Replacing a lost or stolen Smart ID

DHA's identity documents page says identity documents are issued to South African citizens and permanent residence permit holders from the age of 16. It says Smart ID cards can only be applied for at modernised offices, and that those offices include banks, DHA offices in malls, and mobile offices. A date on the page: not stated by source [source].

Under first-time applicants, the page adds that if you are in position of an ID book, your application is a re-issue. Documents for a first Smart ID at 16, who must attend, and how that list differs from the brochure, are on First Smart ID at 16. The brochure list is also on Fees and documents [source, source].

For a re-issue of a Smart ID card, the page lists [source]:

• Replacing a green barcoded ID book with a Smart ID card: a copy of the green barcoded identity document, or an affidavit if that identity document is lost.
• Replacing a Smart ID card: a copy of the old, lost or damaged card, or an affidavit. The sentence on the page is printed as "an affidavitis required".
• A marriage certificate if your status has changed.
• A divorce decree if you are divorced.
• The fee for the re-issue is R140.00.

Those bullets use "lost" and "damaged". The word "stolen" is not in them. A police station, a case number, and the words the affidavit must contain: not stated by source [source].

People of 60 and older who are converting from a green barcoded ID book to a Smart ID card: the page says that conversion is free. A free re-issue of a Smart ID card that was lost, stolen or damaged, because the holder is 60 or older: not stated by source [source].

The same page has a separate list for a green ID book at offices that do not offer Smart ID cards. It says provide an affidavit where the green barcoded ID book has been lost or damaged, a certified copy of the marriage certificate if you are married and want to assume a spouse's surname, and a fee of R140.00. Stolen, in that bullet: not stated by source [source].

The gov.za service page says you can apply to re-issue an ID if the ID book has been lost, stolen or damaged, and for the surname changes it names. An affidavit on that page: not stated by source. The page still says the green ID book is being replaced over eight years starting in 2014, so an application now will not necessarily produce an ID card, and that someone who already has an ID will be invited to apply for the card. The current identity documents page and the Digital Partnership page both describe Smart ID applications as available [source, source, source].

For a name change, the Digital Partnership page says name changes and amendments to personal details are not yet available at those bank branches, and that those clients must visit a Home Affairs office [source]. Standard Bank says it cannot assist with a surname change [source].

DHA's Digital Partnership page lists Smart ID card re-issues (lost, stolen or damaged) and green ID book to Smart ID card replacements as the services available at participating branches. Passport applications in phase 1, first-time IDs (for example turning 16), late registration of birth, name changes, amendments to personal details, and complex civic services are not yet available there [source].

• Documents: "You do not need to bring any documents." The same page says Capitec and Standard Bank allow walk-ins without an appointment, and that no existing documents are needed [source].
• A police report or an affidavit for this bank visit: not stated by source [source].
• The applicant must attend in person so that biometrics can be captured. Someone else applying on your behalf: the page says no [source].
• Children applying for a first ID or any other document: the page says they must apply at a Home Affairs office [source].
• DHA fee: R140 for a Smart ID card. Banks may charge a convenience fee [source].
• Time in the branch: it differs by bank, and the page says services will take approximately 15 minutes. How long the card then takes to be produced: not stated by source [source].
• Collection: at the bank branch where the application was made. The partner bank communicates the collection details. Which banks deliver the card: not stated by source [source].

How to use a walk-in branch, and how that differs from BABS or eHomeAffairs: Booking and walk-ins.

The DHA fees page, marked updated August 2026, lists identity document re-issuing at R140.00. The identity documents page states the same R140.00 for a Smart ID card re-issue and for a green ID book re-issue [source, source].

The fees page also names cases where a re-issue is free: the forename was repeated as the surname because the department did not insist on a surname at the first application, and a new identity document for a former TBVC citizen that replaces an old document classifying that person as a non-South African citizen. Lost, stolen and damaged do not appear in that free-of-charge sentence [source].

