Banking

Great news for Capitec customers in South Africa

Staff Writer

 ·26 Mar 2026

South Africa’s largest bank by customers, Capitec, has rapidly rolled out its self-service Smart ID platforms across its branches nationwide, now available in every province.

After launching at seven branches at the beginning of the month, the banking group has now added 40 more locations where the service is active.

The bank has now made Smart ID services available in every province in the country, giving it the widest reach across all banks.

However, the service is still limited, with the bank emphasising that the branches are currently only available for Smart ID replacements.

This includes replacing a lost, stolen or damaged Smart ID card or replacing a green ID book with a Smart ID card.

First-time ID applications are not available in-branch yet.

Furthermore, the service at Capitec branches is only available to Capitec customers, as the service fees are charged to Capitec accounts.

Capitec clients can apply for a Smart ID via the terminal with no prior booking required.

According to Capitec, the process should take less than five minutes to complete and is fully integrated with DHA systems, enabling secure, real-time processing.

The application fee is R150, comprising the standard DHA fee of R140 and a Capitec service fee of R10 to cover logistics.

Clients will receive a notification when their ID is ready and can then collect it from the branch.

The rapid branch rollout aligns with the Department of Home Affairs’ goal of reaching 100 branches by the end of March.

Along with the 47 Capitec branches, Standard Bank has also rolled out the new digital services, now totalling 13 selected branches.

This adds to the branches from Absa, Nedbank, FNB, Investec and Discovery on the old system, which are still in operation, bringing the total to 83 branches overall.

Capitec said it will roll out branches in phases, with many more still to come. The other banks are also expected to launch new Smart ID services at branches in the months to come.

The DHA aims to have Smart ID services available at 1,000 banks by the end of 2028.

Here are the 47 branches where Capitec customers can access Smart ID services:

Western Cape (13)

Gauteng (8)

KwaZulu-Natal (7)

Eastern Cape (6)

Free State (4)

North West (3)

Limpopo (3)

Mpumalanga (2)

Northern Cape (1)