GOVERNMENT GAZETTE Vol. 397, No. 19098, 31 JULY 1998

GOVERNMENT NOTICE

DEPARTMENT OF HOME AFFAIRS

No.R.978

IDENTIFICATION ACT, 1997 (ACT68 OF 1997)

Identification Regulations

The Minister of Home Affairs has, in terms of section 22 of the Identification Act, 1997 (Act 68 of 1997), made the regulations in the Schedule.

SCHEDULE

ARRANGEMENT OF REGULATIONS

Definitions
Compilation and maintenance of population register
Identity number
Photographs
Fingerprints
Change of ordinary place of residence or postal address
Certificates of certain particulars included in population register
Fingerprint on identity card
Application for identity card
Temporary identity certificate
Steps to ensure that person applies for identity card
Amendment, cancellation and replacement of identity documents,
birth certificates and temporary identity certificates
Cancellation and destroying of documents
Issuing of duplicates of identity cards, temporary identity
certificates or other certificates
Offences
Short title and commencement

Definitions

1. (a) In these Regulations any word or expression to which a meaning has been assigned in the Act shall have that meaning and unless the context otherwise indicates -

"Department" means the Department of Home Affairs;

"instructions" means the instructions issued by the Director-General in terms of section 22(1)(c) of the Act;

"the Act" means the Identification Act, 1997 (Act 68 of 1997)

2. Any form referred to in these Regulations will be the form as prescribed in the English text to these regulations.

2. The population register referred to in section 5 of the Act shall be compiled and maintained by the inclusion in it of the particulars referred to in section 8 of the Act in respect of every person to whom the Act applies in terms of section 2 thereof from -

1. the available information referred to in section 2 of the Act; and
2. the information furnished to the Director-General in accordance with the provisions of the Act.

3 The identity number referred to in section 7 shall consist of 13 digits, which shall be compiled as follows:

of which -

1. the first six digits shall represent the date of birth of the person as follows: Digits 1 and 2, the year of birth; digits 3 and 4' the month of birth; and digits 5 and 6, the day of birth;
2. digit 7 shall indicate the gender of the person, namely the serial numbers 0 to 4 which are allocated to female persons and serial numbers 5 to 9 which are allocated to male persons;
3. digits 8 to 10, inclusive, shall represent a serial number;
4. digit 11 shall represent the citizen of the person as follows:

5. digit 12 shall represent the index number 8, under which the person's particulars have been included in the population register; and
6. digit 13 shall be a control figure determined by the computer.

4. (1) The copies of the photographs referred to in section 9, which must be identical, shall meet with the following requirements:

1. The outside measurements shall be as follows:

   Length - 40 mm;
   Width - 30 mm;

2. the background of the photograph shall be plain and free of shadows and shall not have a white lining;
3. only the head and shoulders of the person concerned shall be included in the photograph, and the head from the chin to the top of the hair shall not be smaller than 22 mm and not larger than 25 mm;
4. (i) the person concerned shall be photographed without any head-gear or veil, and any other additions to the face which tend to alter the natural likeness shall be removed: Provided that the Director-General may exempt any person or any category of persons from any of these requirements;

(ii) spectacles may be worn provided that the lenses do not make the eyes invisible. Spectacles with dark lenses may be worn if the eyes will appear distorted without them or if the person is blind;

5. the full face of the person concerned shall be photographed directly from the front, and the head may not be bent or turned sideways;
6. the face shall be a recognisable likeness of the person and the head, hair, eyebrows, eyes, nose and moustache or beard, if any, shall be sharply and clearly defined;
7. neither the photograph nor the copies thereof may be defaced by holes, pencil or ink marks or in any other manner

(2) The Director-General may reject the copies of the photographs if they do not, in his or her judgement, comply with the requirements mentioned in subregulation (1), or if he or she deem them unsuitable in other respects, in which case the person concerned shall provide two new copies at his or her own cost.

5. (1) The fingerprints referred to in section 10 she,

1. be taken by an official employed at any office of the Department; and
2. consist of imprints in printer's ink or imprints by means of a process approved by the Director-General of each finger of both hands of the person concerned on the form prescribed in Annexure 1.

(2) Whenever the Director-General deems it necessary, an imprint in printer's ink or an imprint by means of a process approved by the Director-General of the palm of each hand shall be taken on the form prescribed in Annexure

6. (1) A person whose particulars are included in the population register shall in the form prescribed in Annexure 2 notify the Director-General of any permanent change of his or her ordinary place of residence or postal address within 30 days of such change.

(2) The Director-General shall as soon as possible after the new place of residence or address has been recorded in the population register, confirm to the person on the form prescribed in Annexure 3 that the new place of residence or address, as the case may be, has been included in the register.

