For South Africans living abroad, a trip to South Africa is often much more than just a holiday. It is a visit to parents and grandparents, a Christmas with family, a wedding, a funeral or simply the chance to be home again for a few weeks.

But when your family is spread across different countries and nationalities, the administration involved in such a visit can become complicated. For example, a foreign spouse, partner or travel companion may be subject to different visa requirements.

This is precisely why South Africa’s new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system is also a development the South African diaspora should watch.

Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Leon Schreiber, recently announced that the system has already processed more than 200 000 applications. According to him more than 6 000 fraudulent applications were detected and rejected by using biometric technology and machine learning.

At the official launch of the ETA in August, Schreiber put the figures at 216 204 processed applications and 6 126 rejected fraudulent applications.

From paperwork to a digital travel process

The ETA forms part of the Department of Home Affairs’ broader plan to modernise South Africa’s immigration process and increasingly move away from long-winded paper-based procedures.

The idea is that qualifying travellers can complete their travel and visa processes digitally, while technology is simultaneously used to verify identity and detect potential fraud.

The ETA utilises among other things, biometric information, facial verification and machine learning. Passports and documentation can be checked electronically, while the traveller’s identity is confirmed using biometric data.

It is therefore a matter of two objectives that may appear to be at odds with each other: making legal travel to South Africa easier, while simultaneously making it more difficult to abuse the immigration system.

What does this mean for South Africans abroad?

For a South African travelling solely on aSouth African passport, the ETA is naturally not a new visa requirement for entering his or her own country.

The greater value for the diaspora lies rather with the people with whom South Africans abroad have built their lives.

Consider, for example, a South African living in Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, or New Zealand who is married to someone of a different nationality. Or a family where not every member holds the same citizenship or passport.

When visiting South Africa, different immigration and visa rules may apply to various members of the same travel party.  

As the ETA is extended to more countries and visa categories, the digitisation of these processes could therefore also make a practical difference to the ease with which families can plan their visits to South Africa.

More than just tourism

However, the significance of the ETA extends beyond holiday travel.

South Africa competes with countries across the world to attract tourists, investors, entrepreneurs and skills. A visa system that is slow, unpredictable, or administratively complex can discourage people even before they board a plane.

Schreiber describes the new approach as one intended to make South Africa more welcoming to legitimate travellers, without compromising safety.

The system was initially tested for travellers from China, India, Indonesia and Mexico and is being further expanded. The government also indicated that more countries and visa categories will be added over time.

The long-term goal is much broader: the ETA must ultimately evolve into a comprehensive digital immigration platform.

Your face becomes part of your digital key

One of the mayor changes is the role played by biometric technology.

Among other things, the system can compare the photograph in a passport with the applicant’s face to verify identity. Documents are also checked electronically, and risk analysis is used to flag potential fraud.

When an ETA traveller arrives at the border, facial verification can again be used to confirm that the person entering the country is the same person to whom the travel authorisation was issued.

According to Schreiber, the ultimate idea is that the traveller’s identity – rather than merely a physical document that could potentially be tampered with – forms the core of the process.

The fact that more than 6 000 fraudulent applications have already been identified and rejected demonstrates why this security component is important.

Could this also make longer visits easier?

Another interesting development for people with family in South Africa is the digital extension of certain visits.

The Department of Home Affairs has already activated an extension module that enables qualifying visitors in South Africa to apply digitally to extend their stay by a further 90 days. This may be particularly relevant for people wishing to visit children, parents or family in South Africa for extended periods.

However, as with any immigration process, it remains important for travellers to verify in advance which rules apply to their specific nationality, passport and type of visit.

Not the end point yet

The ETA should therefore not be viewed as if South Africa’s entire visa system has already been replaced overnight.

It is a system that is still being expanded. The government plans to add more countries and more complex visa categories to the digital platform. Schreiber indicated, among other things, that the long-term goal is for study-, spousal- and work-related visa processes to also increasingly become part of the digital immigration system.

It means that the potential impact on the diaspora could become much greater over time.

For a South African who has been living abroad for years, immigration can easily feel like something that concerns only the country where you have settled. But immigration works in the other direction, too.

Your children are growing up. Families are becoming international. People are marrying citizens of other countries. Grandparents still live in South Africa. And suddenly a simple sentence like “We are going home in December” means that various passports, visa requirements and travel rules must be taken into account.

Therefore, South Africa’s shift to a safer and more digital travel system is also important for South Africans worldwide.

If the ETA ultimately achieves its intended purpose, the principles should be simple: make it easier for people who wish to come to South Africa legally – and more difficult for those attempting to abuse the system.

And for families spread across continents, fewer administrative hurdles could ultimately mean that the road home becomes a little simpler.

Do you live abroad and regularly travel to South Africa with a spouse, partner or family member of a different nationality? Please feel free to share your experience regarding visa and travel processes with us.

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Read Minister of Home Affairs, dr. Leon Schreiber’s official ETA speech