South Africans are set to get dramatically easier access to Smart ID and passport services as the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) and the country’s major banks fast-track a new digital partnership model.
From late 2025 into 2026, participating bank branches will increasingly double as one-stop hubs for ID and passport applications – cutting queues, easing pressure on DHA offices, and bringing services closer to where people live and bank.
Eight Banks on Board – and a New Digital Model
Under the revamped partnership model, the DHA is working with a growing list of big-name lenders to integrate Smart ID and passport services directly into bank infrastructure.
Key partners now include:
- Standard Bank
- Absa
- FNB
- Nedbank
- Capitec
- African Bank
- Discovery Bank
- TymeBank
- Old Mutual (via the expanded digital model)
The shift moves beyond the older pilot system — where a limited number of branches hosted DHA staff — to a tech-driven integration model that links bank systems directly with Home Affairs for biometric capture, applications and collections.
This is designed to support a massive scale-up from roughly 30–32 active branches in 2025 to hundreds of enabled branches from 2026 onwards.
Standard Bank Leads with 20 New Smart ID & Passport Branches
Standard Bank is currently at the centre of the rollout news cycle.
The bank has completed infrastructure procurement and begun pilot testing with the DHA, paving the way for 20 new Smart ID and passport-enabled branches in early 2026.
Two pilot branches are already live in a controlled testing phase, focusing on:
- Full biometric capture (photo and fingerprints)
- Secure document handling and integration with DHA back-end systems
- End-to-end digital processing, from application to collection at the same branch
Standard Bank says locations for the 20 branches will be strategically selected to balance metro and rural areas, prioritising communities with poor access to DHA offices and large numbers of clients still using the old green ID book.
The bank has also launched a “Friends of the Program” initiative, inviting selected clients to test the new process before national scale-up.
More Branches Coming: What the Numbers Look Like
While exact timelines and locations may shift as pilots are completed, the current trajectory is clear:
- Around 32 bank branches already offer Smart ID and/or passport services via eHomeAffairs bookings.
- The new partnership model aims to push this to 150+ branches by around March 2026, as banks like Standard Bank, Capitec, FNB, Absa, Nedbank, African Bank, Discovery Bank, Old Mutual and TymeBank ramp up.
- Longer-term projections point to several hundred — and potentially over 800 — enabled locations nationwide as the model matures.
Capitec, in particular, is expected to be a game-changer, with plans to roll out Smart ID services across its large national footprint under the new API-driven system, following testing phases through late 2025 and early 2026.
What This Means for South Africans
For everyday citizens, the expansion is more than a convenience upgrade — it’s a structural fix to one of the country’s most frustrating admin pain points:
- Shorter queues & fewer trips: Apply and collect at selected bank branches instead of overcrowded DHA offices.
- Extended reach: New sites will increasingly target areas with limited Home Affairs presence, improving rural and township access.
- Digital-first experience: Online booking via eHomeAffairs plus integrated bank systems should mean better tracking, smoother processing and fewer repeat visits.
- Public–private collaboration: The rollout is a flagship example of banks and government jointly modernising essential identity infrastructure.
Where to Go Right Now
South Africans can already book Smart ID and passport services at a growing list of bank branches through the official eHomeAffairs platform.
This list is being updated as new pilot sites come online, so customers of Standard Bank and other major banks should:
- Check the latest list of enabled branches on eHomeAffairs before booking
- Look out for bank announcements and in-branch signage about DHA-enabled services
With multiple major banks now publicly committing resources, infrastructure and technology, the Smart ID and passport rollout is firmly in “scale-up” mode — and 2026 is shaping up to be the year these services finally become mainstream at branches nationwide.