(3) The recording of the new ordinary place of residence or postal address in the population register as contemplated in section 11(2) shall be effected in the population register only after written notice was given to the person concerned on the form prescribed in Annexure 4, and the person concerned has given his or her written consent to record the change of place of residence or address on the said form.

7. A birth, marriage and death certificate referred to in section 13 of the Act shall be substantially in the form prescribed in Annexure 5. 6 and 7, respectively.

8. (1) The fingerprint referred to In section 14(b) of the Act shall be the left thumbprint of the person concerned: Provided that if he or she has no left thumb, his or her right thumbprint shall be affixed to the identity card.

(2) Where it is not possible to comply with the provisions of subregulation (1), the instructions issued by the Director-General in this regard shall apply.

9. (1) The application for an Identity card referred to in section 15 shall be substantially in the form prescribed in Annexure 1

(2) A person shall apply for an identity card within 30 days after he or she has attained the age of 16 years.

Temporary identity certificate

10. (1) A temporary identity certificate referred to in section 16 of the Act shall be substantially in the form prescribed in Annexure 8.

(2) The Director-General may at his or her discretion dispatch a person's temporary identity certificate to him or her by mail or, if he or she is under the age of 18 years, to his or her guardian, or hand it to him or her or to such guardian or to any other person authorised thereto in writing by hire or her or his or her guardian.

11. (1) The officer referred t:c in sanction 17(2) shall request the person concerned in writing to apply to an identity card within 7 days from the date of such request at the nearest office of the Department.

(2) The request shall be st~bstant~ally in the form prescribed in Annexure 9, and a copy thereof shall forthwith be delivered to the nearest office of the Department.

(3) Any person who fails to comply with a request under this regulation shall be guilty of an offence and upon conviction punishable to a fine and to a period of imprisonment not exceeding 12 months.

12. (1) The holder of an identity card or a temporary identity certificate or any other certificate referred to in section 19(1), or his or her guardian shall, if he or she or his or her guardian has been requested to do so, hand such a card or certificate to the Director-General or dispatch it to him or her by registered mail within 30 days of the date of such request.

(2) Any person authorised thereto by the Director-General, may, when it comes to his or her attention that someone is in possession of an identity card or a certificate referred to in section 19(1), seize such card or certificate, and the person to whom such card or certificate has been issued, or his or her guardian or any person who is in possession of the card or certificate, shall surrender it to such an authorised person without delay.

(3) Any identity card referred to in subregulation (2) shall on receipt be cancelled by the Director-General, and a new identity card shall, subject to the provisions of regulation 4, be issued in the place of the cancelled identity card and handed to the person in question or dispatched to him or her by mail.

(4) A certificate referred to in subregulation (2) on which the necessary amendments cannot be made, or where the Director-General deems it advisable that such certificate be cancelled, shall be cancelled in the same manner as provided for in regulation 12(1) and a new certificate shall be issued in place of the cancelled certificate and be handed to the person in question or dispatched to him or her by mail.

13. (1) An identity card, temporary identity certificate or other certificate referred to in regulation 12 shall be cancelled by writing or stamping the words "cancelled/ gekanselleer" on all the pages, if any, of such card or certificate.

(2) An identity card shall be destroyed by shredding or cutting the card in such a manner that any of the parts of the card cannot be utilised for the purposes of an identity card.

14. The Director-General shall, if he or she is satisfied that an identity card, temporary identity certificate or any of the other certificates issued under the Act, has been damaged, lost or stolen, or if a person's particulars have been amended or changed in terms of the Births and Deaths Registration Act, 1992 (Act 51 of 1992), or if a person's status has changed in terms of the South African Citizenship Act, 1995 (Act 88 of 1995), issue a duplicate or amended identity card, or certificate, as the case may be, to such person, on receipt of -

1. an application for the reissue of an identity card or certificate on the form prescribed by the Director-General;
2. two copies of a photograph as prescribed in regulation 4; and
3. the identity card previously issued to the person, unless satisfactory reasons are furnished in writing why the identity card cannot be returned.

Offences

15. Any person who contravenes any provision of these regulations shall be guilty of an offence and on conviction liable to a fine or to imprisonment not exceeding 12 months.

16. These regulations shall be called the Identification Regulations, 1998, and shall come into operation on 1 August 1998.

ANNEXURE 1

(Sections 20 and 15 of Act 68 of 1997: Regulations 5,8, and9)

DEPARTMENT OF HOME AFFAIRS
FIRST APPLICATION FOR AN IDENTITY DOCUMENT

ANNEXURE 2

(Section 11 of Act 68 of 1997: Regulation 6(1))

OFFICIAL

The Director-General: Home Affairs
Private Bag X200
PRETORIA
0001

NOTIFICATION OF CHANGE OF ORDINARY PLACE OF RESIDENCE AND/OR POSTAL ADDRESS

Please note that my residential / postal address has, on the date mentioned below, permanently changed to the address as indicated:

• Identity No. : __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

• AND date of birth : __ __ __ __/__ __/__ __

• Surname ............................................................................................................................................................

