The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has announced that now all social grant applicants and current beneficiaries have to go through biometric registration. This is one of the steps that SASSA takes to improve the whole process with the main aim of strengthening security, curtailing fraud, and making sure only rightful and alive persons get paid through social grants. The biometric registration process will apply to the whole range of grants, both for the new applicants and the current beneficiaries.
What Biometric Registration Means
Biometric registration means taking and recording various body characteristics that are unique to every individual like fingerprints, and monitoring with the help of a camera, and then attaching these to the individual’s grant profile. These physical traits are the ones that go beyond the traditional ways of identifying a person, through documents. The biometrics when registered goes through the verification checks, and the verification is on the part of the receiving of grants, and this is where the prevention occurs both for duplicate and fraudulent claims.
Why SASSA Introduced The Requirement
SASSA has made the biometrics registration a must to solve the problems that have been there for a long time in the social grant system, namely: identity theft, ghost beneficiaries, and multiple claims under one identity. SASSA also aims to leverage biometric data to augment its record accuracy, secure its operations fiscally, and restore public trust in the welfare system. The change is a signal that the South African grant administration has reached the standards of modern international verification practices.
Who Must Complete Biometric Registration
Biometric registration is the procedure all new grant applicants have to go through in order to apply successfully. Existing beneficiaries might also need to be biometrically enrolled if they are updating their personal info, switching their payment methods, replying to verification requests, or going through the routine reviews. The rule is the same for all kinds of grants like those for Old Age, Disability, Child Support, Foster Care, and SRD.
How To Complete Biometric Registration
Biometric enrolment taking place at the SASSA office or designated registration point is a must for the beneficiaries. During the enrollment process, the officials will take fingerprints and facial pictures via a secure digital system. Beneficiaries need to have valid ID and any supporting documents related to their grant with them. The procedure is done free of charge and normally only a little bit of time is required for its completion.
Consequences Of Not Registering
If you not to register biometrically when it is required that would mean waiting longer for the payment or having a grant temporarily suspended. The SASSA requires the beneficiaries to respond to messages or notices asking for a biometric verification. Payments will be restored when the entire enrollment process is done, and the beneficiary’s status is cleared.
Important Advice For Beneficiaries
Beneficiaries must not forget to keep their contact numbers and banking details current so that they can get my biometrics registration notices. SASSA is alerting the public about scams and has warned that only official channels will be used for biometric registration and that there won’t be any payment required.
Also Read: R2310 South Africa Disability Grant 2026: Payment Dates And Eligibility Explained