Did you know?

South Africa’s iconic green ID book has been in use for nearly 50 years and is gradually being replaced by the Smart ID Card, first introduced in 2013. Although the green ID remains valid, government plans to phase it out due to fraud and identity theft concerns. An estimated 16 million South Africans were still using green ID books in 2025. While no official cut-off date has been announced, Home Affairs aims to achieve universal Smart ID enrolment by 2029, after which the green ID book is expected to become a thing of the past.