The Department of Home Affairs has published draft regulations proposing a new R500 (US$30) processing fee for applications submitted through the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) platform.
The amendments, gazetted on July 27, propose the second phase of the ETA rollout. Under the proposal, travellers from countries that require a visa to visit South Africa would be required to apply through the ETA platform. These travellers would pay the new R500 (US$30) ETA processing fee in addition to the applicable visa fee.
Travellers from visa-required countries that are not exempt from visa fees would pay the existing R425 (US$25) visa fee together with the new R500 (US$30) ETA processing fee, bringing the total application cost to R925 (US$55). According to the Department of Home Affairs, this would replace the previous process, which typically cost travellers R1 975 (US$118) through the outsourced VFS system.
Travellers from visa-exempt countries would be able to choose to use the ETA voluntarily during this phase. The gazette describes the voluntary use of the ETA by visa-exempt travellers as an “initial” approach while preserving existing visa-free travel privileges.
During the initial rollout of the ETA, visa and ETA processing fees were temporarily waived because the platform did not yet support integrated online payments.
In the gazette, Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said operating the ETA as a fully subsidised service was not financially sustainable and that the processing fee would help cover the operational costs of maintaining the platform. Bringing visa processing in-house would reduce overall costs for many travellers by eliminating the need for outsourced processing through VFS, he added.
The gazette gives notice of the Minister’s intention to amend the regulations on fees. The draft amendments provide for a commencement date of August 17 but are not yet in force.
This is a developing story as Tourism Update continues engaging with the industry on the practical implications of the ETA system as well as with the Department of Home Affairs on what it means for the Trusted Tour Operator Scheme.
We will also seek clarification on the department’s assertion that visa-exempt travellers may voluntarily opt to use the ETA due to improvements in efficiency and security. If you have any questions, comments or insights, please share them below or email us at editor@tourismupdate.com.
