South Africans can now skip long queues at Home Affairs offices after the department launched a new digital partnership with local banks that allows citizens to apply for Smart IDs in minutes at participating branches.
The department said the initiative modernises and expands the existing Online Verification Service with the banking sector, decentralising access and significantly increasing the number of secure service points available across the country.
Minister of Home Affairs Leon Schreiber said that for the first time South Africans can apply for Smart IDs at nine participating bank branches, beginning with Capitec and Standard Bank, which went live on Monday.
“Today’s go-live represents a significant evolution of the long-standing collaboration between Home Affairs and South Africa’s banking sector. Under the previous model, banks hosted miniature Home Affairs offices inside their branches, where clients were required to complete applications on the eHomeAffairs platform, make bookings online, and visit the branch primarily for biometric capture.”
The number of operational branches is expected to rise to 17 by the end of the week, while First National Bank is in the final testing phase and other participating banks continue preparing for rollout.
Under the new system, banks connect directly to Home Affairs through a secure digital gateway, allowing Smart ID applications to be completed in five to ten minutes without paperwork or prior bookings.
The department said about 16 million South Africans still rely on the green ID book, widely regarded as one of the most defrauded identity documents on the continent.
“Accelerating the transition to the Smart ID is therefore critical to strengthening the country’s identity system and protecting citizens from identity fraud,” Schreiber added.
Schreiber said the department plans to expand the digital partnership throughout 2026, introducing additional services such as first-time Smart ID applications, passport services, courier delivery and applications through banking apps.
The programme forms part of the department’s Medium Term Development Plan, which aims to extend the model to 1,000 bank branches by 2029, dramatically improving access to Home Affairs services.
Schreiber said Today signifies by far the biggest milestone to date on our reform drive to deliver Home Affairs @home. By embracing digital transformation, we are redefining what public service delivery looks like in the modern age.
“The fact that we have already reached this milestone after just 20 months in office, means that we are on track to deliver on our goal to invert the principle of how government services work: instead of forcing people to go to Home Affairs to endure long queues and manual processes, we are using technological security and efficiency to bring Home Affairs to the people, delivering access, inclusion and dignity for all,” he added.
The Star
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