MILLIONS of South Africans still using the old green ID book will have to switch to a Smart ID card before the document is phased out in 2028.

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber announced that the department will stop producing the green ID book on March 31, 2027, after which existing holders will have a further 12 months to make the switch.

The green ID book will officially cease to be recognised as a valid form of identification from March 31, 2028.

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Schreiber made the announcement on October 1, during his keynote address at the Home Affairs Quantum Leap event at Constitution Hill.

He said about 14.7 million South African citizens and permanent residents currently have only a green ID book.

“This is one of the most important announcements,” said Schreiber. He added that the department was now in a position to begin phasing out the document.

The department will ensure that naturalised citizens, permanent residents and South African citizens living abroad are able to obtain Smart IDs before production of the green ID book ends.

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Schreiber said the green ID book was vulnerable to fraud because it is paper-based and contains a manual photograph that can be replaced or manipulated.

He said the department had already seen an increase in the number of people replacing their green ID books, with the number of people relying solely on the document dropping from 16 million to 14.7 million over the past six months.

The department has also expanded access to Smart ID replacement services through participating bank branches.

According to Schreiber, 515 bank branches are currently offering the service, with more than 822 500 people having already used it.

The service is expected to be available at more than 1000 service points by the end of 2026.

Schreiber urged South Africans who still have only a green ID book to make the switch to a Smart ID ahead of the deadline.

He said a nationwide communication campaign would be rolled out to provide the public with information about the transition.

First-time Smart ID applicants and people over the age of 60 will remain exempt from paying the application fee.

According to the department, the announcement marks the beginning of the final phase in the department’s plan to replace the green ID book with the Smart ID card as the country’s primary physical identity document.

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