Ramaphosa launches digital travel system as SA moves to make border entry faster and smarter

President Cyril Ramaphosa has launched South Africa’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system, signalling a major shift towards digital immigration services and a more streamlined way for eligible travellers to enter the country.

Speaking at OR Tambo International Airport on Wednesday, Ramaphosa said the new system was about more than replacing paperwork with technology, arguing that the ease with which people can enter a country increasingly influences tourism, investment and economic growth.

“Visa reform is therefore not simply an immigration reform. It is an economic reform. It is a jobs reform,” Ramaphosa said.

The President linked the launch directly to South Africa’s efforts to tackle unemployment, saying a more accessible country could benefit businesses and workers across the economy.

He pointed to the potential knock-on effects of increased international travel, including more hotel bookings, restaurant customers, flights, conferences, tourism activity, exports and investment.

From paperwork to online applications

Under the new system, eligible travellers will be able to apply for travel authorisation online without having to visit a South African diplomatic mission or visa-processing centre.

Ramaphosa said applications would be processed more quickly and provide travellers with greater predictability before they begin their journey.

The ETA was initially introduced in four strategic markets, China, India, Indonesia and Mexico in support of South Africa's G20 Presidency.

Government is preparing to expand the system to additional countries.

The digital approach is also expected to eventually extend beyond visitor authorisations to areas such as work and study visas.

'A smarter immigration system'

While the government wants to make legitimate travel easier, Ramaphosa stressed that digital reform would not mean weaker border controls.

“A modern immigration system is not a weaker immigration system. It is a smarter immigration system,” he said.

The President said technology would allow authorities to gather information about travellers before they arrive, improve biometric verification and strengthen identity management and risk assessment.

The system is therefore intended to make lawful travel faster while helping authorities identify travellers who may pose security or immigration risks.

Ramaphosa said the ETA forms part of government's broader Comprehensive Approach to Migration Management, which includes stronger enforcement of immigration and labour laws, improved border management and reforms to migration legislation and policy.

Part of wider economic reforms

The President positioned the ETA within Operation Vulindlela, the government's programme aimed at removing structural barriers to economic growth.

He said reforms were already under way across electricity, telecommunications, freight rail, ports and water infrastructure, with immigration now forming another part of the reform agenda.

“These are not isolated reforms,” Ramaphosa said, arguing that collectively they are intended to remove barriers to investment, growth and job creation.

He also linked the ETA to the Department of Home Affairs' Home Affairs @ Home vision of a fully digital public service.

The President said South Africans increasingly expect government services to be fast, transparent, reliable and accessible online, and that Home Affairs needed to meet those expectations.

Borders as economic assets

Ramaphosa said South Africa's borders should be viewed not merely as points of entry but as strategic national assets where security, tourism, trade, logistics and economic development intersect.

The success of the new system, he said, would depend on cooperation between Home Affairs, the Border Management Authority, SARS, the Department of Tourism, South African Tourism, airlines, diplomatic missions, technology companies and the private sector.

He described the launch as evidence that government can implement meaningful reforms when departments work together.

Ramaphosa concluded that the ETA should not simply be viewed as a new visa system, but as part of South Africa's broader effort to become a more modern, capable and globally competitive state.