Travellers to South Africa will pay a new $30 digital processing fee

South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs has formally proposed a new ZAR 500 (approximately US$30) electronic processing fee for travellers applying online for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) and other digital visas, according to draft regulations published this week.

The proposal, gazetted by the Department of Home Affairs, means that foreign nationals who require travel authorisation for short-term visits—including Nigerians and other African nationals—will face a new mandatory cost on top of any existing visa fees. The new charge is an additional processing fee for applications handled through the country’s expanding digital border management system, and it applies across the board to work, business, corporate, exchange visas, and permanent residence permits submitted and processed online.

The development signals a significant shift in how Africa’s largest travel hub manages cross-border movement, embedding a fixed digital toll into the entry process for millions of visitors. For Nigerian travellers, travel-tech startups, and fintech platforms that interface with South African immigration systems, the new fee introduces a concrete, recurring cost that must be built into product design, pricing, and user experience.

A layered fee structure for different travellers

The draft amendments establish a clear but tiered fee framework. For visa-required travellers who must use the ETA system, the total cost becomes the applicable visa fee plus the new ZAR 500 ETA processing fee. For visa-required travellers whose visa fees are exempt or waived, only the ZAR 500 processing fee would apply. For visa-exempt travellers, ETA usage remains voluntary—those who choose the streamlined digital process will pay the ZAR 500 fee, but they do not lose their visa-free access if they opt out.

Immigration advisory firm BAL has confirmed that “visa-exempt travelers who voluntarily use ETA will be required to pay the 500-rand processing fee.” The same consultation documents clarify that travellers from visa-exempt countries will not lose their visa-free access to South Africa, but those who voluntarily use the ETA platform for a faster experience would also pay the proposed fee.

The government has framed the charge as necessary because the ETA platform has until now operated as a fully subsidised service without an integrated online payment system. The new fee is intended to support ongoing operations and sustainability of the digital visa framework.

What the new costs replace—and what they don’t

Existing visa and permit application fees remain in place. The ZAR 500 is an additional charge, not a replacement. However, for some applicants who currently pay high combined visa and outsourced service fees through providers like VFS Global, the total cost could actually fall. The government argues that applicants who previously paid around ZAR 1,975 via outsourced channels could see costs drop to approximately ZAR 925 when using the direct ETA or e-visa platform plus the new ZAR 500 processing fee.

The ETA platform, launched in October 2025, initially entered a pilot phase in late September 2025 for selected travellers, with a mid-October pilot for G20 delegates from China, India, Indonesia, and Mexico arriving at OR Tambo and Cape Town airports. The Department of Home Affairs intends to expand the system to cover all countries that require a visa to enter South Africa, making ETA mandatory for these travellers. Applications are expected to be processed within 24 hours, and a typical ETA allows stays of up to 90 days, with the possibility of one online extension for a further 90 days.

IBN Immigration, a consultancy tracking the rollout, has described the ETA as “South Africa’s new digital entry permit designed to simplify and modernise the country’s visa system.” The process is entirely online: travellers create a secure profile, complete a short form, upload documents, pay the fee, and receive an electronic authorisation linked to their passport.

Timeline and public consultation

The proposal is not yet in force. The Department of Home Affairs has opened a formal public consultation period on the draft amendments, which runs until 11 August 2026. If adopted following consultation, the amended fee regulations introducing the ZAR 500 processing charges are scheduled to take effect on 17 August 2026. Global immigration firm Envoy Global Immigration has stressed that “the proposal remains subject to the public consultation process, and no immediate changes to visa application requirements or fees are currently in force.”

For Nigerian and African travellers, travel-tech companies, and fintech platforms building services around cross-border movement, the six-week consultation window is the period during which fee structures, integrations, and user-facing cost estimates must be finalised before the new charges become operational.