South Africa: green ID book production ends on 31 March 2027 and the book stops being valid ID on 31 March 2028

South Africa: green ID book production ends on 31 March 2027 and the book stops being valid ID on 31 March 2028

1 October 2026 — South Africa's green ID book will stop being a valid form of identification on 31 March 2028, home affairs minister Leon Schreiber said on 1 October 2026, according to TechCentral and BusinessTech. Production of the booklet will end a year earlier, on 31 March 2027, when the minister said the machines that make it will be permanently shut down.

Not yet independently verified. Two South African outlets report the minister's speech of 1 October 2026; we have not found the Department of Home Affairs' own statement. A gazetted notice may follow with the formal dates. We will update this when it can be confirmed, and remove this note.

What was announced

According to the reports, about 14.7 million citizens and permanent residents still hold only a green ID book and will have until 31 March 2028 to switch to a smart ID card. The minister tied the decision to fraud, describing the paper book, with its manually attached photograph, as one of the most defrauded documents on the continent. Smart ID applications are available at home affairs offices and at bank branches, and TechCentral reports a separate demonstration of a planned voluntary digital ID.

Who is affected

Every organisation in South Africa that accepts the green ID book as proof of identity: banks and other institutions with customer due-diligence duties under the Financial Intelligence Centre Act, fintechs and insurers onboarding customers, employers and HR platforms checking identity, and identity-verification and KYC software vendors whose products read, scan or validate the document.

What to do

1. Find where your onboarding, KYC and HR processes accept the green ID book, including manual exceptions.
2. Plan for it to stop being acceptable from 31 March 2028, and decide how you will re-verify existing customers or staff whose records rest on it.
3. Ask your identity-verification vendor how it will handle smart ID cards and any future digital ID, and when it will stop accepting the book.
4. Communicate early with customers who may still hold only a green book, since home affairs and bank branches will face a queue near the deadline.
5. Watch for a formal notice from the Department of Home Affairs confirming the dates.

Why it matters for buyers

Changing an identity document in use by 14.7 million people affects onboarding flows across the economy. For KYC and identity vendors, the move to smart ID and a planned digital ID is also a product opportunity. Buyers should make sure their providers are ready well before the 2028 cut-off.

Sources

• TechCentral: Home affairs pulls the plug on the green ID book — 1 October 2026
• BusinessTech: End date for green ID books in South Africa announced — 1 October 2026