As such, new smart ID cards (first introduced in 2013) were designed specifically for South African-born citizens only. A green ID booklet issued to a permanent resident in South Africa in 2025 ...

“A total of 95,191 smart ID card requests were processed through 30 bank branches; up from 73,364 in 2023/24.” The ratio of card requests processed through bank branches was around 2.65% in ...

2025 SA SMART ID CARD APPLICATIONS While the department and President Ramaphosa continue to talk-up 2025 SA smart ID card applications going fully digital, this still only applies to South African ...

Leon Schreiber, South Africa’s Minister of Home Affairs The banking partnership forms part of a broader Home Affairs digitalisation strategy, including introducing a digital ID system.