Home affairs minister Leon Schreiber said officials were still processing public comments on the department’s draft regulations for the digital ID system, which were published in May.

At the same time, several government departments are also collaborating on a prototype for digital IDs in South Africa.

Schreiber made the remarks during the launch of South Africa’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) platform on Wednesday.

On 5 May 2026, the Department of Home Affairs published draft amendments to South Africa’s identification regulations, outlining the issuance of digital ID credentials.

Home Affairs proposed that digital IDs would be an additional form of identity document, established via biometric verification, which would be just as valid as physical IDs.

In the near future, digital identity credentials would be an alternative to identity cards and help crack down on identity fraud. These digital IDs would be available through the planned MyMzansi platform.

At the ETA launch, Schreiber stated that digital IDs were the second pillar of Home Affairs’ three-pillar plan to fundamentally reform the department.

“Just over two years ago, we set out to fundamentally reform Home Affairs through our vision to harness technology in order to deliver Home Affairs @ home,” he said.

“The central idea of our reform programme is simple: In the digital age, you should not have to go to just a handful of physical locations and fill in paperwork to access Home Affairs services.”

Instead, Schreiber said, by embracing technology, their job was to bring secure Home Affairs services directly to the people of South Africa.

In the draft regulations, Home Affairs proposed that South Africans should be able to obtain a digital identity from the age of 16.

They will require proof of identity recorded in the population register, such as a smart ID card or birth certificate, and a biometric liveness check.

This liveness check will be used to record the applicant’s biometric information and is already used by banks and other financial institutions to verify user identities.

A person’s facial features and fingerprints will be captured during liveness detection, which will be performed during enrolment and at every verification.

Enrolments for digital IDs will be offered free of charge by the Department of Home Affairs. Home Affairs also proposed that digital IDs should expire and be renewed every 5 years.

Source: https://mybroadband.co.za/news/government/662271-south-africa-is-building-a-prototype-for-a-digital-id-system.html