South Africa’s new digital travel system is live at four airports, although linking the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) and biometric border system to the Airports Company of South Africa’s (ACSA’s) automated eGates is still a work in progress.
This was revealed at yesterday’s launch of the ETA system, which was initially trialled in October last year for delegates from China, India, Indonesia and Mexico who were attending the locally-hosted G20 Leaders’ Summit ahead of its roll out for all visa types by year-end.
The ceremony at OR Tambo International Airport was attended by president Cyril Ramaphosa, Home Affairs minister Dr Leon Schreiber, tourism minister Patricia de Lille, deputy Home Affairs minister Njabulo Nzuza, South African Revenue Service commissioner Ngobani Johnstone Makhubu, and acting ACSA CEO Charles Shilowa, among others.
“The 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,” said Schreiber.
“Technology allows us to know more about travellers before they arrive, rather than after they enter,” said Ramaphosa.
Ramaphosa framed the system as an economic play as much as a security one, built to attract the travellers and investors South Africa needs for growth and jobs.
“In today’s world, countries compete not only through the strength of their economies or the quality of their infrastructure. They compete through the ease with which people can visit, invest, trade, study and do business.”
Needless delays and red tape at the border risk pushing travellers and investors towards other countries, said the president.
Targeting sophistication
“By the time this work is complete, South Africa will have one of the most sophisticated, efficient and secure digital visa and entry/exit systems anywhere in the world,” said Schreiber.
“The ETA is the embodiment of our commitment to the vision of turning South Africa into a world leader in smart and secure migration management and digital government.”
Home Affairs’ move comes as governments and the global aviation industry increasingly adopt digital travel authorisations, biometric identity verification and automated border processing.
The International Air Transport Association, for example, has a One ID that lets passengers share digital credentials before travel, allowing airlines to check admissibility in advance, with governments issuing travel authorisations directly to digital wallets.
Europe is making a similar move in that its Entry/Exit System replaced passport stamping with digital records and biometric data for non-EU travellers entering and leaving the Schengen area in April. Its European Travel Information and Authorisation System, which will require visa-exempt travellers to obtain pre-travel authorisation, is due to launch in late 2026 or early 2027.
Sho’t left
Home Affairs’ ETA is set to expand beyond a mere digital visa for tourists and short visits, with eligible travellers also being able to use it to apply for a further 90 days’ visa, while the longer-term aim is to make it the single-entry point for an end-to-end digital immigration system covering all visa categories.
South Africa’s new digital travel system will initially be available for travellers who arrive at OR Tambo International Airport, Cape Town International Airport, King Shaka International Airport and Lanseria International Airport, said Schreiber.
“Over the coming weeks, we will inform the embassies of countries as they are systematically added to the ETA.”
ETA will progressively become compulsory for short-stay visitors from countries that require port-of-entry visas.
Border push
Schreiber also urged implementation teams to accelerate the connection between ETA and EMCS 2.0 – the Border Management Authority’s upgraded Electronic Movement Control System – and ACSA’s eGates, a move that would eliminate manual passport stamping and allow travellers to be processed using facial recognition.
At the same time, the system still needs to be rolled out to South Africa’s land and seaports, with facial recognition and EMCS 2.0 to be deployed at all ports of entry over the coming months, said Schreiber.
Once this has been done, the new system “will eliminate the need for, and fraud associated with, manual passport stamping, and enable us to use our new facial recognition capabilities to instantly process South African citizens and foreign travellers using the ETA into the country without any delays”.
Addressing delegates at the launch, Schreiber explained that the ETA enabled travellers to register on its associated website, verify their phone number and e-mail address, scan their passport and upload a selfie.
The system uses biometric technology to match their face to their passport photo and checks more than 40 parameters to verify the passport’s authenticity. After payment, automated risk analysis screens the application for fraud indicators.
Approved travellers receive their ETA within 24 hours and can store it in their smartphone’s digital wallet, Schreiber said.
The minister added that the implementation of the system has so far identified and rejected 6 126 fraudulent applications – or 2.8% of all visa submissions from the pilot countries – which includes cases of fraudulent passports, manipulated documents and other indicators of fraud.
Waving goodbye
Schreiber noted that, when travellers land, facial recognition technology through EMCS 2.0 verifies that the traveller is the same person who received authorisation to enter South Africa. When a person travelling on an ETA leaves the country, their face is again verified at the departure counter.
“If someone’s face has not been recorded as exiting in time, they will receive direct communication from Home Affairs warning them that we know about them and that they are at risk of overstaying and prosecution.”
If that warning is disregarded, the security features of the ETA enable immigration enforcement steps to be taken, the minister added.
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