Expect big travel changes
coming in South Africa, including a new ID system
Btechhub – 12/5/2022
The
Department of Home Affairs is working on a number of new technologies which it
says will help speed up travel times.
In its
recently tabled annual performance plan for 2022/2023, the department said this
will include the introduction of new biometric solutions at both the country’s
airports and land borders.
The
country is also introducing new visas and an e-gate systems which are expected
to cut down on processing time.
Biometric
Movement Control System (BMCS)
The
department is in the process of developing a Biometric Movement Control System
(BMCS) which will enable the capturing of fingerprint and facial biometric data
of all travellers who enter or exit South Africa.
This will
be built onto the existing live capture platform and be rolled out at 34 ports
of entry across the country, it said.
While the
list of identified ports of entry is subject to change, the system is expected
to roll out at the major airport and land borders including:
- OR Tambo International
Airport;
- Cape Town International
Airport;
- King Shaka International
Airport;
- Lanseria International
Airport;
- Beit Bridge;
- Lebombo (including KM 7 and
4);
- Maseru Bridge;
- Ficksburg;
- Oshoek;
- Kopfontein;
- Caledonspoort;
- Ramatlabama.
E-gates
and trusted passenger system
The
department is currently piloting e-gates at Cape Town International Airport
aimed at improving passenger processing times and experience whilst maintaining
the security and integrity of the country’s borders.
The goal
is to expand these e-gates to the country’s other major international airports
alongside the introduction of a new passenger name record system.
The
passenger name record system will be used to identify unknown threats based on
passenger profiles, and the advanced passenger processing system is used to
identify known suspects (for example, those on stop and watchlists).
For the
e-gates pilot at Cape Town International Airport, South African passport
holders travelling internationally will proceed to e-gates for self-service
immigration clearance where the following is performed:
- Biometric verification;
- Passport authenticity and
validity checks;
- Checks against the BMCS risk
engine; and
- The BMCS will record the
movements of persons on the system after all system checks have been
successfully performed.
Home
Affairs said that the e-gates project will help address the key issue of
traveller identification management, which is at the heart of secure and
facilitated travel.
Visas
The
department plans to expand both its traditional visa and e-visa systems in the
coming years which will make it easier for tourists and business travellers to
enter the country.
It noted
that the tourist module of the e-Visa has been activated in 14 countries thus
far, including China, India, Kenya and Nigeria.
“The
e-Visa system will see tourists and visitors to South Africa applying for their
visas online, the applications sent to a central adjudication hub for approval
whilst applicants sit in the comfort of their homes. This will result in the
issuing of virtual visas,” the department said.
“This
paperless virtual visa will combat visa fraud and open South Africa as a
desirable destination and the e-Visa system will have huge tourism growth
implications for the country.”
As
announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his state of the nation address, the
department said it will also streamline and modernise the visa application
process to make it easier to travel to South Africa for the purposes of
tourism, business and work.
“A
comprehensive review of the work visa regime is currently underway and includes
exploring the possibility of new visa categories that could enable economic
growth, such as a startup visa and remote working visa,” it said.
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