South Africa: Home Affairs Minister Directs Efforts to Reducing Red Tape, Digitalisation

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber says South Africa is accelerating efforts to build a digital-first department, with expanded access to identity services, a growing electronic travel authorisation system and further reforms planned for the country's immigration regime.

Speaking at the Xpatweb Annual Global Mobility Conference on Tuesday, Schreiber said the department was moving beyond plans for reform and was now focused on implementation, positioning Home Affairs as an economic enabler that could support investment, tourism, critical skills and economic growth.

The Minister said the department's latest milestone was the expansion of its Trusted Employer Scheme, which has been broadened to include major infrastructure projects, companies establishing headquarters in South Africa and the financial services sector.

The scheme is also being streamlined through reduced red tape and greater digitalisation.

Companies interested in participating have until 4 September to apply.

Schreiber said the broader reform programme, known as Home Affairs @ home, was aimed at using technology to decentralise access to government services and reduce the need for people to visit Home Affairs offices.

A key part of the programme has been a partnership with the banking sector, which has enabled South Africans to apply for Smart ID Cards at participating bank branches without paperwork or appointments.

According to Schreiber, 422 119 applications had been processed through the partnership in just over four months.

The number of locations where citizens can obtain replacement Smart IDs has increased from 214 Home Affairs offices to 541 sites, with more than 750 bank branches expected to offer services by the end of the year.

The Minister said the expansion had been achieved without additional staff, budget or cost to taxpayers.

By the end of the year, passports and first-time Smart ID applications for adults and minors are also expected to become available at participating bank branches.

Schreiber said citizens would additionally have the option of having their IDs and passports delivered by courier to their homes before the end of 2026.

The Minister said the expansion of Smart ID services would also pave the way for the eventual discontinuation of the green identity document, which he said would help combat fraud and identity theft.

Another major pillar of the department's reforms is the development of a voluntary Digital ID system. Schreiber said South Africans would eventually be able to access secure digital versions of Home Affairs documents on their mobile devices, while retaining the option of using physical identity documents.

The digital transformation is also being extended to immigration.

Schreiber described the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) as the department's flagship immigration reform, saying it was designed not merely to digitise existing processes but to replace the country's outdated visa operating model with a modern platform using machine learning, biometric verification and automated risk analysis.

The ETA, initially piloted for travellers from China, India, Indonesia and Mexico, has already processed more than 203 000 applications, according to the Minister.

More than 5 700 fraudulent applications were rejected after the system detected fraudulent passports, manipulated documents and other indicators of fraud.

Schreiber said the system would be expanded to additional countries and visa categories, with study visas among the categories expected to be added by the end of the year.

The department has also activated an extension module that will allow qualifying visitors already in South Africa, including visa-exempt travellers, to apply digitally for an additional 90 days.

Schreiber said the long-term goal was to turn the ETA into a comprehensive digital immigration platform covering a broader range of immigration services.

He also pointed to Cabinet's adoption of the Revised White Paper on Citizenship, Immigration and Refugee Protection as an important policy milestone.

Government intended to introduce legislation giving effect to the revised policy framework in Parliament at the beginning of the next financial year.

Read the original article on SAnews.gov.za.