Johannesburg: Home Affairs Minister, Dr. Leon Schreiber, has described the new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system as revolutionary for South Africa's immigration management. The Minister was speaking at the official launch of the ETA system led by President Cyril Ramaphosa at the OR Tambo International Airport on Wednesday.
According to South African Government News Agency, the system combines advanced biometric verification with automated risk analysis, delivering both enhanced security and faster processing for legitimate travellers. '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,' Schreiber declared.
The system uses automated risk analysis to identify indicators of fraud at a speed and scale no human could achieve. 'If the application is approved, the traveller will receive their ETA within 24 hours, which they can then store directly in the digital wallet on their smartphone. Once an approved traveller arrives at the immigration counter, they are again required to look into a camera, where biometric verification enables us to confirm that the person standing at our border is the same person who received authorisation to travel to our country. In other words: the face of the traveller becomes the key that determines whether they may enter, rather than physical documents that can be manipulated,' the Minister explained.
Some 216,204 applications have already been processed since the pilot began during South Africa's G20 Presidency for travellers from China, India, Indonesia, and Mexico. Crucially, the system identified 6,126 fraudulent applications that were subsequently rejected, including cases involving fraudulent passports and manipulated documents.
Schreiber emphasized that the future of immigration in South Africa involves a system that is modern and uncompromising when it comes to security, but welcoming and efficient for travellers and investors needed to generate growth and jobs. The ETA allows legitimate travellers who enter South Africa for up to 90 days to apply through the system to extend their stay for up to a further 90 days, as stipulated by the Immigration Act. This feature is expected to significantly boost tourism revenues by enabling lawful travellers to extend their stay without the hassle and bureaucracy of the past.
Over the coming weeks, the department will inform the embassies of countries as they are systematically added to the ETA. The 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. With airports fully equipped, attention will turn to land and seaports over the coming months to roll out facial recognition and EMCS 2.0 at all ports of entry.
The work continues to expand the platform to process more complex visa categories, including study visas, spousal visas, and work visas. By the time this work is complete, South Africa aims to have one of the most sophisticated, efficient, and secure digital visa and entry/exit systems in the world. Schreiber concluded that the ETA is the embodiment of the commitment to the vision of turning South Africa into a world leader in smart and secure migration management and digital government.
Speaking at the launch, President Cyril Ramaphosa described the reform as far more than the introduction of a new digital platform, saying it represents the aspirations of the South Africa of the future. 'This is far more than the introduction of a new digital platform. It is a statement about the kind of country we are building,' the President said.
