South Africa passport and visa changes: What travellers need to know about digital IDs

Updated April 9, 2026, 10:40 a.m. | By Danny Guselli

The way we travel is changing. Digital passports and biometric checks could soon replace the documents you have carried for years. Here is what South Africans need to know.

South Africans and travellers worldwide may soon be able to move through airports without presenting a physical passport or boarding pass, following successful trials of digital identity technology by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

The IATA has published results from several digital identity Proofs of Concept conducted with airlines, airports, governments and technology providers across Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, reports My Broadband.

The trials confirmed that contactless, biometric-enabled international travel is already technically feasible.

ALSO READ: How to get your child's unabridged birth certificate in South Africa

How would digital passport technology work at airports?

Under the proposed system, travellers would store a secure digital version of their passport on a smartphone. Facial recognition or other biometric checks would then verify identity at various points throughout the airport, removing the need to repeatedly present paper documents at check-in, boarding, and immigration.

The trials demonstrated that digital identity systems can support seamless journeys even when multiple airlines and different digital identity wallets are involved. Solutions tested included Digital ID in Apple Wallet for US passport holders, Google ID Pass for UK and US passport holders, and India's national Digi Yatra system.

What standards underpin the digital travel system?

The Proofs of Concept were built around IATA's One ID standards, its Contactless Travel Directory, and international frameworks developed by ISO, OpenID and W3C.

Willie Walsh, IATA's Director General, said the trials had proven that digital identity for international travel works securely and efficiently. He called on governments to accelerate the issuance and acceptance of Digital Travel Credentials, describing them as secure digital versions of passports.

Walsh noted the outcome would deliver stronger security, smoother journeys, and greater operational efficiency across the aviation sector.

ALSO READ: What to do when your water gets cut off in Durban

Could this reduce queues and document checks at airports?

The trials also revealed that passengers could securely share only the travel information required, with their consent, before arriving at the airport. This would allow identity and document checks to be completed in advance, potentially reducing queues and cutting the number of repeated inspections travellers currently experience at airports.