Understanding South Africa's new R500 visa fee

The Department of Home Affairs has proposed a R500 electronic processing fee for travellers using South Africa’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system.

The Department of Home Affairs has proposed a R500 electronic processing fee for travellers using South Africa’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system.

The proposal is contained in a draft notice published in Government Gazette No. 55072 last month.

The ETA, introduced in October 2025, allows travellers to apply for travel authorisation and visas online as part of Home Affairs’ digital transformation programme.

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said the ETA had been operating as a fully subsidised service because the platform initially lacked an integrated online payment facility.

Visa fees for countries in the first phase were temporarily waived, and no dedicated ETA processing fee was charged.

Schreiber said the department was now ready to introduce integrated online payments to collect application fees.

“It is proposed that a processing fee be set at R500 per ETA application ,” he said.

The next phase will make the ETA compulsory for travellers from non-visa-exempt countries included on the platform. It will initially remain optional for travellers from visa-exempt countries.

The department expects visa-exempt travellers to take up the platform because of the efficiency and security improvements it offers.

For travellers from non-visa-exempt countries, the proposed fee structure would bring the total cost of an application to R925, compared with the current cost of R1,975.

The department said the online system would also reduce costs for travellers who currently use outsourced visa service providers.

The ETA will allow applications to be submitted online, removing the need for travellers to visit South African missions or VFS application centres.