Goodbye green ID books in South Africa

The Department of Home Affairs has published its Strategic Plan through to 2030, including an intended cut-off for the issuing of green ID books in the country.

The plan lays out the DHA’s goals for the medium term—i.e., the next three financial years ending March 2029—as well as its immediate plans for the year ahead.

The department stated its goal of having universal enrollment in the country’s smart ID system by the end of 2029, with plans to discontinue the issuance of green ID books in the mid-term (circa 2027).

To achieve this, the department is setting the broader goal of ensuring all South Africans have access to smart IDs, digital IDs and e-Passports.

This will lead to:

• The replacement of green barcoded ID books with Smart ID cards
• The introduction of a digital ID with remote authentication
• Significantly ramping up the number of bank branches with live capture functionality
• The introduction and issuance of e-passports.

The DHA said that the overall strategy is to move towards digital documentation, which will include creating a digital ID and digital wallet, which will ultimately include 15 additional documents to be digitised and added.

The DHA said it will endeavour to introduce digital identity and e-Passports by 2029.

During the medium term, a stronger focus will be placed on increasing access to Smart IDs through an accelerated rollout of the Smart ID card to all eligible persons.

While Smart IDs are currently available to all qualifying South Africans, system issues and blockages have led to the delay in the rollout to residents and naturalised citizens.

The department has previously committed to resolving this by the end of 2025.

“The main aim is to ensure eligible citizens are in possession of smart ID cards and to ultimately discontinue the issuance of the green barcoded ID book,” it said.

“The issuance of smart ID cards will be expanded to naturalised citizens and permanent residents.”

The DHA noted that green barcoded IDs are still being issued at “non-modernised” offices. The aim is to modernise more offices and ramp up the issuance of Smart IDs instead.

The department noted that it had a target of 10.4 million Smart IDs issued as of 30 September 2024 and 13.75 million by the end of 2030—but these targets have already been far exceeded, with around 28 million already issued.

It now aims to issue at minimum 2.75 million Smart IDs a year, beating the 2.5 million issued in 2024/25.

It wants to modernise 10 more offices with the live capture system by the end of the current year (March 2026).

More bank branches incoming

To greatly imporve the rollout of Smart IDs and passports, the DHA plans to significantly increase the number of bank branches equipped with the department’s live capture systems.

In 2025/26 it wants to add 100 bank branches to the 30 or so that are currently operating.

It wants 1,000 bank branches in the system by the end of the medium term, with 400 expected to be added in 2026/27 and 500 more in 2027/28.

In addition, it wants to develop a method of delivery for Smart ID cards and Passports to get these vital documents into the hands of South Africans at preferred addresses.

This system will be developed in 2025/26, it said, with the implementation set for 2026/27 and carried forward.

It also wants to leverage modern technologies, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, to build out this digitally forward Home Affairs.

This will also involve the training of thousands of Home Affairs officials on digital literacy.

As a note to its plans, the DHA stressed that its information technology systems need to be updated, describing this as a major impediment.

“The frontline offices of the Department around the country are totally inadequate to the reach that is needed to address the imbalances of the past,” it said.

“The offices we do have are in many cases badly located, in a poor state of repair, inadequately staffed and equipped.”

“Our information technology infrastructure is in the main antiquated, inadequately deployed, and in some critical areas has collapsed.”

Regardless, it said that the strategic plan for the next five years is to fully realise Home Affairs as a digital entity.

“The desired end-state is to deliver a digitally transformed organisation where all civics, immigration and refugee services are delivered in a decentralised manner through electronic channels, to dramatically expand inclusion and deliver dignity for all,” it said.