The green ID book's 12-month countdown to obsolescence begins when production shuts down on 31 March 2027. From 31 March 2028, the document will no longer be recognised as valid identification, giving millions of South Africans a year to switch to the Smart ID card or the newly demonstrated digital ID credential.
Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber cited security as the driving force. Independent research found the green ID book is among Africa's most fraud-prone identity documents because it relies on paper and manual photographs that can be manipulated. Schreiber said the document "sits at the core of the scourge of identity theft in the country" and enables the production of fraudulent papers, including those used by people seeking illegal South African documentation.
On the same day Schreiber announced the green ID deadline, he demonstrated South Africa's first working digital ID on his smartphone, using the MyMzansi app and his thumbprint to confirm his identity. The digital credential displays the photograph from the population register rather than a model image. Director-general Tommy Makhode tested the system by requesting Schreiber's citizenship details; Schreiber generated a QR code that Makhode scanned, then selectively shared his nationality while blocking his ID number. The digital ID is set to be voluntary, though no launch date has been announced.