Non-Citizen ID in South Africa: PR & Foreigner Guide [2026]

If you are a permanent resident, refugee, or long-stay foreign national in South Africa, one of the most common questions is: can you get a South African ID, and if so, what does it look like? The short answer is that permanent residents receive the same 13-digit South African ID number as citizens, with only one digit distinguishing the two. Refugees receive a separate refugee ID under the Refugees Act. Temporary visa holders use their passport and permit, not an SA ID. This guide walks through who qualifies, how to apply, what the ID number means, and what you can and cannot do with it.

Once your ID number is issued, you can check it is structurally valid using our free South African ID validator — the Luhn-based format check works the same way for citizens and permanent residents.

Who qualifies for a South African ID as a non-citizen

Not every non-citizen living in South Africa qualifies for a 13-digit SA ID. The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) only issues the standard ID number to two categories of people:

• South African citizens — by birth, descent, or naturalisation.
• Permanent residents — foreign nationals who hold a Permanent Residence Permit issued under the Immigration Act.

A third category, recognised refugees, receives a different document (a refugee ID issued under Section 30 of the Refugees Act) with its own numbering system. Asylum seekers (Section 22 permit holders) and temporary visa holders (work, study, relative, retired person, business visa) do not qualify for an SA ID at all — they use their home-country passport together with their permit.

Permanent residents

If you hold a Permanent Residence Permit (PRP), you are entitled to apply for a South African smart ID card. Most new-applicant rights are extended to permanent residents, including the right to work without a separate work permit, to own property, and to receive most social services. A permanent resident ID is your primary identity document inside South Africa once issued.

Refugees

Recognised refugees do not receive the 13-digit SA ID. Instead, Home Affairs issues a refugee ID book or smart card under the Refugees Act. This document is separate from the DHA National Population Register used for citizens and permanent residents, and it has its own numbering format. If you are a refugee and later naturalise as a South African citizen, you will then be issued a standard 13-digit ID number.

Naturalised citizens

Once a permanent resident is naturalised as a citizen, the 11th digit of their ID number is updated from 1 to 0 on the population register, and a new smart ID card is re-issued. The first ten digits (date of birth + gender sequence) stay the same. Applying for permanent residence is the necessary first step — Section 26 and 27 categories, the BI-947 form, fees and timelines are covered in that guide. For the route from PR to citizenship — including the 5-year residence rule, dual-citizenship retention, and the BI-1664 application — see our guide to South African citizenship.

How a non-citizen ID number differs from a citizen ID number

The 13-digit South African ID number is identical in structure for citizens and permanent residents. The only difference sits in the 11th digit:

• 0 — South African citizen.
• 1 — Permanent resident (non-citizen).

Every other digit follows the same rules: digits 1–6 encode the date of birth (YYMMDD), digits 7–10 are the gender sequence (0000–4999 female, 5000–9999 male), digit 12 is a historical race classification digit that has been scrapped since 1986, and digit 13 is a Luhn checksum that ensures the number is mathematically valid. For the full digit-by-digit breakdown, see our South African ID Number Format guide.

Because the structure is identical, SA ID validators — including the one on this site — accept both citizen and permanent resident IDs. The Luhn algorithm does not care whether you are a citizen or a permanent resident; it only checks that the number is arithmetically consistent.

Documents required for non-citizen smart ID application

Permanent residents applying for their first smart ID card at Home Affairs must bring the following:

• A completed BI-9 application form (first-time applicants).
• Original and certified copy of your Permanent Residence Permit.
• Original and certified copy of your valid passport (the one you used when permanent residence was granted).
• A full birth certificate from your country of origin (unabridged), translated into English if originally in another language, and authenticated or apostilled.
• Proof of residential address in South Africa — typically a utility bill, bank statement, or affidavit confirming address.
• Two recent colour ID-size photographs (most branches now capture the photo digitally; still useful to bring back-ups).
• Marriage certificate, divorce decree, or spouse's death certificate if applicable.

Home Affairs will verify the documents against their immigration records before issuing an ID number. This verification step is what distinguishes the non-citizen application process from the standard citizen one — expect the first visit to take longer than a citizen's smart ID application.

How to apply for a South African ID as a permanent resident (step-by-step)

The application process for permanent residents broadly mirrors the standard Home Affairs ID application, but with a stricter document checklist and an eHomeAffairs limitation.

1. Book an appointment at a Home Affairs branch that handles permanent resident applications. Not every branch does — call ahead or check the list of Home Affairs branches to confirm.
2. Complete the BI-9 form in person. First-time applicants must sign in front of a DHA official.
3. Submit supporting documents for verification — PRP, passport, birth certificate, proof of address.
4. Have your biometrics captured — photograph, fingerprints, and signature are captured digitally.
5. Pay the application fee. The smart ID card cost for permanent residents is R140 (the free-first-issue waiver for citizens does not apply to PRP holders).
6. Receive an SMS when the card is ready, usually within 6–10 weeks. Collection works the same way as for citizens — book a collection slot on eHomeAffairs if your branch participates.

Can permanent residents use eHomeAffairs online application?

The eHomeAffairs portal is currently restricted to South African citizens for online smart ID applications, because the online flow verifies the applicant against the citizen population register. Permanent residents must apply in person at a DHA branch or a participating bank (Absa, FNB, Nedbank, Standard Bank) that offers Home Affairs smart ID services — but in practice bank branches also usually handle citizens only, so confirm eligibility before booking.

Smart ID card for permanent residents

Permanent residents receive the same polycarbonate smart ID card as citizens, with the same security features (laser-engraved photo, fingerprint biometric chip, MRZ machine-readable zone on the back). The visible ID number on the card front is the 13-digit number with an 11th digit of 1. The card front also shows the word "South Africa" and the national coat of arms, identical to the citizen version.

