End of the line: green ID book production to stop on 31 March 2027, says Schreiber

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber has announced that production of South Africa’s green ID book will cease on 31 March 2027, describing the move as a decisive break with fraud and inefficiency.

Decision announced at Constitution Hill event

Schreiber made the announcement during his keynote address at the Home Affairs’ Quantum Leap: A Vision for the Future of Government event at Constitution Hill. He said the machines that produce the green booklet “will be permanently shut down and decommissioned.”

Fraud and modernisation

The minister characterised the green ID book as “one of the most defrauded documents on the continent, a magnet for identity theft and illegal immigration.” He said replacing the booklet with Smart ID cards and a new Digital ID system would provide secure proof of identity.

“The continued use of the Green ID Book is irreconcilable with the functioning of a modern society. On 31 March 2027, the machines that produce this booklet will be permanently shut down and decommissioned.”

Rolling out Smart ID and digital services

Schreiber outlined a series of reforms and service changes already under way or planned:

• Smart ID expansion: More than 515 bank branches now offer biometric Smart ID replacements in five minutes, and more than 822,000 citizens have used the service; this is expected to expand to more than 1,000 service points by the end of 2026.
• Courier delivery: IDs and passports will be delivered directly to citizens’ homes.
• Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA): Visa processing times have been cut to 24 hours; the ETA will soon cover study and work visas.
• Digital ID prototype: Schreiber unveiled a working Digital Identity credential bound to his smartphone.
• ePassport rollout: Plans are under way for a biometrically secured ePassport readable at electronic gates worldwide.
• Border modernisation: A R12.5 billion public‑private partnership will rebuild six busy land ports into “no‑stop” border posts with automated gates.

Documenting the undocumented

Schreiber announced a campaign to document South Africans who remain without formal recognition. He pledged: “By the end of this administration in 2029, every last South African citizen will be formally documented for the first time in our history.”

The campaign will use mobile biometric technology to reach rural and underserved communities, the minister said.

Restoring dignity

Schreiber framed the reforms as tied to dignity and trust in government.

“By eliminating the fraud‑prone Green ID book and documenting every last citizen, we are restoring the hope that South Africa can be fixed – and delivering dignity for all,”

he declared.

Details of rollout timelines, eligibility steps for citizens, and operational arrangements for delivery and biometric enrolment were outlined by the minister during his address.