Banking

All 35 bank branches where you can get a Smart ID and Passport in South Africa

Caitlyn Hilliard-Lomas

 ·17 Feb 2026

Currently, 35 bank branches in South Africa offer Smart ID and Passport services, now including three more Standard Bank branches in Gauteng.

In collaboration with the Department of Home Affairs (DHA), several South African banks have committed to expanding the availability of Smart ID services at their branches.

The DHA announced a faster system in late 2025, enabling bank branches across the country to quickly implement these services for a wider customer base.

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 DHA introduced the eHomeAffairs system in 2016. Since then, banks such as FNB, Standard Bank, Absa, Investec, Nedbank, and Discovery Bank have operated successful pilot sites.

Home Affairs aims to expand Smart ID services to more than 1,000 bank branches by 2029, with 100 new branches operational by the end of the current financial year in March 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.

Additionally, Standard Bank has announced it will launch 20 more branches for Smart ID and Passport services in early 2026—commencing with the adoption of these services at Rosebank, Maponya Mall, and Westgate branches in Gauteng.

During the launch phase, Standard Bank clients will not incur any convenience or logistics fees; they will only be responsible for the Home Affairs application fee of R140. 

With no additional fees, the bank will concentrate on testing, refining, and responsibly expanding the service.

The in-branch service will allow customers to apply for or renew Smart ID cards, complete payment, and collect their IDs at the same branch, reducing queues and travel time.

Hello ID cards, goodbye ID books

Home Affairs is expanding its partnership with South Africa’s largest banks as part of its initiative to roll out Smart IDs nationwide. 

These Smart IDs are designed to replace the green ID book, which is one of the most frequently forged documents in Africa due to its various vulnerabilities.

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber has said that the smart ID is more secure and will reduce the risks of identity theft and financial fraud. 

Schreiber’s department has made considerable progress in scaling up the rollout of Smart IDs, issuing a record four million cards in 2025. 

This achievement represents the highest rate in the department’s history, and the DHA shows no signs of slowing down during 2026.

In late January 2025, Home Affairs announced the issuance of over four million Smart ID cards, representing a 17% increase from the 3.4 million issued in 2024.

This scaled rollout has been made possible by a significant investment in repairing the Online Verification Service, which has faced challenges due to insufficient funding and abuse.

These issues have hindered the verification of South Africans’ identities and hampered the effective rollout of Smart IDs.

“Correcting this has led to higher uptime and better performance of the population register at Home Affairs offices, directly contributing to giving more South Africans access to Smart IDs than ever before,” Home Affairs said.

Below is a list of all 35 bank branches that offer Smart ID and Passport Services, with the three Standard Bank branches now offering the services shown in bold.

Gauteng

*These branches are listed on the eHomeAffairs platform as available to book smart ID and passport application slots. However, they aren’t listed on the Department of Home Affairs’ official list.

Western Cape

KwaZulu Natal

*These branch is listed on the eHomeAffairs platform as available to book smart ID and passport application slots. However, they aren’t listed on the Department of Home Affairs’ official list.

Eastern Cape

Limpopo

Northern Cape

Mpumalanga

(This article has been updated to reflect that the three new branches for Standard Bank are still in a phased rollout, with Smart ID services coming soon.)