Good news for Capitec, Absa, FNB and Standard Bank customers in South Africa – with more banks to come
Minister of Home Affairs Leon Schreiber says the department has hit its target for bank branches offering Smart ID services ahead of schedule, with more banks and services to be added soon.
On Wednesday (11 November), Schreiber noted that the digital Smart ID programme had reached 750 bank branches, meeting the target initially set for March 2027.
Launched on 9 March 2026, the department set out its ambition to roll the service out to 750 branches by the start of the new administrative year, with a broader goal of 1,000 branches in the medium term.
However, the department hit the target within eight months, setting it up to reach the longer-term goal much faster as well.
Schreiber said that the Smart ID services are now available at 753 bank branches across the country, many of which are in communities that were historically excluded from the service.
When combined with the DHA’s offices that have the functionality, there are now 967 locations for South Africans to get a Smart ID.
The success does come with a caveat, however. The Smart ID services are still only for replacement IDs, and not for new Smart IDs.
The service is also still only available to Absa, Capitec, FNB and Standard Bank customers.
Schreiber said that more banks and more services are set to be added to the project shortly. The goal is to enable first-time Smart ID issuance, as well as Passport and home delivery services.
Despite the caveats, the milestone is great news for any Absa, Capitec, FNB or Standard Bank customers who need to replace an ID or move off the old Green ID book.
The service requires no prior booking, paperwork or queues, with customers of these banks being able to walk into a participating branch.
Applications are processed through secure biometric technology in just five minutes.
“This dramatic expansion supports the Department’s roadmap to phase out the fraud-prone green ID book, which serves as a key pull factor for illegal immigration and identity theft,” the minister said.
“We can now say with confidence that the days of standing in a long queue just to apply for a replacement Smart ID, are fast coming to an end.”
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