Diplomatic Inside
In a historic development, South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs has announced that over 1.4 million naturalised citizens and permanent residents will, for the first time, be eligible to apply for Smart ID cards and use the eHomeAffairs platform. The announcement was made on Sunday by Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Leon Schreiber, who hailed the reform as a major victory for equality, dignity, and digital transformation.
The change, effective from Monday, 12 May 2025, follows months of extensive information technology upgrades and policy reforms within the Department. Previously, naturalised citizens and permanent residents were restricted to using the older green bar-coded ID book — a document that the government has been phasing out due to widespread fraud concerns. This exclusion also denied them access to the online eHomeAffairs system used for booking appointments and processing Smart ID applications.
“For years, these South Africans were treated as second-class citizens by being excluded from access to the Smart ID and eHomeAffairs,” said Minister Schreiber. “This breakthrough directly delivers dignity to over 1.4 million people.”
The minister emphasized that the reforms not only redress a long-standing inequality but also strengthen national security. By extending Smart ID access to all eligible groups, the Department is moving closer to eliminating the outdated green ID book entirely.
In rare past cases, a handful of naturalised citizens managed to obtain Smart IDs, but only through ministerial intervention and a laborious manual process. That process has now been replaced with a streamlined, digital alternative.
The Department also announced that, to accommodate the anticipated increase in demand, Home Affairs offices will extend their operating hours on the following Saturdays: 17, 24, and 31 May 2025, from 08:00 to 13:00.
“This is just the beginning,” Schreiber said, noting that the next phase of the Department’s strategy involves expanding Smart ID and passport application services to a greater number of bank branches nationwide.
“The pace of progress shows that we are moving swiftly towards delivering Home Affairs @ home through digital transformation,” he added.