Everything travellers need to know about South Africa's mandatory Electronic Travel Authorisation

In a bold shift in how the country manages immigration, a digital visa system will soon be mandatory for all entrants to South Africa. 

Presenting his budget for the upcoming financial year, Home Affairs Minister, Leon Schreiber, said: “No person will be able to enter South Africa without first obtaining a digital visa through the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA).”

The launch of the 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.

It 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.

This influx of visitors has led to the creation of approximately 1 230 jobs in South Africa, according to research from Operation Vulindlela, illustrating the potential economic benefits of streamlined visa processes.

“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 said.

He 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.

Eskom successfully brought in 147 nuclear engineers to help restore the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station, bolstering South Africa's electricity grid.

In addition, the country has witnessed an uptake of the TES, with 71 companies across various sectors participating.

As part of the ongoing efforts to enhance tourism, Schreiber also announced that an additional 45 companies have joined the trusted tour operator scheme in its second intake, further boosting the tourism sector's growth prospects.

By utilising the ETA system to streamline immigration processes, Schreiber said the government is ready to embrace digital innovations to tackle pressing societal challenges.

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.

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