Home Affairs to deliver passports to South Africans abroad, Minister Announces.

The Forum for Immigration Practitioners of South Africa (FIPSA) held its first ever Immigration Indaba in Durban, KwaZulu Natal, marking a major milestone for the organisation. The 2025 Immigration Indaba was described as a premier national dialogue and networking platform dedicated to advancing immigration reform, skills development, and economic growth in South Africa.
The event brought together immigration professionals, policymakers, and investors for a full day of strategic engagement, collaboration, and relationship building. Key government departments including the Department of Home Affairs (DHA), the Department of Trade Industry and Competition (DTIC), and the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) participated in the discussions.
Home Affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber addressed delegates through a pre-recorded message as he was abroad to open new DHA service centres aimed at improving turnaround times for South Africans living overseas who require birth certificates and passports.
Schreiber said that over the past 15 months, the Department of Home Affairs had embarked on what he described as the most ambitious agenda since 1994. He said the department’s vision was to deliver efficient Home Affairs services at home and abroad by embracing digital transformation.
He said the department was working to digitise and automate all processes, including immigration, which forms part of FIPSA’s work.
“We have already proven this concept through our trusted two-operator scheme where we digitised tourist visas for registered groups from China and India. We issued over 40 000 visas securely and within just a few days to tourists who would otherwise have struggled to visit South Africa,” said Schreiber.
He said the department was now taking the next step with the rollout of a new electronic travel authorisation known as ETA.
“As we speak, the system is going live for G20 delegates from the four G20 member states that require visas for short stay visits to South Africa. These are China, India, Mexico, and Indonesia,” Schreiber said.
He said ETA signage, cameras, and terminals were already operational at OR Tambo and Cape Town International Airports.
Schreiber explained that through the ETA system, applicants can obtain their visas through a fully digitised, automated, and secure process. “Instead of travelling long distances and standing in queues, filling in paperwork, and waiting weeks for a tourist visa, they are now able to apply on their smart device, scan their passports, and take a selfie. Machine-based risk engines check their applications and issue outcomes within minutes. When they arrive in South Africa, they will look into the camera at the immigration desk to instantly verify their biometrics,” he said.
Following the G20 Summit, Schreiber said the intention is to open the ETA system to all tourists from the four countries before expanding it to visitors from other parts of the world.
He said the department plans to extend the ETA system to cover more visa categories, eliminating human discretion and bias that often cause visa delays and corruption.
“Over time, we will also roll it out at all ports of entry including land borders to ensure that no one is able to enter South Africa without this user-friendly yet digitally secured visa authorisation,” Schreiber added.
He said that during the 2024-25 financial year, there was significant improvement in visa adjudication times. The percentage of critical skills visas adjudicated on time improved from 52 to 89 percent, business visas from 61 to 97 percent, and general work visas from 10 to 98 percent.
Leslie Tlago Fick, Manager of One Stop Shops nationwide at the DTIC, said the department was supporting the ease of doing business and investment in South Africa.
“As the DTIC, on behalf of the South African government, we are taking leadership in positioning the country as an investment destination. We work closely with all partners across government and the private sector so that investors can quickly relocate and operationalise their investments in the country,” he said.
Fick said FIPSA plays a critical role in advising investors on how to access government services, particularly through one-stop shops. “We are thankful for the current leadership and the ETA system that will help ensure that South Africa’s passport and immigration processes are dignified. That will improve our image among investors globally,” he said.
Nonhlanhla Ngwenya from the Department of Employment and Labour spoke about the national labour migration policy which was initiated by SADC ministers to ensure harmonisation of migration policies within the region.
She said South Africa had already begun developing the policy, which aims to align national labour migration management processes. The policy seeks to address four key areas: labour migration governance, data for national labour migration policy, labour migration into South Africa, and labour migration from South Africa.
FIPSA Western Cape Chapter Chairperson, Rod Maxwell, said the Indaba was a success and represented a decade of work to bring together key stakeholders. “We worked for 10 years to host our first Indaba and to have Home Affairs, the Labour Department, DTIC, and embassies participate. This was to promote FIPSA, provoke the industry, and promote safe immigration,” he said.
Responding to the Minister’s address, Maxwell said it was important to embrace technological change. “It is important to embrace digitisation. Change is inevitable,” he said.
The event concluded with delegates expressing a shared commitment to strengthening collaboration between the public and private sectors in the management of immigration and the promotion of South Africa as a competitive and welcoming destination for global talent and investment.