Home Affairs breaks records with over 4 million Smart IDs issued in 2025
The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has set a new all-time record by issuing more than four million Smart ID Cards in a single year, marking the highest delivery rate in the department’s history.
Home Affairs says it produced 4,002,964 Smart IDs in 2025, a 17% increase from the 3.4 million cards issued in 2024. The figure is also about 1.3 million more than the number delivered in each of the 2023 and 2022 calendar years.
The milestone forms part of the department’s broader digital transformation drive under its “Home Affairs @ home” vision, aimed at improving access and efficiency through technology upgrades.
The Department credits the achievement to investments in systems and infrastructure, particularly the repair of the Online Verification Service (OVS), which had previously been underfunded and misused by some external users.
“Correcting this has led to higher uptime and better performance of the population register at Home Affairs offices, directly contributing to giving more South Africans access to Smart IDs than ever before,” the department said.
Minister of Home Affairs Dr Leon Schreiber said the record delivery shows how digital reform is widening access to essential services.
“The milestone of delivering over four million Smart IDs in a calendar year for the very first time demonstrates how our commitment to digital transformation is expanding inclusion and access at a scale never seen before,” Schreiber said.
He added that the Smart ID is key to improving security and reducing fraud:
“Smart IDs are vastly more secure than the fraud-prone green barcoded ID book. Thanks to the ongoing digital transformation of Home Affairs, over four million more people gained the ability to securely open a bank account, access employment, and obtain social grants in 2025.”
The department said the green barcoded ID book has become a “soft target for fraudsters” and is estimated to be 500% more vulnerable to fraud than the Smart ID.
Looking ahead, Home Affairs is preparing to expand access even further through a new partnership with South Africa’s banking sector.
This will allow citizens to apply for and collect Smart IDs at hundreds of bank branches across the country.
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