There is one important distinction: the smart ID card for a permanent resident does not confer citizenship. It is proof of identity only. Your PRP (Permanent Residence Permit) remains the document that proves your residency right. Always carry both.

Refugee ID in South Africa

Recognised refugees — those who have received formal refugee status under Section 24 of the Refugees Act — are issued a refugee ID by Home Affairs. The refugee ID is distinct from the standard SA ID in several ways:

• It is issued under the Refugees Act, 1998, not the Identification Act.
• The identity number does not follow the 13-digit Luhn format; refugee IDs use a separate numbering scheme.
• It must be renewed in line with the refugee status renewal cycle (typically every 2–4 years).
• It cannot be used in place of an SA ID for processes that specifically require an SA ID number (e.g., SASSA grants reserved for citizens/permanent residents), but it is accepted by banks, mobile networks, employers, and schools as proof of identity for refugees.

Asylum seekers on a Section 22 permit do not receive a refugee ID; they use the Section 22 permit itself as their interim identity document. For the full process — Section 22 vs Section 24, Refugee Reception Offices, RSDO interviews, family reunification, and the appeal tracks under RAASA and the SCRA — see our deep-dive guide to refugee status in South Africa.

If you are on the receiving end of one of these documents rather than applying for one, our refugee and asylum ID verification report checks a NIIS refugee or asylum seeker file number against the official identity source and returns a clear matched or not-matched result.

Fees, timelines, and where to apply

Permanent resident smart ID fees are uniform across South Africa, though processing times vary by branch workload and verification backlog.

Applications are accepted at any participating Home Affairs branch. Refugee ID applications are handled specifically at Refugee Reception Offices (RROs) in Pretoria (Marabastad), Cape Town, Durban (Durban Harbour), Port Elizabeth, and Musina. If you have lost your existing card, see our guide to replacing a lost ID card in South Africa.

What you can and cannot do with a non-citizen ID

A permanent resident smart ID gives you most — but not all — of the same rights as a citizen's ID.

You can:

• Work for any South African employer without a separate work permit.
• Open South African bank accounts (FICA-compliant using PR smart ID + proof of address).
• Buy and own property in your own name.
• Register for SARS (tax), UIF, and most public services.
• Enrol children in public schools and register for public healthcare.
• Apply for a SA driver's licence using your PR smart ID.

You cannot:

• Vote in national, provincial, or municipal elections — this is reserved for citizens.
• Hold a South African passport (you keep your home-country passport).
• Apply for certain citizen-only grants (e.g., some SASSA grants are citizen-only; others are open to PR holders — check the specific grant).
• Stand for public office.

Common problems and solutions

Non-citizen applicants hit a few recurring issues at Home Affairs. Here are the most frequent ones and how to resolve them:

• "Your permit is not in our system." Immigration records can lag the actual permit issue. Take the original PRP endorsement in your passport plus the approval letter — and ask for the application to be escalated to the branch manager.
• "You need to bring an unabridged birth certificate." Apostilled or authenticated by the issuing country's foreign ministry. South African embassies and consulates in your home country can sometimes assist. The Hague Apostille is accepted for countries that are party to the 1961 Convention.
• Name mismatches between your PRP and birth certificate. Resolve with a sworn affidavit at the South African Police Service (SAPS) or a commissioner of oaths, stating the name variations are the same person.
• 11th-digit errors on first issue. If your issued ID number shows a 0 instead of 1, do not accept the card — flag it on the spot. Correcting the citizenship digit later requires a full rectification application.

If you have already been issued a smart ID card and need to confirm the 13-digit number is at least structurally valid, run it through the idchecker.co.za validator. A valid Luhn check does not confirm the 11th digit is correct — only that the number is arithmetically consistent — but it will catch capture errors on receipts or system entries.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a foreigner get a South African ID?

Only if the foreigner holds Permanent Residence status or has naturalised as a South African citizen. Foreign nationals on temporary visas (work, study, relative, business, retired person) do not receive an SA ID; they use their passport plus the relevant permit as proof of status. Recognised refugees receive a separate refugee ID under the Refugees Act.

What is the 11th digit in a South African ID?

The 11th digit is the citizenship digit. A 0 indicates a South African citizen; a 1 indicates a permanent resident. Every other part of the 13-digit number — date of birth, gender sequence, race placeholder, Luhn checksum — is structured the same way for both groups.

Do permanent residents get a smart ID card or a green ID book?

Home Affairs only issues smart ID cards now. The green ID book is no longer issued to new applicants (citizen or permanent resident), though existing green ID books remain valid until phased out.

How much does it cost a permanent resident to get a South African smart ID card?

R140 for both first-issue and replacement. Unlike citizens (who receive their first smart ID free of charge under the current DHA fee schedule), permanent residents pay the R140 fee on every issue.

Can permanent residents apply for a smart ID online through eHomeAffairs?

Not at present. The eHomeAffairs online flow is limited to South African citizens because it validates against the citizen population register. Permanent residents must apply in person at a Home Affairs branch with their BI-9 form and supporting documents.

What happens to my ID number if I naturalise as a citizen?

The 11th digit is updated from 1 to 0, and Home Affairs issues a replacement smart ID card showing the citizen status. Your date of birth, gender sequence, and other identifying digits remain unchanged, so your ID number is still traceable to the same person across both statuses. For the full naturalisation process, see our guide to applying for South African citizenship.

Foreign parents, adult children, or siblings of a South African citizen or permanent resident apply for a relative's visa under Section 18(4) rather than for an SA ID.