The Department of Home Affairs has launched South Africa’s Electronic Travel Authorisation platform.
The system is part of the department’s drive to digitise services, says Minister Leon Schreiber.
It has already rolled out digitalised smart-ID replacement services in partnership with major banks. By the end of the year this will be expanded to include first-time Smart ID applications, Passport applications, and the option for home delivery.
The department is also working on delivering digital identity and is processing public comments on draft regulations to govern the digital ID system, while developing a prototype.
The launch of the ETA will assist with mobility and migration management, Schreiber says. It is expected to unlock economic growth through tourism, investment and legitimate travel, while making visa fraud and illegal immigration less likely.
The ETA system allows travellers to register a profile on the website, which includes One-Time Pin verification of their cell phone number and email address.
The traveller scans their passport and uploads a selfie. Through biometric technology, the platform compares their passport photo to their facial photograph, confirming that they are the same person.
The algorithm also automatically scans their passport, checking over 40 different parameters to verify that it is authentic.
Once payment has been made, the ETA uses automated risk analysis to identify indicators of fraud or risk at a speed and scale that no human being could possibly achieve.
If the application is approved, the traveller will receive their ETA within 24 hours, which they can then store in the digital wallet on their smart phone.
Once an approved traveller arrives at the immigration counter, they are again required to look into a camera, where biometric verification confirms they are the same person who received travel authorization.
Schreiber explains that the Border Management Authority, in collaboration with the South African Revenue Service, has upgraded the Electronic Movement Control System to create what has been dubbed EMCS 2.0, at international airports.
EMCS 2.0 is biometrically enabled to use facial verification to determine whether a traveller may enter the country, eliminating the scope for criminals to use fraudulent passports or visa papers.
“In other words: the face of the traveller becomes the key that determines whether they may enter, rather than physical documents that can be manipulated,” Schreiber says.
“This feature has also laid the foundation for us to significantly reduce immigration queues.”
The ETA also lets Home Affairs detect overstayers in real-time, he adds.
“When a person travelling on an ETA leaves the country, their face is again verified at the departure counter. If someone’s face has not been recorded as exiting in time, they will receive direct communication that they are at risk of overstaying and prosecution.”
The system was piloted during last year’s G20pPresidency for travellers from China, India, Indonesia and Mexico and has since processed 216 204 applications.
During the next phase of work, the ETA will become compulsory for short stay visits from countries that require port-of-entry visas to South Africa.
The system will initially be available for travellers who arrive at OR Tambo International Airport, Cape Town International Airport, King Shaka International Airport and Lanseria International Airport. After that it will roll out to land and sea ports.
The ultimate aim is to turn it into the single-entry point and central platform for an end-to-end digital immigration system, where all visa categories are processed through biometric and machine learning technology.