The digital system uses biometric checks and automated risk analysis to scrutinise travellers before they enter South Africa.
Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber has described the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) platform as a quantum leap forward for South Africa’s immigration system. Picture: Gallo Images/Die Burger/Jaco Marais
A total of 6 126 fraudulent visa applications have been identified and rejected by South Africa’s new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system.
This is according to Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber, who was speaking at the official launch of the digital platform at OR Tambo International Airport on Wednesday, 12 August.
The system allows travellers from eligible visa-required countries to travel to South Africa for tourism or visiting purposes without the need for a traditional visitor’s visa.
Schreiber said the figure includes cases where people tried their luck with fraudulent passports, manipulated documents, and other indicators of fraud.
The ETA was initially piloted during South Africa’s G20 presidency in 2025 for travellers from China, India, Indonesia, and Mexico.
“Since that small-scale pilot began, the ETA has already processed 216 204 applications,” Schreiber said.
How the ETA process works
Explaining how the system works, the minister said the process begins with a traveller registering a profile on the website eta.dha.gov.za, which includes one-time PIN verification of their cellphone number and email address.
The traveller then scans their passport and uploads a selfie.
“Through biometric technology, our platform compares their passport photo to their facial photograph, confirming that they are the same person. The algorithm also automatically scans their passport, checking over 40 different parameters to verify that it is an authentic document.”
He said once payment has been made, the ETA uses automated risk analysis to identify indicators of fraud or risk at a speed and scale that “no human being could ever 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.
At the immigration counter, the traveller will be required to look into a camera, where biometric verification will confirm if they are the same person who received authorisation.
Warning for overstayers
Additionally, Schreiber said, the ETA allows them to detect overstayers in real time.
“When a person travelling on the 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,” he said.
“If that warning is not heeded, the security features of the ETA enable immigration enforcement steps to be taken.”
The minister described the platform as a quantum leap forward for South Africa’s immigration system.
He said it unlocks economic growth through tourism, investment and legitimate travel and lands “a decisive blow against visa fraud and illegal immigration”.
The system has since expanded to more countries and is currently available at OR Tambo, Cape Town, Lanseria and King Shaka International Airports.
Ramaphosa lauds platform
Delivering the keynote speech, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the ETA system is another important step in ensuring the country competes with the very best.
“This is far more than the introduction of a new digital platform,” Ramaphosa said.
“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.”
He said it was fitting that the ETA was launched at an airport named after struggle hero Oliver Reginald Tambo.
“For many years, OR Tambo travelled the world to rally support for the struggle against apartheid. He carried South Africa’s hopes across continents. He took South Africa to the world,” the president said.
“Today, through this new system, we are strengthening the way in which the world comes to South Africa.”
More visitors could mean more jobs
Ramaphosa said visa reform goes beyond immigration reform. Rather, it is also an economic and jobs reform.
“Every reform we undertake must ultimately answer one question: Will it help create work and expand opportunity for South Africans?
“The Electronic Travel Authorisation answers that question with a resounding yes. 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.”
