Eswatini Takes Passports Digital and Prepares e-Visa Scanning at Borders

Eswatini's Ministry of Home Affairs is moving passport services online in an effort to reduce the cost of obtaining a passport and shorten the queues that have long built up at its offices. Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Pholile Shakantu, speaking on behalf of the ministry, also confirmed readiness to issue and scan electronic visas (e-Visas) at points of entry.

Key facts

• Passport services are to be handled digitally by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• The stated aims are lower passport costs and shorter queues for passports and certificates.
• E-Visa issuance and scanning are ready at points of entry to verify authenticity.
• No start date, fees or application procedures have been announced.

What is changing?

According to Shakantu, the Ministry of Home Affairs is now going digital on passports. The shift is intended to bring down what it costs to get a passport and to reduce the waiting lines seen when people apply for passports and various certificates at different ministry work stations.

What is happening with e-Visas at the border?

Shakantu further disclosed that the ministry is ready to issue and scan e-Visas at points of entry so that they can be authenticated. An e-Visa is an electronic visa: rather than a sticker or stamp placed in a passport by an embassy, a traveller applies online and receives approval digitally. At the border, immigration officers scan the e-Visa to confirm it is genuine and to check the traveller's details against the system before allowing entry.

When do the changes start?

No start date has been announced for either the digital passport services or the e-Visa scanning at points of entry. The source also gives no details on fees, processing times or how travellers and citizens will apply.

Why is this happening?

Shakantu said the digital shift forms part of efforts to modernise services and improve efficiency despite budget constraints.

What this means for travellers

Travellers to Eswatini can expect e-Visas to be issued and scanned at points of entry once the arrangement is in place, with officers verifying approvals electronically. Anyone planning to apply for an Eswatini passport or e-Visa should watch for an official announcement setting out the start date, costs and application steps, none of which have been published yet.

No further timetable has been made public. The announcement was made in Mbabane.