South Africa is still moving toward the end of the green barcoded ID book, but the latest signals from Home Affairs suggest the process may be slower and more phased than earlier messaging implied. MyBroadband reports that the department’s focus for the 2026/27 financial year is now on issuing smart ID cards to first-time applicants turning 16, while also continuing large-scale reissues.

That matters because earlier planning language from Home Affairs strongly linked the smart ID rollout to reducing, and ultimately discontinuing, the green ID book. In its 2025/26 Annual Performance Plan, the department said expanding access to smart IDs through more offices, bank branches and other channels would help reduce the issuance of green barcoded ID books and eventually lead to their discontinuation.

Smart ID rollout remains the priority

According to MyBroadband, Home Affairs wants to issue 800,000 smart ID cards to first-time applicants in 2026/27. The publication also reports that the department is targeting 2.2 million smart ID reissues in the same financial year, with reissues seen as especially important ahead of local government elections.

The official direction from Home Affairs still backs a full smart ID transition. The department’s 2025/26 Annual Performance Plan says the green barcoded ID book is susceptible to fraud and that the aim is to replace all green ID books with smart ID cards for eligible citizens. It also states that the details of discontinuing the green ID book would be unpacked in the 2026/27 annual performance plan.

Banks are central to the next phase

A big part of that strategy is expanding smart ID services through banks. Home Affairs’ current annual plan targeted 100 bank branches under its new live-capture model for 2025/26, with the medium-term plan showing 400 bank branches in 2026/27 and 500 in 2027/28.

MyBroadband reports that Home Affairs now wants smart ID services available at 200 bank branches nationwide by the end of the 2026/27 financial year. The article says Capitec, Standard Bank and FNB have already expanded their branch networks under the new digital partnership model launched in August 2025.

End of the green book is still coming

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber has repeatedly framed the smart ID rollout as the route to replacing the old document. The department’s strategic plan says smart IDs and digital access form part of a broader “digital-first” transformation of Home Affairs services.

So the direction has not changed. The shift is in pace and emphasis. The green ID book is still on its way out, but for now, Home Affairs appears focused on expanding access, clearing first-time applications, and building enough smart ID capacity before finally pulling the plug.