PRETORIA – South Africa’s Minister of Home Affairs, Leon Schreiber, has announced the launch of a new Artificial Intelligence-powered Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system, set to go live by the end of September 2025.
The system, designed to handle tourist visa applications for stays shorter than 90 days, will be implemented at major international airports by the Border Management Authority (BMA). Schreiber described the ETA as a fully digital process that aims to eliminate fraud, reduce queues, and modernise immigration procedures.
He revealed the update on Thursday through a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), where he shared a screenshot of his own ETA visa stored in his smartphone wallet, saying it was issued using the new system.
“This is not a mockup. This is a real ETA visa, stored in my real smartphone wallet,” Schreiber wrote. He described the rollout as a demonstration of Home Affairs’ commitment to building “a tech-driven service delivery revolution that enhances national security and efficiency.”
On Wednesday, the minister showcased the technology to President Cyril Ramaphosa, referencing a February State of the Nation Address in which the president had announced plans to digitalise visa and entry/exit processes at South African ports of entry.
According to Schreiber, the department eventually intends to shift all visa types to this AI-based platform, aiming to streamline operations and cut down on inefficiencies that have long plagued the country’s immigration system.
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