The Department of Home Affairs has set a new national record, issuing over 4 million Smart ID cards in 2025, the highest number ever delivered in a single year.
The milestone represents a 17% increase on the 3,427,468 Smart IDs issued in 2024, which itself was a record at the time. In total, the 2025 performance is about 1.3 million more than the combined total issued during the 2023 and 2022 calendar years.
Carli Van Wyk, spokesperson for Minister of Home Affairs Leon Schreiber, described the achievement as a historic milestone in the department’s drive to deliver Home Affairs @ Home through digital transformation.
“This record rollout is the result of the Government of National Unity’s focused investment in technology upgrades and improved efficiencies at both the Department of Home Affairs and the Government Printing Works, which produces the Smart IDs.
“A key improvement has been the repair of the Online Verification Service, which was previously underfunded and misused. These upgrades have increased system reliability and performance at Home Affairs offices, allowing more South Africans than ever to access Smart IDs quickly and securely,” she said.
Van Wyk added that the accelerated rollout is a cornerstone of the department’s Medium-Term Development Plan, noting that the green bar-coded ID book, which the Smart ID replaces, has become highly vulnerable to fraud, estimated to be 500% more at risk than the Smart ID.
She also revealed that the department is in the final stages of a digital partnership with South Africa’s banking sector, which will allow citizens to obtain Smart IDs at hundreds of bank branches nationwide, closer to their communities.
“This is Home Affairs @ Home in action, bringing essential services directly to the people,” she said.
Schreiber said the record rollout reflects the department’s commitment to digital transformation, expanding secure access to essential services for millions of South Africans.
“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. 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,” he said.
Despite these national improvements, many South Africans still face long queues and operational delays at local Home Affairs offices.
Previously, in October 2025, IOL reported that visitors to Home Affairs branches in Cape Town often faced hours-long queues, booking difficulties, and system downtime. One applicant said that despite using the online portal, she waited for hours, while others had to arrive before sunrise just to be assisted.
The Star
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