Good news for Absa customers in South Africa
Absa and the Department of Home Affairs have officially launched a mobile unit for Smart ID renewals, marking the next part of their partnership to expand access to Home Affairs services.
Home Affairs recently altered its partnerships with banks in line with its plans to expand access to Smart ID services.
The new initiative gives banks greater control over Home Affairs’ services and removes the requirement for Home Affairs staff to be seconded to branches.
This has led to the total number of branches offering the service rising from around 30 at the start of the year to over 250.
Absa has now launched a new mobile unit that will take selected Home Affairs services directly to remote, peri-urban and underserved communities.
It will complement the expansion of Home Affairs services to additional Absa branches and new digital functionality on the Absa Banking App, where customers can book appointments and track applications.
“For years, the greatest obstacle to replacing the fraud-prone green barcoded ID book has been limited access to the alternative, in the form of the Smart ID,” said Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber.
“In just four and a half months, our Digital Partnership with South Africa’s banking sector has expanded the footprint of Home Affairs Smart ID services from 214 locations to 541.”
The Minister said the bank initiative plans to expand to around 750 branches by the end of the year.
He added that the launch of the first bank-based Home Affairs mobile unit is a huge step in advancing Home Affairs @ home, bringing identity services closer to where South Africans live, work and bank.
“This partnership allows us to use Absa’s infrastructure, digital capability and national footprint to help make an essential public service more accessible,” said Absa Group CEO Kenny Fihla.
“It demonstrates how collaboration between government and the private sector can remove practical barriers while maintaining the highest standards of security, governance and customer experience.”
Services coming to bank branches
Sitoyo Lopokoiyit, Chief Executive: Personal and Private Banking Pan-Africa at Absa Group, noted that the initiative is centred on addressing customers’ needs.
“By combining our physical branch network with mobile capability and digital integration, we are helping bring critical identity services closer to communities while supporting the Department’s vision of expanding access responsibly.”
The partnership will also introduce a new, digitally integrated service model that allows customers to access eligible Home Affairs services directly via participating Absa branches and the Absa banking app.
This is enabled by the Department of Home Affairs’ secure Digital API Gateway, which connects customers directly to participating banks via Home Affairs systems.
As part of the rollout, Absa will open 12 additional branches that will begin offering Smart ID renewal services from 20 July 2026.
The bank expects to add a further 60 branches by the end of the year.
After the initial stage, eligible customers will also be able to replace lost, stolen or damaged Smart ID cards. They will also be able to update cards following changes in marital status.
Absa branches currently offering passport and Home Affairs services will continue operating as normal.
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