Face forward

South African citizens signing up to file personal income tax through eFiling for the first time will now do so using their face.

The South Africa Revenue Service (SARS) has announced that it has integrated biometric facial recognition into its eFiling platform for all new registrations, simplifying the process and making it more secure.

Bizcommunity reports that users with a South African ID registering for eFiling through the SARS website, MobiApp or self-service kiosks will need a device with a camera for the system to capture their facial biometric data.

Biometric data is unique to each person and is considered a more secure method of ID verification than traditional methods.

If new registrants do not have access to a device with a camera they will be required to book an appointment at their local SARS office.