Deadline for green SA ID book holders finally SET

Anyone still carrying the old green SA ID book finally has a deadline to aim at for upgrading to a Smart ID card.

Home Affairs has confirmed they will have two years left to replace them. So, 2028, although the department has not named an exact cut-off date as yet.

Mind you, this isn’t another thumb-suck, but rather official word from the Deputy Director-General for Operations at Home Affairs, Thulani Mavuso, speaking in the media last week.

“We have to collect all those documents because in the next two years, the green SA ID book will no longer be functional,” confirmed Mavuso.

His next piece of advice, don’t wait until the deadline to apply …

WHY THE GREEN SA ID BOOK IS PHASING OUT

It’s a story as retold as any, but the old green SA ID book is the ‘most-forged document in Africa.’

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber has been blunt about the scale of the problem.

By his account, roughly 16 million South Africans still rely on the old barcoded document. And the fraud tied to its weak security continues to cost the country billions every year.

Moreover, the vulnerability of the green SA ID book is structural.

It uses a physical photograph that’s relatively easy to replace/manipulate.

Schreiber says nearly a third of Department of Home Affairs (DHA) offices no longer have the ability to reprocess them anyway.

“Smart ID cards, with their digital security features, close the fraud gap significantly,” says the minister.

HOW MANY SMART ID CARDS HAVE BEEN DONE?

Mind you, this isn’t a standing start for the DHA to reach its 2028 goal.

Home Affairs has issued around 34 million new Smart ID cards since the programme launched. 25 million of them are reissues for existing ID holders. About 10 million are new applications from youngsters turning 16 and becoming eligible for the first time.

However, the DHA says there are still about than 341 000 Smart ID cards sitting uncollected nationwide.

Interestingly, Mavuso flagged that most of these are 16-year-olds who applied but never came back for the card. And he’s specifically appealing to parents to make sure their children follow through with the transaction.

END OF THE GREEN SA ID BOOK

Already well document, making the demise of the green SA ID book easier is the DHA’s partnership with commercial banks. It has turned more than 450 participating branches into extra application and collection points since 2024.

The Smart ID cards themselves are still printed centrally in Pretoria regardless. But the bank network means applications and collections can now happen closer to home, and much faster.

Here’s a reminder on the quickest and most efficient way to go about replacing your green SA ID book if you wish to do so:

• Confirm you’re eligible: South African citizens by birth, aged 16 and older, replacing a green ID book, a lost or damaged card, or applying for the first time.
• Register a profile on eHomeAffairs with your ID number, a valid email address and a South African cellphone number, and verify via OTP.
• Log in and complete the online form, specifying that you’re upgrading from a green ID book
• Upload a digital copy of your current green SA ID book.
• Choose where to complete your biometrics: Either a DHA live capture office, or one of the participating bank branches (ABSA, FNB, Nedbank or Standard Bank).
• After this, book your biometric appointment through My Home Affairs Online www. myhomeaffairsonline.dha.gov.za .
• Attend your appointment with your green ID book and booking confirmation. Fingerprints and a digital photo processing take no more than 20 minutes.
• First-time applicants aged 16 and older, and elderly pensioners over the age of 60 pay no fee. Card replacement of an existing document is R140.
• Then simply collect your new smart ID card once notified by SMS, typically within two to three weeks.

But what do you think? Do you still live with the old green SA ID book? Will you choose to upgrade to the Smart ID card or wait to the last moment? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below …