Welcome to South African NO:1 ID Number Validator
Instant ID Validation Tool to Help You Prevent Fraud and Reduce Risk
Understanding South African ID Numbers: What SA ID Reveals?
Have you ever wondered what those 13 digits on your South African ID really mean? Far from being just a random string of numbers, your ID holds key details about your identity—from your birth date to your citizenship status. Let’s break it down in simple terms.
What’s Hidden in Your ID Number?
A South African ID number is like a coded biography. Here’s how it works:
Date of Birth (First 6 digits – YYMMDD)
Example: 900101 means 1 January 1990.
The system cleverly figures out whether you were born in the 1900s or 2000s—no need to specify!
Gender (7th digit)
0–4 = Female
5–9 = Male
(So, a "5" in this spot? That’s a male ID.)
Citizenship Status (11th digit)
0 = South African citizen
1 = Permanent resident
Checksum (Last digit)
This is like a secret math check to confirm your ID isn’t fake.
How We Verify if an ID is Real
We don’t just take your word for it—your ID number goes through several checks:
1. Basic Format Check
Must be exactly 13 digits (no letters, no spaces).
Must follow the correct structure: YYMMDDGSSSCAZ.
Is Your Birthday Possible?
No "February 30" nonsense—dates must be real.
Can’t be a future date (time travelers, sorry!).
Automatically detects if you’re from the 1900s or 2000s.
The Checksum Test (Luhn Algorithm)
A mathematical trick to catch fake or mistyped IDs.
If this digit doesn’t add up, the ID is invalid.
What an ID Number Tells Us
When you enter an ID, we can instantly reveal:
Example: Decoding an ID Number
Let’s take 9001015001089:
Now you know—your ID isn’t just a number; it’s a snapshot of an identity!