South Africa is moving decisively toward retiring the longstanding green ID book, with President Cyril Ramaphosa confirming that the Department of Home Affairs will soon declare a final date after which the document will cease to be valid for identification purposes. The decision responds to persistent security vulnerabilities, including the document’s misuse by undocumented individuals and organised crime networks engaged in identity fraud.
The President also issued a stern warning to public servants: any official found selling identity documents, enabling unlawful border crossings, or leveraging their position for personal benefit will be held accountable for undermining national integrity.
In a detailed briefing, Thulani Mavuso, Deputy Director General: Operations at the Department of Home Affairs, outlined the operational roadmap behind the transition. While acknowledging the green ID book’s historical challenges, Mavuso explained that its continued issuance was necessary until specific gaps were addressed. These included serving South Africans residing overseas—who previously relied on manual processing at diplomatic missions—as well as permanent residents and naturalised citizens who were initially excluded from the smart ID card system. Additionally, certain rural Home Affairs offices lacked the technological infrastructure to issue smart cards.
Those barriers have now been largely removed. Through a strategic collaboration with major financial institutions, the department will enable smart ID applications at 750 bank branches nationwide by December. “The minister will announce the date [for discontinuation],” Mavuso confirmed, noting that service accessibility is no longer a constraint.
Progress on smart ID deployment remains substantial. To date, more than 29 million cards have been issued—closing in on the 38-million target—with over 4 million distributed in the past year alone. Mavuso urged citizens to utilise the streamlined bank-based conversion process, available at participating institutions including Capitec, FNB, and Standard Bank, where applications can be completed in roughly five to ten minutes.
Addressing legacy system weaknesses, Mavuso referenced complications originating in the 1990s, when population registers from the former TBVC states were integrated into the national database. In some cases, ID numbers were assigned via the green book without corresponding birth records. To rectify this, the department has fully digitised civic birth archives, enabling automated cross-referencing to flag and block fraudulent entries. A recent outreach initiative has invited 377,000 individuals with blocked IDs—a figure reduced from an earlier 2.5 million—to regularise their status.
Mavuso also highlighted external threats involving counterfeit documentation. Fake asylum permits, often resembling official Section 22 forms, are frequently manufactured by syndicates operating outside government channels and do not register in Home Affairs systems. In response, passport issuance protocols have been overhauled: biometric data and photographs are now captured at a single workstation to prevent manipulation between stages. Facial recognition technology is being deployed at ports of entry, and an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) system—integrated with biometric verification—will soon require travellers’ live images to match passport records upon arrival.
Enforcement coordination has similarly been strengthened. While the Border Management Authority, South African Police Service, and South African National Defence Force jointly oversee border and port security, Home Affairs concentrates on inland immigration compliance. The department plans to onboard 280 new enforcement officers this year to augment its existing team of 800, and is engaging National Treasury for additional resources to scale inland operations. Priority infrastructure improvements are underway at high-traffic commercial crossings, including Beit Bridge and Lebombo, identified as key entry points for irregular migration.
Clarifying the retirement timeline, Mavuso explained that two separate announcements will be made: first, a date to cease production of green ID books; second, a later deadline after which existing books will no longer be accepted. Approximately 15 million South Africans still carry the green ID, and the expanded banking network aims to facilitate their transition.
Eligibility for smart ID cards has also been broadened. Naturalised citizens from visa-exempt nations—including Zimbabwe, Zambia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—can now apply. The system is being extended to naturalised citizens from non-visa-exempt countries, such as China, followed by permanent residents. These expansions follow the implementation of enhanced verification modules designed to validate naturalisation certificates and permanent residency status with greater rigour.
As the phase-out approaches, the Department of Home Affairs encourages all holders of green ID books to begin the conversion process promptly to avoid disruption to access to essential services.