In a statement released yesterday, the South African government announced that Minister of Home Affairs Leon Schreiber will introduce the new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system on September 18, 2025, at the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) conference.
“On Thursday, 18 September 2025, the Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Leon Schreiber, will deliver an in-depth public presentation of the new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) currently under development,” the government confirmed.
According to the statement, South Africa’s ETA will rely on artificial intelligence to streamline application processes and strengthen security.
The release explained: “Through cutting-edge machine learning technology, the ETA is designed to, over time, digitalise and automate South Africa’s visa processes to eliminate inefficiency and fraud.”
South Africa: ETA rollout to begin late September 2025
As Leon Schreiber outlined back in June, the ETA is expected to launch at the end of September, initially covering tourist travel for passengers arriving at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport and Cape Town International Airport.
Authorities plan to gradually expand the system to include additional travel categories and ports of entry, fine-tuning it as it evolves.
One unresolved question concerns which travelers will be required to apply for an ETA. South African officials have said the list of affected nationalities will only be published at the official launch of the system.
Several media outlets suggest that, similar to requirements in the US, Canada, and more recently the UK, the ETA could apply to nationals who are currently visa-exempt, introducing a new pre-travel step.
Moreover, Minister Schreiber recently noted: “Over time, the ETA will be expanded to more visa categories and rolled out at more ports of entry. This scale-up will continue until no person can enter South Africa without obtaining a digital visa through the ETA.”
It is also likely that, in its initial phase, the ETA will apply only to travelers currently eligible for South Africa’s e-Visa. An official update is expected this Thursday.
