fraud, and we are tired of illegal immigration,” Schreiber asserted.

The minister emphasised that the new system will harness machine learning and cutting-edge technology to automate the application, adjudication, and communication processes involved in obtaining a visa.

In terms of skilled immigration, the Trusted Employer Scheme (TES) has already demonstrated its efficiency, with 246 software engineers permitted entry to South Africa by one company alone.

This initiative not only streamlines document verification for skilled workers but also shortens the adjudication period significantly.

Schreiber underscored the importance of this digital transformation for South Africa’s global standing.

By utilising the ETA system to streamline immigration processes, he said the government is positioning itself as a forward-thinking nation ready to embrace digital innovations to tackle pressing societal challenges.

“In the age of AI, the need for governments to build digital public infrastructure has never been more urgent,” he stated.

The department is also focused on extending access to home affairs services in more locations across South Africa and aims to expand its pilot project, which has successfully provided smart ID and passport services in 30 bank branches, into 1,000 branches.

By: ZamaNdosi Cele from IOL

You are welcome to visit South Africa, and to embark on a unforgettable tour with us, see www.amatungulu.com.