Home Affairs expands Smart ID services to more than 750 bank branches

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South Africans can now access Smart ID services at more bank branches, with Home Affairs beating its expansion target ahead of schedule.

0 Home Affairs has surpassed its target of offering Smart ID services at 750 bank branches. Image: file Home Affairs has expanded its Smart ID services to 753 bank branches across South Africa, surpassing its target of reaching 750 branches more than four months ahead of schedule.

The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) announced the milestone on 11 November, saying more than one million South Africans had already benefited from the expanded service.

The department launched its digital partnership with the banking sector on 9 March 2026 as part of Minister Leon Schreiber’s Home Affairs @ home reform agenda.

At the time, it set a target of making Smart ID services available at 750 bank branches by the end of the 2026/27 financial year.

However, just eight months later, the target has already been exceeded, with 753 participating branches now offering the service.

According to Schreiber, the expansion has increased the department’s Smart ID service footprint from 214 Home Affairs offices to 967 locations nationwide, an increase of more than 350% in 246 days.

South Africans can access the service at participating branches of four banks:

The service allows citizens to apply for a Smart ID without making a prior booking or completing paperwork beforehand.

Applications are processed using secure biometric technology, with the department stating that the process takes approximately five minutes.

Schreiber said the expansion was intended to make Home Affairs services more accessible, particularly in communities that were previously excluded from convenient access to these services.

He added that the department planned to expand the digital partnership further, with more banks and services expected to be added.

The expansion also forms part of Home Affairs’ longer-term plan to replace South Africa’s green barcoded identity book with the more secure Smart ID card.

The department has identified the green ID book as a security risk because of its vulnerability to fraud and identity theft.

Increasing the number of locations where South Africans can access Smart ID services is therefore intended to make the transition to the newer identity document easier.

Schreiber said the department had exceeded what it initially considered an ambitious target, adding that the expansion was among the fastest service roll-outs in Home Affairs’ history.

South Africans can find their nearest participating bank branch through the department’s online Home Affairs service portal.

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