First names ........................................................................................................................................................

..........................................................................................................................................................................

New permanent residential address: With effect from : __ __ __ __/__ __/__ __

• New postal address ...........................................................................................................................................

• Province ............................................................................................................................................................

Signature ................................................. Date ................................................. Tel No. ..................................

ANNEXURE 3

(Section 11 of Act 68 of 1997: Regulation 6(2))

CONFIRMATION OF CHANGE OF PLACE OF ORDINARY
RESIDENCE OR POSTAL ADDRESS

ANNEXURE 4

(Section 11(2) of Act 68 of 1997: Regulation 6(3))

CONSENT TO CHANGE PLACE OF ORDINARY RESIDENCE
OR POSTAL ADDRESS

Please note that according to my records your residential and/or postal address has/have changed permanently to the address mentioned above.

Should you confirm the change of address by signing this form below and return same to the address at the back thereof, your address particulars will be changed accordingly in the Population Register.

DIRECTOR-GENERAL: HOME AFFAIRS
DATE: ........................................................

The Director-General: Home Affairs
Private Bag X200
PRETORIA
0001

I hereby give consent to the changing of the address particulars in the Population Register.

PARTICULARS FROM THE POPULATION REGISTER IN RESPECT OF:

IDENTITY NUMBER: .................................................................................................................................................

SURNAME: .................................................................................................................................................................

FIRST NAMES: ...........................................................................................................................................................

DATE OF BIRTH: ........................................................................................................................................................

GENDER: .....................................................................................................................................................................

COUNTRY OF BIRTH: ...............................................................................................................................................

DATE ISSUED: ............................................................................................................................................................

OFFICE CODE / STAMP: ............................................................................................................................................

ANNEXURE 6

(Section 13 of Act 68 of 1!397: Regulation 7)

PARTICULARS FROM THE POPULATION REGISTER IN RESPECT OF:

IDENTITY NUMBER HUSBAND: ..............................................................................................................................

SURNAME: ..................................................................................................................................................................

FIRST NAMES: ............................................................................................................................................................

DATE OF BIRTH: .........................................................................................................................................................

IDENTITY NUMBER WIFE: ........................................................................................................................................

SURNAME: ...................................................................................................................................................................

FIRST NAMES: .............................................................................................................................................................

DATE OF BIRTH: ..........................................................................................................................................................

DATE OF MARRIAGE: .................................................................................................................................................

DATE ISSUED: ..............................................................................................................................................................

OFFICE CODE / STAMP: .............................................................................................................................................

ANNEXURE 7

(Section 13 of Act 68 of 1!397: Regulation 7)

PARTICULARS FROM THE POPULATION REGISTER IN RESPECT OF:

IDENTITY NUMBER: ..................................................................................................................................................

SURNAME: ..................................................................................................................................................................

FIRST NAMES: ............................................................................................................................................................

DATE OF BIRTH: .........................................................................................................................................................

GENDER: ......................................................................................................................................................................

MARITAL STATUS: .....................................................................................................................................................

DATE OF DEATH: ........................................................................................................................................................

PLACE OF DEATH: ......................................................................................................................................................

CAUSE OF DEATH: ......................................................................................................................................................

DATE ISSUED: ..............................................................................................................................................................

OFFICE CODE / STAMP: ..............................................................................................................................................

ANNEXURE 8

(Section 16 of Act 68 of 1997: Regulation 10)

TEMPORARY IDENTITY CERTIFICATE

PARTICULARS FROM THE POPULATION REGISTER IN RESPECT OF:

PHOTO

IDENTITY NUMBER: ................................................................................................................................................

SURNAME: ................................................................................................................................................................

FIRST NAMES: ..........................................................................................................................................................

DATE OF BIRTH: .......................................................................................................................................................

DATE ISSUED: ...........................................................................................................................................................

ISSUED BY: ................................................................................................................................................................

OFFICE CODE / STAMP: ...........................................................................................................................................

ANNEXURE 9

(Section 17(2) of Act 68 of 1997: Regulation 11)

REQUEST TO APPLY FOR IDENTITY DOCUMENT/CARD

.............................................................................................................................................................................. .............................................................................................................................................................................. .............................................................................................................................................................................. .............................................................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................... DATE: .........................................................................
AUTHORISED OFFICER

NB: A copy of this notice must be forwarded to the office as indicated in paragraph 1.