Will long queues at Home Affairs soon be a thing of the past?

Long queues at Home Affairs could soon be eliminated. On September 30, 2024, the Minister of Home Affairs announced a five-year strategic plan designed to transform the department into a digital-first entity from 2024 to 2029.

Home Affairs at your home

According to the South African Government, this initiative envisions a future where in-person visits to Home Affairs will no longer be necessary. This new approach was dubbed Home Affairs @ home and aims to ease the inconvenience of long Home Affairs queues.

In a media statement, Dr Leon Schreiber stated that the department’s vision is for all of its services to become fully automated, digitised, and available online ‘at the fingertips of our clients, from the comfort of their own homes’.

“Rather than going to Home Affairs, our vision under the Government of National Unity is to bring Home Affairs to you.”
Minister Leon Schreiber

How will this digital service work?

Routine services such as IDs, passports, and certificates will be accessible through an online, secure, biometrics-linked platform. This platform will be similar to the systems that banks and the South African Revenue Service (SARS) use. An automated system will process applications. Human intervention will only be necessary in the case of an anomaly.

Initially, approved documents will be shipped directly to clients locally and abroad. The plan is for these documents to eventually be available digitally through a secure profile or phone wallet app.

Immigration services

Travellers to South Africa will apply for Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) via a secure online platform. Subsequently, they will submit biometrics for instant assessment. In the long run, digital codes linked to passports will replace paper visas. At entry points, travellers will scan their ETA code and also submit biometrics for verification.

How will Home Affairs ensure security?

The new digital Home Affairs system will enhance South Africa’s national security by using biometric technology to prevent identity fraud and detect fraudulent or reused documents, according to capetownetc.

Furthermore, an automated risk engine will cross-reference visa applications with domestic and international criminal databases.

Home Affairs @ home will contribute to restoring the integrity of South Africa’s national security, stated Minister Schreiber in the media statement. Using the same biometric technology that secures smartphones, online banking, and other platforms, the automated risk engine will be able to identify and prevent attempts at identity fraud.