Home Affairs Minister promises Smart IDs in three minutes
Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber says that South Africans could soon apply for Smart IDs in mere minutes.
South Africans could soon be entering a new era for Smart ID applications in 2026, with Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber revealing that applying for cards can be done in as little as three minutes.
Speaking during the 2026 State of the Nation Address debate in Parliament, Schreiber said turnaround times for smart IDs and passports were cut by 66.7% in 2025, marking what he described as a major shift in the department’s efficiency.
He said the improvements were driven by reforms to the online verification system and upgrades to internal technology platforms.
Record number of Smart IDs issued
Schreiber told MPs that Home Affairs issued four million smart ID cards in 2025, nearly double the previous annual average.
“This is what building a capable state looks like in practice,” he said.
The department has also laid the groundwork for a broader digital ID system, which Schreiber described as its flagship reform for 2026.
“With the core biometric technology already live for the citizenship portal, we now shift our focus to building the front-end user interface,” he said.
Digital push gathers pace
Among the department’s recent milestones is the launch of an electronic travel authorisation system. The platform uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to process online visa applications more securely and efficiently.
Home Affairs has also finalised a new digital partnership model with banks, aimed at expanding access to smart ID and passport services through bank branches. The agreement follows years of negotiations between the department and the banking sector.
Schreiber told Parliament that the reforms underway signal bigger changes ahead.
“You ain’t seen nothing yet,” he said, adding that the best was still to come.
If the planned digital ID rollout proceeds as outlined, Schreiber said, applying for a smart ID could soon be reduced to a process measured in minutes rather than weeks.
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