More South Africans than ever before received their Smart ID cards in 2025, according to the Department of Home Affairs in a statement published on Wednesday. Over 4 002 964 Smart ID cards were given to South Africans in the 2025 calendar year. “The 2025 performance is about 1.3 million more than the number of Smart IDs issued during the 2023 and 2022 calendar years respectively,” it added. Most of the major banks now allow for the application of Smart IDs at certain branches. This includes ABSA, FNB, Standard Bank, Nedbank, African Bank, and Capitec, while more branches are set to begin allowing Smart ID applications in the offing.