South Africa has opened public consultation on draft regulations that would create a legal framework for a smartphone-based Digital Identity system. The Department of Home Affairs published the proposed amendments under the Identification Act of 1997, with comments due by June 6, 2026.
The proposed system would let citizens store and access secure digital versions of identity documents on a phone, including identity documents, birth certificates, and marriage certificates. The rules also prescribe biometric capture and identity assurance standards, allowing remote confirmation of identity through biometric verification methods. Physical Smart ID cards would remain available, and participation in the Digital Identity system would be optional.
The mobile angle is direct: the regulations would move official identity documents from a physical-card-only model toward a system in which a smartphone can serve as a credential holder. The draft also proposes a five-year validity period for digital ID documents, creating a separate lifecycle for mobile credentials alongside the country’s existing physical identity documents.
South Africa has been expanding digital access to identity services in parallel. The government has widened Smart ID and passport services through bank partnerships, and earlier plans envisioned more banking app integration for identity services. Those distribution channels are meant to reduce pressure on Home Affairs offices while making ID services easier to reach from everyday digital platforms.
The new draft rules would formalize the next step: storing and presenting government-issued credentials through a smartphone. They also follow South Africa’s wider use of biometrics in public services, including a nationwide biometric system for social grant verification.
Written comments can be sent to the Department of Home Affairs by email or delivered to its legal services office in Pretoria. The department says technical work on the underlying Digital Identity system is already underway with government partners.
Sources: South African Government, BusinessTech
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By the Mobile ID World Editorial Team