On the same fees page, a lost, damaged or stolen passport, child passport, maxi passport or document for travel purposes is charged at double the current tariff for that document, unless it was stolen, lost or damaged through no negligence of the holder, in which case the normal fee applies. That double tariff is the passport line. The identity document re-issue line remains R140.00 [source].

Bank amounts stated on each bank's own page are in the table below. The wider tariff list, including a first issue at no charge, is on Fees and documents.

Temporary Identity Certificate

The identity documents page says a Temporary Identification Certificate, valid for two months, can be issued at R70.00, and that the application is subject to positive verification of your fingerprints. It does not say a bank branch issues it, and it does not say every lost or stolen Smart ID must have one [source].

The gov.za service page describes a temporary identity certificate for a different situation: the identity document application will not be finished in time to vote. The fee there is R70, and the items listed are an ID number for verification and 2 ID photos. Two months, and fingerprint verification: not stated on that page [source].

A statement of 18 May 2011 says temporary identification certificates are issued when citizens have lost or misplaced their IDs while waiting for a new ID, and that the usual practice was to apply for the certificate at the same time as the new ID. The fee printed on that 2011 statement is R140. The current fees page, updated August 2026, lists the certificate at R70.00 [source, source].

Nedbank tells you to budget for a temporary ID if you will need one. The amount, and whether the Nedbank visit issues it: not stated by source [source].

Capitec's article dated 11/03/2026 on the page says the in-branch service is for Smart ID replacements: a lost, stolen or damaged Smart ID card, or a green ID book replaced with a Smart ID card. You pay from a Capitec account. If you have no account, the branch can help you open one, and it must be active with a positive balance before the application continues. If the stolen card was your only identity document, what Capitec then accepts in order to open the account: not stated by source [source].

Branches and the account rule: Capitec.

In branch, Standard Bank takes walk-ins for a lost, stolen or damaged re-issue, a green ID conversion, and a Smart ID after a surname change that Home Affairs has already done. You pay at the branch and collect from that branch. Online, the same lost, stolen or damaged re-issue is listed, together with a first-time ID and passports, and you visit on the appointment date [source].

Standard Bank says the card typically takes up to 4 weeks, that timelines may be affected by other factors, and that you collect your own ID at the same branch. You have 12 months from the ready notification. After that, the ID is sent back to DHA and it may be destroyed, and a new application is required if it is destroyed [source]. Steps for the online booking are on Booking and walk-ins. Branches: Standard Bank.

FNB separates a lost, stolen or damaged replacement, which needs no appointment, from an eHomeAffairs application for a Smart ID or passport, which is booked. The replacement is for FNB customers with an active, funded transactional account, who are South African citizens by birth or naturalisation, or permanent residents. Senior citizens of 60 and older do not pay for their first Smart ID, which is how FNB states that exemption. A free replacement of a lost Smart ID because the holder is 60 or older: not stated by source [source].

Branches: FNB.

Absa's Smart ID page describes renewal: book on Absa's portal, book in the Absa Banking App under Menu then Government Services, or walk into a selected branch. It states the R140 DHA fee, paid at the appointment. It does not state that renewal covers a lost, stolen or damaged card, and it does not state a police report or an affidavit [source].

Branches: Absa.

Nedbank's lost-card answer sends you to the police and then to DHA. It does not say the eHomeAffairs appointment at a Nedbank branch is that application. Nedbank says it sublets space to DHA officials, who issue IDs and passports, and that Nedbank is not otherwise involved [source].

The eHomeAffairs steps, for an application generally, are: create or continue an application, complete the form, upload documents, pay online with Nedbank, choose a date and a participating branch, then visit for fingerprints and a photo. At that step, Nedbank says the requirements differ for children under 18 and refers you to DHA. Later on the same page, under applying at the DHA, Nedbank states a birth certificate, proof of address, and a parent or guardian if the applicant is younger than 18. That later list is compared on First Smart ID at 16 [source].

Branches: Nedbank.