South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs has expanded access to its Smart ID system as part of a wider push to modernise identity services and make government documentation more accessible.
The reforms have opened Smart ID applications to naturalised South African citizens and lawful permanent residents, groups that had previously faced restrictions when attempting to obtain the more secure identity card. According to the department, the change has potentially benefited about 1.4 million people.
The move forms part of a broader digital transformation programme at Home Affairs, which is also expanding access to identity services through participating bank branches. The department says its objective is to reduce reliance on traditional offices and move more services into digital and community-based channels.
Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber described the extension of Smart ID eligibility as an important step in the department’s technology overhaul.
“Thanks to diligent work by our team, guided by our apex priority of digital transformation, we have now brought about this major reform within just a few months.”
The department has also upgraded its systems to accommodate traditional Khoisan names containing special characters on birth certificates, Smart IDs and passports. The change followed the case of !Khūboab Oedasoua Lawrence, whose family had spent years dealing with systems that could not accurately record his name.
Schreiber said the department’s intervention demonstrated how technology upgrades can address long-standing administrative barriers.
“As minister, I recognise that a name is more than a practicality – it is central to every person’s identity.”
Alongside these changes, Home Affairs has introduced a digital portal allowing people affected by a 2025 Constitutional Court ruling on citizenship to verify and confirm their status electronically, replacing a previous paper-based process.
The department is simultaneously increasing the number of locations where citizens can access Smart ID services. By July, more than 500 locations, including Home Affairs offices and participating bank branches, were available, with the network expected to grow further before the end of 2026.
The reforms are intended to support South Africa’s longer-term transition away from the older green barcoded identity document towards a more secure, digitally enabled national identity system.