In his keynote address on the vision for the future of government at Constitution Hill on 1 October 2026, the Minister outlined how the Department intends to finish the work already underway, as well as ground-breaking new priorities for 2027 and beyond.
Here are several important dates that citizens and international travellers need to have on their radar.
31 March 2027 – Production of the Green ID Book for South African citizens will end.
In the run op to this date, the Department will enable the remaining cohort of naturalised citizens, permanent residents and South African citizens abroad, to obtain Smart IDs.
31 March 2027 to 31 March 2028 – During this period the 14.7 million South African citizens and permanent residents who still hold only a Green ID book can switch to the Smart ID.
31 March 2028 – The Green ID book will officially cease to be recognised as a valid form of identification in terms of section 25(1)(b) of the Identification Act.
Early 2027 – Following the current accelerated expansion of the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), additional visa categories, including study visas and work visas, will be added into the ETA.
2027 – The Department plans to automate the birth, marriage and death registration process.
Over the remainder of the current term, DHA will automate the application process for all physical documents – including birth, marriage and death certificates – with the aim of making all physical Home Affairs documents available at over 1,000 bank branches across South Africa.
2028/’29 financial year – The Department plans rolling out a historic campaign to document every undocumented South African citizen.
End of current administration’s term in 2029 – The target is to have every South African citizen formally documented for the first time in the country’s history.
Fast approaching – Soon South Africans will have 2 new versions of a valid ID: the secure Smart ID card and smartphone-based Digital ID.
Just like millions of South Africans today carry a digital banking card on their smartphone alongside the physical one in their wallet, so too will the Digital ID and the Smart ID card complement each other.
In the not-too-distant future – Once the ETA is fully rolled out, the Border Management Authority (BMA) will introduce automated gates and gantries at all ports of entry, using biometric verification and eliminating reliance on manual passport stamping.
ePassports in the pipeline – Once passport applications at hundreds of bank branches have been fully automated, a proposal for a new ePassport for South Africans will be put before Cabinet.
This ePassport will introduce a secure chip containing the traveller’s biometrics, making the new South African Passport readable by electronic gates at airports around the world.
In his keynote address on the vision for the future of government at Constitution Hill on 1 October 2026, the Minister outlined how the Department intends to finish the work already underway, as well as ground-breaking new priorities for 2027 and beyond.
Here are several important dates that citizens and international travellers need to have on their radar.
31 March 2027 – Production of the Green ID Book for South African citizens will end.
In the run op to this date, the Department will enable the remaining cohort of naturalised citizens, permanent residents and South African citizens abroad, to obtain Smart IDs.
31 March 2027 to 31 March 2028 – During this period the 14.7 million South African citizens and permanent residents who still hold only a Green ID book can switch to the Smart ID.
31 March 2028 – The Green ID book will officially cease to be recognised as a valid form of identification in terms of section 25(1)(b) of the Identification Act.
Early 2027 – Following the current accelerated expansion of the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), additional visa categories, including study visas and work visas, will be added into the ETA.
2027 – The Department plans to automate the birth, marriage and death registration process.
Over the remainder of the current term, DHA will automate the application process for all physical documents – including birth, marriage and death certificates – with the aim of making all physical Home Affairs documents available at over 1,000 bank branches across South Africa.
2028/’29 financial year – The Department plans rolling out a historic campaign to document every undocumented South African citizen.
End of current administration’s term in 2029 – The target is to have every South African citizen formally documented for the first time in the country’s history.
Fast approaching – Soon South Africans will have 2 new versions of a valid ID: the secure Smart ID card and smartphone-based Digital ID.
Just like millions of South Africans today carry a digital banking card on their smartphone alongside the physical one in their wallet, so too will the Digital ID and the Smart ID card complement each other.
In the not-too-distant future – Once the ETA is fully rolled out, the Border Management Authority (BMA) will introduce automated gates and gantries at all ports of entry, using biometric verification and eliminating reliance on manual passport stamping.
ePassports in the pipeline – Once passport applications at hundreds of bank branches have been fully automated, a proposal for a new ePassport for South Africans will be put before Cabinet.
This ePassport will introduce a secure chip containing the traveller’s biometrics, making the new South African Passport readable by electronic gates at airports around the world.
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