Home Affairs Minister’s important message to people with green ID books

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said they want to eliminate green ID books in South Africa and make it easy for people to move to more secure smart IDs.

In January 2025, Schreiber said the Department of Home Affairs wants to stop issuing green barcoded ID books in 2025.

In the future, they want to issue only Smart ID cards, an internal target they are working towards to ensure they create a more secure system.

Last year, Schreiber warned that South Africans using green ID books face a significant security risk due to their inherent weaknesses.

Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Njabulo Nzuza explained that green ID books were behind most identity theft in South Africa.

Often, stolen identities are used to access credit, loans, or apply for higher education, creating significant headaches for the rightful holder of the ID.

“With the Smart ID, it is very difficult to duplicate someone’s ID. That is why we are migrating everyone to a Smart ID card and phasing out the green ID books,” Nzuza said.

The card’s biometric features ensure that the person presenting the ID is the rightful owner, significantly reducing the risk of identity fraud.

This also enables it to be incorporated into digital verification systems and, in some cases, eliminate the need for in-person validation.

Linking biometric data with SIM cards is also being explored. This can prevent fraudulent SIM card activations and ensure only the rightful owners can use the SIM card.

Considering the security benefits of Smart IDs, it is understandable that the Department of Home Affairs wants to do away with green ID books.

Schreiber explained that after they stop issuing green ID books, they will consider targets to eliminate them and replace them with Smart ID cards.

He told News24 that the green ID book is insecure and a risk to South Africa and that they urgently want to get rid of it. However, it is not simple.

“We still have about 18 million people to reach. Our aim was 2.5 million people this year, but we are on track for 3.6 million,” he told the publication.

He said that people who still use green ID books have no reason to panic as they will remain valid for this year and beyond.

This means that green ID books remain a valid form of identification. However, users are warned that they pose significant security threats.

Collaborating with banks

The Department of Home Affairs launched its eHomeAffairs system on 7 April 2016 to facilitate easier access to government services online.

eHomeAffairs enabled South African citizens to apply and get their smart ID card or passport at a bank branch rather than a Home Affairs office.

This initiative formed part of the department’s aim to replace about 34 million green-barcoded ID books with the Smart ID Card.

It was initially available at Absa, FNB, Nedbank and Standard Bank at 12 branches in Gauteng and one in Cape Town.

Investec and Discovery Bank joined the eHomeAffairs project, and the service is now available at 30 branches in many large South African cities.

Speaking to News24, Schreiber said they want to hugely expand their collaboration with banks to make it easier for people to get their smart IDs.

He explained that they want to expand the current network of 30 bank branches to over 1,000 across South Africa.

Another focus for his department is going digital, including launching a secure digital ID on people’s smartphones.

“It will be a verifiable credential with a unique key, allowing you to verify and sign things digitally,” he told News24.

He explained that having an official in the corner of a bank with a computer, fingerprint scanner, and camera does not make sense.

Instead, he wants to integrate with the bank’s technology, creating the same trust in Home Affairs as with banks.