First identity document: how to apply when you have never had an ID

An identity document is issued from an existing record, not from nothing. That single fact explains almost every difficulty people encounter with a first ID: the application is straightforward, and the problem is upstream, in the birth record.

The one prerequisite

Your birth must be registered and the record must be on the national population register. Home Affairs issues the identity number from that record; it cannot create the number and the record at the same time as issuing the card.

So a first application starts with a question: is my birth registered?

Your situation	What to do
You have an unabridged birth certificate	Apply for the ID - the record exists
You only have an abridged certificate	The birth is registered; ask Home Affairs to issue the unabridged version if the application requires it
You have no birth certificate but were born in a hospital or clinic	Home Affairs can trace the record - attend an office with any evidence you have
Your birth was never registered	Late birth registration first, then the ID

Applying

Once the record is in place, the application follows the standard route:

1. Book an appointment at a Department of Home Affairs office or a participating bank.
2. Attend in person with your birth certificate and identity documentation.
3. Have your fingerprints, photograph and signature captured.
4. Receive a receipt with an application reference.

A first application is free. There is no fee for the initial issue of an identity document.

The age question

Identity documents are commonly issued from age 16, and the practical trigger for most families is matric registration and, soon after, opening a bank account or applying for a first job. A younger child can be issued an identity document in defined circumstances - and Home Affairs should be consulted directly, because the requirements differ from the standard process.

Applying at 16 rather than at 18 matters more than it looks. A learner who has an ID by the time matric examinations and university applications arrive has one less thing to queue for, and the document is what several of those processes require.

When the birth record is missing

This is where the time goes. A late birth registration is the full process covered in the birth certificate guide, and it depends on evidence of the birth:

• an affidavit describing the birth and the reason it was not registered,
• immunisation or clinic records,
• school records showing the date of birth,
• a baptismal or religious record,
• affidavits from people who can confirm the facts.

The older the person, the harder that evidence is to assemble. Anyone who knows a birth in their family is unregistered should start now, before a job application or a grant application makes it urgent.

After the document is issued

The card is collected in person, with fingerprint verification. Once held, the document is what a person uses for a bank account, a driver’s licence application, a matric registration, and eventually a passport. If it is ever lost, the lost ID guide explains how to block it as well as replace it.

Last reviewed 13 October 2026. Identification requirements are set by the Identification Act and Home Affairs practice; confirm current requirements before an appointment.