New digital IDs and passports for South Africa

The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has unveiled ambitious plans to roll out digital IDs, a digital wallet, and e-passports to South Africans within the next five years.

The DHA presented its Revised Strategic Plan (RSP) for 2025 to 2030 to the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs on 17 June 2025.

In the RSP, Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said this plan forms the bedrock of his department’s vision to transform the DHA digitally.

“This vision for a digital-first organisation, expressed through our commitment to deliver ‘Home Affairs @ home’, informs all of the projects, initiatives and targets that DHA will pursue over this period,” he said. 

“Our desired end-state is to deliver a digitally transformed organisation where all civic, immigration and refugee services are delivered in a decentralised manner through electronic channels, to dramatically expand inclusion and deliver dignity for all.”

A key part of this initiative is the introduction of digital IDs in South Africa. Under this project, the DHA will first ensure access to smart ID cards and new e-passports for all South Africans. 

This will involve expanding the successful pilot project, which currently provides these services in approximately three dozen bank branches. 

The DHA’s 2025 to 2030 strategic plan aims to expand this to more than a thousand locations nationwide. 

Next will come the introduction of digital channels, whereby clients will be able to order these enabling documents online and then have the option to have the documents delivered to their doorstep. 

Finally, South Africans will gain access to a fully-fledged Digital ID system, enabling them to store and access documents virtually and introduce a unique, verifiable credential that will allow users to certify their identity securely.

A second transformative project is creating an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system to automate and digitalise the visa process from beginning to end. 

Schreiber said this reform will tackle the scourge of fraud and corruption in the immigration sector and dramatically increase the efficiency of the visa process.

This is expected to boost tourism and attract critical skills into the economy to create jobs. 

The ETA will be coupled with the Border Management Authority’s (BMA) introduction of automated entry and exit at all of the country’s ports of entry, enhancing the security and efficiency of cross-border travel.

Timeline

The DHA also presented a rough timeline for rolling out these digital initiatives to replace current systems and documents. This will take place between 2025 and 2030.

Ultimately, the DHA’s goal is to replace all Green-barcoded IDs with smart ID cards, which will lead to the department discontinuing the issuance of green ID books in the medium term.

By then, the DHA also aims to have created digital IDs and launch a digital wallet. This initiative will be aided by rolling out live capture functionality to 1,000 bank branches nationwide.

However, the department noted that its goal of rolling out this functionality to 1,000 banks would not be applicable if its “Home Affairs @ Home” online platform is rolled out and made accessible.

The DHA aims to achieve universal enrolment in the smart ID system by the end of the current administration’s term, around 2029.

It also aims to add 15 additional documents and credentials to the digital wallet it created by 2029 and issue e-passports.

The DHA provided more detail on its plans for a digital wallet in its presentation to the Portfolio Committee.

This wallet will enable South Africans to add 15 additional documents or credentials, allowing them to apply for a SASSA grant or access a healthcare centre, for example.

“In delivering on this vision for digital transformation, the DHA recognises the urgency of implementation,” Schreiber said in the RSP. 

“The challenges of slow economic growth and poor service delivery mean that we have no time to lose.”