How to apply for a Smart ID card

The Smart ID card has replaced the green ID book as South Africa’s identity document. Home Affairs issues it to South African citizens and permanent residents from the age of 16. Every application is done in person, because your fingerprints, photo and signature are captured on the spot. To see what the 13 digits of your ID number mean, use our ID number check.

What it costs

Home Affairs publishes the amounts on its tariffs and fees page and changes them from time to time, so check them before you go. At a bank branch, Home Affairs says the bank may add its own convenience fee. Check the bank’s website before you go.

Where to apply

At a Home Affairs office

Only offices with Smart ID services can take your application. Find them on the list of Smart ID offices. First IDs, children, name changes and corrections to your details must be done at a Home Affairs office.

You can book a visit on MyHomeAffairsOnline. Since June 2026, you need a profile linked to your ID number and email address to make a booking.

At a partner bank branch

Home Affairs has connected selected branches of several banks to its systems. At a participating branch you can:

• switch from a green ID book to a Smart ID card, or
• replace a lost, stolen or damaged Smart ID card.

Home Affairs says you don’t need to bring documents, and the service takes about 15 minutes. Each bank sets its own conditions, such as whether you need an appointment or an account with it, so check the bank’s website first.

Find a participating branch on MyHomeAffairsOnline or the Home Affairs bank branch page. You collect the card at the same branch, and the bank sends you the updates.

Online on eHomeAffairs, then a branch visit

On eHomeAffairs you register a profile, fill in the form, upload your documents and pay. Paying online only sends an instruction to your bank: you must approve it in your internet banking. Then you visit a branch to have your fingerprints and photo taken. A bank branch on this route needs a booking; a Home Affairs office doesn’t. Take your original documents along.

What to take

Your first ID

• a parent, if you are under 18 and your parents are alive (one parent is enough; from 18 you can apply on your own),
• a certified copy of your birth certificate,
• a certified copy of your parent’s or guardian’s ID, and
• a certified copy of the death certificate if a parent has died.

A replacement at a Home Affairs office

• your old ID, or an affidavit if it was lost or stolen, and
• your marriage certificate or divorce order if your surname has changed.

If your details need correcting, Home Affairs must finish the correction before you can apply for a new card.

The end of the green ID book

Your Smart ID card cancels your green ID book as soon as it is issued. In October 2026, the Minister of Home Affairs announced a date for Home Affairs to stop making green ID books, and a later date after which the green ID book is no longer a valid ID. The Minister’s speech gives both dates. If you still use a green ID book, switch to a Smart ID card.

After you apply

• Updates: Home Affairs sends SMS updates to the cellphone number you gave when you applied. At a bank branch, the bank sends the updates.
• Collection: choose your collection office before the application is submitted. You collect a Smart ID at that office, or at the bank branch where you applied.
• Waiting time: Home Affairs doesn’t publish a waiting time for Smart IDs. If you need to prove who you are in the meantime, ask about a temporary identity certificate.

If the card doesn’t arrive, call the Home Affairs contact centre on 0800 60 11 90 or email hacc@dha.gov.za.

Stay safe

• Pay only the Home Affairs fee, at the office, on eHomeAffairs or at the bank. Nobody can sell you a faster appointment.
• Book only on MyHomeAffairsOnline, and never share a one-time PIN.
• Apply in person yourself: nobody can apply on your behalf.

Read our guide to avoiding scams before you share your ID number or documents.