South Africa’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) was launched nationally by President Cyril Ramaphosa at OR Tambo International Airport on 12 August 2026. Five days later, on 17 August, a R500 electronic processing fee came into force. Travellers who qualify now apply online for permission to visit, instead of lodging a paper visitor’s visa application at a mission or visa application centre.
The ETA first opened in October 2025 as a pilot during South Africa’s G20 Presidency, for G20 delegates from China, India, Indonesia and Mexico, and was later opened to other travellers from those four countries. At the national launch the Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Leon Schreiber, reported that the system had processed 216,204 applications since the pilot began and rejected 6,126 as fraudulent.
How it works
The ETA combines biometric verification, machine learning and the upgraded Electronic Movement Control System (eMCS 2.0) used at the border. Applications go through the ETA portal, and the Department says an approved traveller receives the ETA within 24 hours and can keep it in a digital wallet on their phone.
At launch it served arrivals at four airports: OR Tambo, Cape Town International, King Shaka International and Lanseria. The Department plans to bring facial recognition and eMCS 2.0 to land and sea ports over the coming months.
What it costs
The fee is no longer a proposal. It was published in draft for comment on 27 July 2026, and the final version, Government Notice R.7834 in Gazette 55209, took effect on publication on 17 August 2026. It sets an electronic processing fee of R500 for the ETA. The same schedule lists the visitor’s visa at R425, so a traveller who needs a visa and is not exempt from visa fees pays R925 in government fees through the ETA.
The Department compares that with about R1,975 for the same visit through the outsourced visa application centres, because the online route removes their service charge.
Who can apply now
At launch the portal accepted citizens of the four pilot countries. The Department said it would add countries “systematically” over the following weeks and tell each country’s embassy as it does so, with the aim of covering every nationality that needs a visa for a short visit. Travellers from visa-exempt countries do not need an ETA, although the Department says they will be able to apply voluntarily to use a faster ETA queue on arrival.
We have not seen an official list of the countries added since launch, so the portal is the authority on your nationality. If it will not accept your application, the ordinary visitor’s visa route still applies.
What it means for your trip
- Covered nationality: apply on the portal before you travel. For a short visit, the ETA takes the place of the visitor’s visa application.
- Coming to work or study: the ETA covers a visit only. Work and study each need their own visa, applied for in the usual way, and our South African Work Visas overview sets out the options for employment.
- Staying longer than planned: extending your stay is a separate application to the Department, made before your current permission runs out. Our Tourist Visa Extensions page explains how that works and the risk of overstaying.
- Film crews and event delegates: a group route may apply instead. See how the STAGES and MEETS schemes work.
Not sure whether the ETA or a visa is the right application for your passport and your reason for travelling? Send us your details and we will tell you which one to make.
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