Government

All the bank branches where South Africans can get a Smart ID and passport

Staff Writer

 ·10 Jan 2026

There are currently 32 bank branches in South Africa offering Smart ID and Passport services, with this number expected to rapidly rise in the coming months.

As of January 2026, the bank branches offering these services are still operating the Smart ID and Passport processes under the old pilot programme run by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA).

However, the DHA announced a new, more rapid system in the latter half of 2025, which would enable bank branches nationwide to quickly adopt and roll out these services to a broader customer base.

The old pilot system was not an integrated one, and required banking branch consultants to be split between serving banking customers and DHA customers.

Under the new system, the department highlighted a more efficient “live capture” process and increased interoperability between the banks and the DHA’s systems.

The new system enables the DHA to directly integrate with banks, leading to enhanced services in the future, including integration with banking apps.

Ultimately, the goal is to enable these services digitally, including home delivery—making branch visits obsolete.

The new system has been supported by several banks, including new entrants Capitec, TymeBank and African Bank, who will be processing applications for the first time.

The participating banks have already committed to rolling out services to hundreds of branches over the coming years.

This puts the DHA and track to meet its target of 1,000 branches by 2029. However, in the near term—by the end of the current financial year in March 2026—it intends to have 100 new branches up and running.

Standard Bank has announced that it will be launching 20 additional bank branches for Smart ID and Passport services in early 2026.

Capitec plans to activate the service in 100 branches by mid-2026, with expansion to approximately 300 branches by the end of the year.

Smart ID for naturalised citizens and permanent residents

The DHA’s broader Smart ID plan is to get rid of the older green ID books in South Africa by the end of the decade.

To achieve this, it is also pushing for wider access to Smart IDs.

As part of its Smart ID rollout plan, the DHA announced the nationwide rollout of the cards for naturalised South African citizens and permanent residents last year.

However, the rollout is currently still in its first phase, which only allows applicants from countries that are visa-exempt.

The list of countries can be found here. The list of Smart ID-ready offices can be found here.

According to the DHA, applications for these citizens and residents can be done at all Live Capture Offices, bank branches and via the eHome-Affairs Portal.

Applicants can now also register and book appointments via the eHome-Affairs Portal and the Branch Appointment Booking System (BABS).

“All applicants will undergo verification against the National Population Register (NPR) at the Meeter-Greeter station to confirm the authenticity of their Green ID Book details,” it said.

“Permanent resident permit holders will also be checked for their country of birth, which must be among the 106 countries. Those who do not verify positively may be accommodated during Phase 2.”

The second phase of the rollout, which is still in the planning stage, will eventually include Smart ID access to all currently excluded groups, including those applying for an ID for the first time.

All applications carry an application fee of R140.00. For applicants who are 60 years and above, no payment is required.

Gauteng

Western Cape

KwaZulu Natal

Eastern Cape

Limpopo

Northern Cape

Mpumalanga