Frequently Asked Questions

Introduction

Our South African ID number is a very key part of our lives as South African citizens.
This information will help you understand what the numbers in your South African ID represents.

A South African ID number is a 13-digit number which is defined by the following format: YYMMDDSSSSCAZ.

• The first 6 digits (YYMMDD) are based on your date of birth. 30 February 1990 is displayed as 900230.
• The next 4 digits (SSSS) are used to define your gender. Females are assigned numbers in the range 0000-4999 and males from 5000-9999.
• The next digit (C) shows if you're an SA citizen status with 0 denoting that you were born a SA citizen and 1 denoting that you're a permanent resident.
• The last digit (Z) is a checksum digit – used to check that the number sequence is accurate using a set formula called the Luhn algorithm.

The Western Cape government provides more detail here

How does it work?

The South African Identification Number standard already contains all the information - this site simply uses a formula to extract that information. The ID numbers enter are not checked against any databases for accuracy.

ID Numbers contain data about a person's date of birth, gender, race and citizenship.

Is it safe to enter data on this site?

Yes, the website does not save any ID numbers entered. In fact, ID numbers aren't even sent to a servr - the whole calculation is done right in your browser, on your own computer.

How accurate is it?

The site uses a known algorithm to extract the neccessary information and verify validity of an ID number. In rare cases, there may be a valid ID number does not validate according to the formula.

Is this a product of the Department of Home Affairs?

No, this site does not interact or have any ties with the Department of Home Affairs