Good news for anyone applying for Smart IDs and Passports in South Africa
The Department of Home Affairs is making it easier for South Africans to apply for or collect Smart ID cards and passports by extending operating hours at selected offices.
For two weeks in December and another two weeks in January, branches that handle Smart IDs and passports will stay open until 18:00 instead of the usual 16:00.
The extended hours run from 8 to 19 December 2025 and from 5 to 16 January 2026.
The department said the additional hours are meant to help people who need identification or travel documents during a busy time of year.
South Africans can book a slot using the Branch Appointment Booking System on the Home Affairs website to avoid long queues, but walk-ins will still be allowed.
Minister of Home Affairs Dr Leon Schreiber said the aim is to make services more accessible as people prepare for holiday travel and the start of the new year.
He encouraged those who have already applied for Smart IDs or passports to use the opportunity to collect their documents, noting that offices now have dedicated counters for collections.
The extra operating hours come at a time when the department is dealing with a significant issue of millions of South Africans without identification documents.
According to Home Affairs, more than 4.4 million South Africans over the age of 16 still do not have either a green ID book or a Smart ID card.
This gap affects people across all demographics and highlights ongoing challenges around access to Home Affairs services—particularly as the department plans to phase out the green ID book entirely.
Schreiber has previously said that the production of new green ID books should stop from 2026, and the document will eventually be invalid.
However, that can only happen once all South Africans have access to Smart ID cards.
For now, the plan is limited by capacity constraints and the large number of people still using green ID books.
Phasing out the green ID book will take years
Home Affairs is trying to address these issues through its Home Affairs @ Home project, which aims to reduce the number of people who need to visit physical offices.
One part of this plan is expanding partnerships with banks so that customers can apply for Smart IDs and passports at banking branches instead of going to Home Affairs.
This is expected to reduce congestion at government offices and free up staff to help communities with limited access to services.
Even with these services, the transition away from green ID books will take time. According to MyBroadband, around 16 million green ID books were still in circulation, meaning it would take at least three to four years to replace them all.
The additional 4.4 million people who do not have any form of ID further extend the timeline.
The Government Printing Works, which produces Smart ID cards, has a practical annual capacity of around 3 million cards, with the potential to reach 4 million.
It produced 3.6 million Smart IDs in the last financial year, and under ideal conditions, it can produce up to 5 million per year.
If production reaches maximum levels in 2026 and 2027, the department estimates that about one million green ID books would still remain by March 2028. Full replacement would likely only be achieved later that year.
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