End of the Green ID book: What happens if you still have one after the deadline?

0 Home Affairs says the green ID book will eventually stop being recognised. Image: file / canva Home » Lifestyle » End of the Green ID book: What happens if you still have one after the deadline?

South Africa is phasing out the green ID book, but what happens to those who still have one when the document is no longer recognised?

0 Home Affairs says the green ID book will eventually stop being recognised. Image: file / canva Millions of South Africans are still using the old green barcoded ID book, but Home Affairs is preparing to bring an end to its use.

The department has been steadily moving towards a Smart ID-only system, with around 16 million green ID books still in use. Home Affairs says the old document is vulnerable to fraud because its physical photograph can be manipulated or replaced.

But as the deadline approaches, an important question remains: what actually happens to your green ID book once it is no longer recognised?

Home Affairs has confirmed that the green ID book will eventually stop being recognised as a valid form of identification.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said in June that the department would progressively discontinue the green ID books and would set a date after which they would no longer be recognised.

And Home Affairs Deputy Director-General for Operations Thulani Mavuso has subsequently said that people with green ID books have roughly two years left to make the switch.

That points to 2028, but it is important not to treat 2028 as a confirmed final date yet.

Home Affairs has not announced an exact day on which the green book will become invalid.

That distinction matters because the department’s current position is that it will set the formal date.

The planned change is about whether the document will continue to be recognised as an official form of identification.

It does not mean that people will physically hand over their green books and suddenly have no identity document.

Instead, Home Affairs wants people to replace the old book with a Smart ID card.

This is where the exact consequences of the final cut-off date will matter.

Once the green book is no longer recognised as a valid form of identification, organisations that require valid identification would be expected to rely on the replacement Smart ID or other accepted identification documents.

The green book could therefore become problematic for things such as banking, applying for certain government services, employment-related identification and other transactions where proof of identity is required.

Home Affairs itself has highlighted the importance of moving away from the old document because it wants the Smart ID to become the secure official identity document.

However, the department has not yet published a final list of every transaction that will be affected after the cut-off date.

That means it would be premature to say, for example, that a particular bank account or benefit will automatically be frozen simply because someone still has a green book.

The practical consequences should become clearer when Home Affairs formally announces the discontinuation date and the rules surrounding it.

At this stage, Home Affairs has not said that people could be fined simply for still possessing a green ID book when the transition takes effect.

The issue is instead that the document will eventually cease to be recognised as a valid form of identification.

In other words, the bigger risk is not necessarily having the old book in your possession; it’s relying on it after the government has stopped recognising it.

The department is therefore encouraging people not to wait until the final deadline.

And the move away from green books is not even starting from scratch.

Home Affairs says it issued a record four million Smart ID cards during the 2025/26 financial year, more than 1.3 million above its previous annual average.

The department’s banking partnership has also significantly increased access to Smart ID services.

In July, Home Affairs said that its partnership had expanded to 327 participating bank branches, in addition to 214 modernised Home Affairs offices.

0 comments WIN R5 000: Take The South African’s Winter Reader Survey