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.
| Bank branches offering passport and smart ID services | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bank | Address | Contact |
| Standard Bank (9) | ||
| Standard Bank Canal Walk | Shop 599, Upper Level, Canal Walk Shopping Center, Century Blvd, Century City | 021 529 8216 |
| Standard Bank Centurion | Cnr Lenchen and Old Johannesburg Rd Centurion Lifestyle Centre | 012 671 4042 |
| Standard Bank Jubilee Mall | Shop no. 47 Jubilee Mall corner Jubliee and Harry Gwala Road Temba Hammanskraal | 011 351 7814 |
| Standard Bank Kathu Mall | Shop 62 Village Walk Shopping Centre Kathu, Hendrik Van Eck Street, Postmasburg | 053 723 9610 |
| Standard Bank Killarney Mall | Killarney Mall, Riviera Rd, Killarney, Johannesburg | 011 486 0002 |
| Standard Bank Kingsmead | 1 Kingsmead Way, Durban | 031 308 7900 |
| Standard Bank Mitchell’s Plain Promenade | Corner AZ Berman Road And Morgenster Road, Mitchell’s Plain | 0860 123 000 |
| Standard Bank Newton Park | 1 Pickering St Newton Park Port Elizabeth | 041 404 8319 |
| Standard Bank Simmonds Street | 5 Simmonds St, Selby, Johannesburg. | 011 631 1624 / 011 639 4205 |
| FNB (7) | ||
| FNB Burgersfort | Shop 55 Twin City Complex Dirk Winterbach Street Burgersfort | 072 457 8619 / 013 216 0098 |
| FNB Centurion Lifestyle Centre | Cnr Lenchen and Old Johannesburg Rd Centurion Lifestyle Centre Centurion | 066 460 0530 / 012 653 2661 |
| FNB Cornubia | Shop U56, Cornubia Boulevard, Cnr N2 Highway & M41, Durban | 031 308 7900 |
| FNB Glen Shopping Centre | Shop U2, The Glen Shopping Centre, Glenvista | 061 495 4441 |
| FNB Greenpoint | Shop 1 & 2, ERF 176300, Media Quarter, Somerset Road, Greenpoint | 087 345 6090 |
| FNB Lynwood | Shop L04 Upper-level Cnr Simon Vermooten & Lynnwood Rd Equestria Pretoria | 066 460 0130 |
| FNB Merchant Place | 4 Merchant Place c/o Rivonia and Freedman Dr Sandton | 066 290 3307 |
| Nedbank (6) | ||
| Nedbank Arcadia | Shop 25, Nedbank Plaza, Beatrix Street, Arcadia | 066 460 0122 |
| Nedbank Constantia Kloof | 16 Constantia Boulevard Constantia Kloof Roodepoort | 011 639 4208 |
| Nedbank Durban North | 57 Adelaide Tambo Dr, Durban North, 4051 | 0800 555 111 |
| Nedbank Nelspruit | Shop 65 The Crossing Shopping Centre c/o Samora Machel and Madiba Drive Nelspruit | 081 336 5941 |
| Nedbank Rivonia | 135 Rivonia Road, Sandown, Sandton | 066 290 3257 |
| Nedbank St George’s Mall | Shop 3 The Box, St Georges Mall c/o Riebeeck Street | 0800 555 111 |
| Absa (6) | ||
| Absa Centurion Lifestyle Centre | Shop 36 c/o Lenchen and Old Johannesburg Road Centurion Lifestyle Centre Centurion | 066 460 0356 |
| Absa Key West Krugersdorp | Shop 80 Key West Shopping Centre cnr Paardekraal Drive and Viljoen Street Krugersdorp | 079 900 6457 |
| Absa Port Elizabeth | 682 Cnr. Bagshaw & Govan Mbeki Avenue, Port Elizabeth | 041 404 8319 |
| Absa Sandton City | Cnr Rivonia Road and 5th Street Sandton | 066 290 3314 |
| Absa Stellenbosch | Oude Bloemhof Building, Cnr Plein And Ryneveld Streets, Stellenbosch | 021 809 2311 |
| Absa Towers | Cnr Commissioner And Troye Streets, Johannesburg | 011 350 4111 |
| Discovery Bank (1) | ||
| Discovery Bank Head Office | 1 Discovery Place, c/o Rivonia Road and Katherine Street, Sandton | 0860 998 877 |
| Investec (1) | ||
| Investec Bank Sandown | 100 Grayston Dr Sandown Sandton | 011 286 7000 |
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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