Can you get a Smart ID card if you’ve lost your green ID book?

For years, South Africans have been carrying the familiar green bar-coded ID book around in their wallets and handbags.

But if yours has disappeared, you might assume that you first need to replace it before you can make the switch to a Smart ID card.

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That isn’t necessarily the case.

The Department of Home Affairs makes specific provision for people whose green ID book has been lost when they apply for a Smart ID.

You don’t necessarily need the old green ID book

Home Affairs lists a green bar-coded identity document or an affidavit if the identity document has been lost among the requirements for a Smart ID application.

In other words, losing your old ID book does not automatically mean you have to replace the book first.

An affidavit can be used to account for the missing identity document when making the Smart ID application.

This applies to the department’s listed requirements for the first issuance of a Smart ID to other citizens, while pensioners aged 60 and above also have the affidavit option where their old ID has been lost.

What else does Home Affairs require?

The department lists proof of residence, where available, or the applicant’s residential address.

Depending on the applicant’s circumstances, a marriage certificate or divorce decree may also be required for verification of marital status.

For other citizens, Home Affairs currently lists a R140 fee for the Smart ID application. First-time Smart IDs are free for people aged 16 and older and pensioners aged 60 and above, according to the department’s requirements.

The green ID book is being phased out

The move away from the green bar-coded ID book is part of Home Affairs’ broader plan to shift South Africans to Smart ID cards.

In its 2026/27 Annual Performance Plan, the department said its target is universal enrolment in the Smart ID system and the eventual discontinuation of the green bar-coded ID book.

It says the Smart ID system is intended to become the official form of identity for eligible South African citizens, naturalised citizens and permanent residents.

So, if your old green ID book has gone missing, you don’t necessarily have to go through the process of replacing it before moving to the newer card.

Home Affairs already provides for a lost ID book through the affidavit option when applying for a Smart ID.

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