When will you get a digital ID? – Home Affairs has a date

ID

Cape Town – The Department of Home Affairs is fast-tracking its digital overhaul, with plans to roll out digital identity documents, e-passports, mobile wallets, and automated visa systems by 2030.

The initiative, officially titled the Revised Strategic Plan (RSP) 2025–2030, was introduced this month (June) by Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber.

“This reform is about dignity and delivery,” said Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber. “We want people to spend less time in queues and more time living their lives.”

One of the major steps is expanding the Smart ID system to include naturalised citizens and permanent residents.

Previously sidelined, over a million individuals can now apply online and schedule biometric appointments via the improved eHomeAffairs portal.

But the transformation doesn’t stop at ID cards. The department is preparing to roll out e-passports, digital wallets and an electronic travel authorisation system, expected in September 2025.

The aim, according to Schreiber, is to make “cross-border movement seamless while keeping our borders secure.”

Behind the scenes, Home Affairs has implemented a new biometric verification engine that has reduced error rates from nearly 50% to less than 1%. “It’s the foundation of a secure identity ecosystem,” said Minister Leon Schreiber on BusinessTech.

Partnerships with the banking sector and the Reserve Bank are also underway to ensure digital credentials can be safely stored and used through mobile platforms paving the way for grant access, banking, and healthcare to become simpler and safer.

The broader vision aligns with the Presidency’s Digital Public Infrastructure roadmap, announced during the 2025 State of the Nation Address (SONA).

President Cyril Ramaphosa described digital IDs as “essential to modernising government and stamping out inefficiencies and corruption”

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