30 bank branches where you can get a Smart ID and passport in July 2024

As of July 2024, there are 30 bank branches where South Africans can apply for and receive their Smart IDs and passports, but if everything goes to plan, there will be even more as the government pushes to rid the public of ID books.

The eHomeAffairs initiative was first introduced in 2015 with the specific objective of phasing out the traditional green-barcoded ID books in favour of the more advanced Smart ID Card.

Through the eHome Affairs platform, South Africans can submit the necessary documentation and secure an appointment to have their biometrics recorded at a designated bank where they hold an account.

The booking process is designed to be user-friendly, with the platform automatically populating most of the required information.

For the biometric process, users must input details such as their country of citizenship, birth town, residential and postal address, and preferred bank branch.

The DHA will then send renewed passports and smart IDs to the same bank branch where the customer’s biometrics were captured.

Banks offered the eHomeAffairs system at 12 branches in Gauteng and one branch in Cape Town, and the plan was to enter a public-private partnership with participating banks to increase the footprint in the provinces.

Over the course of the past eight years, there has been significant progress in the project.

Notably, Investec and Discovery Bank have joined the service, which is now accessible at 30 branches.

The table below lists all the bank branches that offer passport and smart ID services in South Africa.

However, progress has been slower than initially expected. There are currently no branches offering the service in the provinces of North West and Free State.

According to the Department of Home Affairs, over 3.5 million South Africans used the system for their IDs and passports in its eight years of operation.

The bank’s Smart ID card application process has been praised for its efficiency. However, fewer than 700,000 people have acquired Smart ID cards through banks since 2016.

Former Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi caused panic after an interview on E-TV News in which he mentioned that the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) would soon announce the invalidation of the green ID book, with the newer Smart ID card being its complete replacement.

Following this, DHA’s deputy director general Thulani Mavusoc clarified that the department expects to phase out the green ID books in the next two to three years, although no timelines had been set in stone.

For several years, the number of branches supporting the service has remained between 20 and 30, which needs to increase dramatically to meet Home Affairs’ goals.

The department issued roughly 26 million Smart IDs in the past financial year, at a rate of 2.5 million annually.

The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) estimated that around 38 million green ID books were circulating in 2013 when it launched the Smart ID card.

The current issuing rate suggests it will take at least another five years to reach the original target of 38 million, which the DHA previously aimed to achieve by 2022.

The finalisation of the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) agreement with banks to expand the program has been repeatedly delayed.

Despite this, major banks are actively engaged in discussions with the Department of Home Affairs to broaden their service provision.

FNB and Standard Bank have gone on record to confirm the extension of the Memorandum of Understanding until September 2024.

However, these banks have expressed their hope for a permanent solution to be established before then.

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