Home Affairs launching digital IDs and passports in South Africa

The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) recently detailed its plan to roll out South African digital IDs and passports during a presentation in Parliament.

In its Strategic Plan for 2025 to 2030, the department explained it was working closely with the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) to develop a robust digital identity system.

“The digital identity initiative will streamline immigration processes and ensure that services are more efficient and secure,” the department said.

“This system will use facial recognition as the primary biometric modality and fingerprints as the secondary, significantly enhancing national security and reducing the risk of fraud.”

The system will also enable users to store their IDs, passports, and other DHA-issued documents in a digital wallet on their phone.

South Africans will be able to store and access enabling documents virtually, with a unique, verifiable credential enabling users to securely certify their identity.

The department is aiming to have the digital identity system online by the 2028/2029 financial year, with support for more than 15 documents on the digital wallet.

However, before the digital ID system is implemented, the DHA first aims to eliminate the outdated green-barcoded ID book and replace it with the smart ID card.

To this end, the department will be expanding its partnerships with major banks, including Absa, Capitec, Discovery Bank, FNB, Nedbank, and Standard Bank.

The DHA currently offers smart ID card and passport applications at 30 bank branches as part of the eHomeAffairs pilot, initiated in 2016. It plans to expand this facility to over 1,000 branches by 2029.

“These banks are also pivotal in expanding DHA’s reach through digital platforms, enabling services to be accessed more easily, particularly in rural and remote areas,” the department said.

The collaborations with the banks also aim to integrate AI and machine learning into critical functions such as visa processing, border control, and identity verification.

Home Affairs expects that automating these services will significantly reduce waiting times, enhance service delivery efficiency, and improve security.

No more queues

Another key part of the department’s strategic plan will be introducing digital channels that will reduce the need for people to visit Home Affairs offices.

“This new approach, dubbed Home Affairs@Home, envisions an ambitious new future where no one has to visit a Home Affairs office in person again to access routine services,” the department said.

“Over the next five years, all of the department’s services must become fully automated, digitalised and offered online at the fingertips of our clients, from the comfort of their own homes.”

The strategy aims to enable people to apply for their documents online, verify their identities, and have the documents delivered to their doorstep.

Applications will be processed through an automated risk engine that requires human intervention only in the event of anomalies. All other cases will be processed automatically, digitally and securely.

Easier visas for visitors

Another major Home Affairs project, the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system, is set to go live within the next few months for people visiting South Africa.

The ETA will allow travellers spending less than 90 days in the country to get a code online, which they must scan and verify against their passport on arrival at a South African port of entry.

“This system will eventually replace paper-based visas by issuing the traveller with a unique digital code linked to their passport information,” Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber previously explained.

The department expects the ETA will boost tourism and attract critical skills into the economy to create jobs.

“This reform will not only tackle the scourge of fraud and corruption in the immigration sector, but will dramatically increase the efficiency of the visa process,” the DHA said.

The ETA will be paired with the Border Management Authority’s automated entry-and-exit at all of the country’s ports of entry.

Schreiber recently posted a photo on X showing an ETA visa stored in a wallet app on his iPhone. According to the minister, the system is scheduled to go live on 25 September 2025.