Applying for a South African tourist visa used to mean paperwork, queues and handing over your passport for weeks. For travellers from 53 countries, that is changing. Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said on 1 October that the country’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) now accepts short-stay visa applications from 53 countries, with more being added every week.
Speaking at Constitution Hill, Schreiber said the system uses biometrics, document checks and machine learning, and has cut processing from weeks to 24 hours. Approved travellers keep their authorisation in a smartphone wallet.
Who benefits
He pointed to China and India, where applicants once had to travel to one of a handful of offices, submit paper forms and leave their passports behind while they waited.
There are limits. For now the ETA only works for arrivals through four international airports, with other entry points to follow. It covers short stays only; study and work visas are due to be added in early 2027. The long-term plan is for the ETA to handle every type of visa and permit.
Schreiber linked the reform to the government’s hopes for more tourism and jobs. It is too early to know how many extra visitors it will bring, but for many travellers the process just got much easier.
