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The United Kingdom’s Foreign Office announced this week that (from February 25 2026) South Africans applying for a UK visa will now receive an eVisa instead of the familiar vignette pasted into their passport.
But while the word ‘eVisa’ usually suggests a seamless online application, perhaps a quick credit card payment, and a few simple clicks to arrange entry to another country, sadly, the truth remains very much mired in red tape and paperwork.
Though the UK government is positioning the eVisa as a modernisation of the system, for most travellers not much has changed, except the absence of a sticker.
The easiest part of this shift is for the British border authorities. They no longer need to print, process and physically affix a paper visa into your passport. Instead – presuming your application is successful – an eVisa is issued on the system, which will reflect when you arrive. The UK government is hailing the system as more secure, and highlighting that an eVisa cannot be lost, stolen or tampered with. It does mean applicants no longer need to wait for or collect a physical document after a visa decision is made. So, in fairness, that means one less trip to the application office (currently run by VFS Global).
For applicants, though, the same onerous process still applies. If you need a Standard Visitor visa, you must still apply online before travelling and attend an appointment at a visa application centre.
Applicants also still need to provide travel dates, accommodation details, trip costs, home address, income information and potentially a decade’s worth of travel history, employer details, sponsor information and family information in the UK. If your documents are not in English or Welsh, certified translations are still required.
Then there’s the in-person part.
Applicants must still book a visa centre appointment, prove their identity with a passport or travel document, submit fingerprints and a photo, and provide the documents showing they are eligible. The government explicitly notes that even with eVisas, you might still need to provide biometric information in person.
For applicants, the ‘e’ is more about “Excuse me, I was next in the queue”.
Oh, and for the privilege of applying, you’ll need to pay R2854 for a short-term (up to six months, single or multiple entry) visit visa. A long-term visa, valid for up to 10 years, costs a whopping R23 796.
And, if it’s granted… ah, here’s the ‘e’ part.
Instead of a ‘vignette’ visa pasted into your passport, the system will be updated with your eVisa.
The take-away? The real story here is a lot less glamorous than the ‘eVisa’ headline. The visa may have moved online, but the paperwork and biometric checks have certainly not disappeared. Applying to travel to the UK is no cheaper than before, with or without that sticker. The stamp has gone. The red tape is here to stay.
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