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Here we go again. Yet another major tourist destination is rolling out an Entry Travel Authorization, the much-dreaded digital permit requirement that is slowly but surely ending complete visa-free travel worldwide.
Ask any American who’s been to the U.K., South Korea, or even Thailand recently. Now, it’s South Africa’s turn to jump on the bandwagon.
Starting this fall, Americans will no longer be able to land in the popular African country passport-in-hand only, unless they have been pre-approved for travel; they shouldn’t even bother getting to the airport in the first place, as they will be denied boarding.
ETAs Will Be Mandatory For Americans Visiting South Africa From The Fall
It’s a tricky world to navigate as an American.
If you think the era of travel restrictions and complicated border rules is past us, now that COVID is half a decade old, think again: ETAs are on the rise, and they seem to be here to stay.
First introduced by nations like Australia and New Zealand to strengthen their border control and ensure a stricter screening of foreign arrivals.
It has since then expanded to countries like the United Kingdom, South Korea, Thailand, and Sri Lanka, and soon enough, it will be introduced in Japan, and become widespread across much of Europe once the European Union’s own version of an ETA, the long-delayed ETIAS, rolls out.
Oh, and Americans wouldn’t actually know unless they’re very travel savvy, but even the United States and Canada have Electronic Travel Authorization systems in place—but then again, you’re exempt from both as a U.S. passport holder.
The point is that ETAs have been sneakily becoming the norm rather than the exception for many years now, so it was only a matter of time before South Africa brought them in.
Easier Entry Into South Africa?
As confirmed by the South African Minister of Home Affairs, Leon Schreiber, the South African ETA will go live in September 2025. It will apply to all current visa-exempt travelers, including Americans, who have been able to enter South Africa visa-free or with an e-visa up until now.
In Mr Schreiber’s words, the South African ETA is designed to reduce long waiting times at the border, document fraud, alleviate ‘administrative burdens’, and ‘digitize’ visa and entry/exit processes.
Similar to the visa-waiver agreement signed between the United States and South Africa, the ETA will authorize Americans to stay for up to 90 days and become a mandatory requirement.
To put it simply, unless you have applied for an ETA and hold a valid travel permit, you will no longer be authorized to embark a South Africa-bound flight or cross the South African border.
How Will The South African ETA Work?
During their application for a South African ETA, Americans will be expected to fill out an online questionnaire, upload their passport information, and answer a series of questions about their personal lives and travel details.
ETA forms typically take 5-10 minutes to complete, and you’re usually required to pay a processing fee at the end.
They are then processed online, and in most cases, you will receive approval directly from the email address you provided when applying.
Regrettably, at this stage, we have no information regarding the process itself, as the platform has not been released, nor processing fees, though ETAs typically cost between $5 and $23, depending on the country.
The question of validity has not been addressed, either: will the South African ETA be valid for a single entry? Will it be valid for multiple entries over a period of 2–5 years, like other ETAs currently available in the market?
We will be sure to report back as soon as those details are known.
Will It Replace The Current e-Visa?
South African authorities have yet to clarify whether the new system will completely replace the current e-Visa system, open to citizens of 30 countries (excluding the United States).
It is unclear whether the current e-Visa, introduced back in 2019, and the soon-to-be-launched ETA will be merged, or whether they’ll stay separate, with distinct application processes and fees.
As the minister has confirmed, we do know that it will be fully issued digitally and can be stored in an applicant’s smartphone wallet, right next to their bank cards and flight tickets.
As he described, it will include a QR code that can be easily flashed for verification by both check-in staff at airport counters, and later by border officers upon landing at one of South Africa’s international airports.
Traveling abroad in the near future? Don’t let these ever-changing entry requirements catch you by surprise: check out our new TOP Checker, with real-time updates for visa policies traveling to every country in the world.
Vinicius Costa
Vini, our senior lead writer at Travel Off Path, has over 60+ countries under his belt (and currently weaving tales from Paris!), and a knack for turning off-the-beaten-path experiences into informative stories that will have you packing your bags.
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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com
Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
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