Home Affairs Minister Introduces Quick Smart ID Applications at Bank Branches Across South Africa
- Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber introduced a digital partnership for Smart ID applications at bank branches
- The minister said that biometric verification eliminates paperwork and reduces application time to five to ten minutes
- The programme aims for 1,000 branches by 2029, enhancing security and decentralising services
Justin Williams, a journalist at Briefly News since 2024, covers South Africa’s current affairs. Before joining Briefly News, he served as a writer and chief editor at Right for Education Africa’s South African chapter.
Source: Twitter
Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber announced that a new digital partnership model will allow South Africans to apply for Smart IDs at participating bank branches without visiting a Home Affairs office.
Applicants visit a participating bank branch
Schreiber said the system eliminates the need for advance bookings and paperwork because biometric technology verifies applicants' information electronically. Under the new process, applicants visit a participating bank branch, provide fingerprints, look into a camera for a photograph, sign the application, and pay the required fee. Schreiber said the process takes between five and ten minutes to complete.
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He added that applicants can return to the same branch to collect their Smart ID, while a courier delivery option to another address is expected to be introduced later. The first phase of the programme targets South Africans who still have the green barcoded ID book and those who need replacements for lost or stolen Smart ID cards. Schreiber said the initiative is intended to help people transition to the more secure Smart ID system or obtain replacements through a fully digital process that requires no bookings or documents.
Opportunities for manipulation
He said the new system improves security by relying on biometric verification linked to the population register, arguing that manual processes and paperwork in the previous system created opportunities for manipulation. Participating banks, including Standard Bank and Capitec, have already launched the service, with additional branches expected to join during the rollout.
Schreiber said the initiative aims to decentralise services by allowing people to access Home Affairs functions at locations they already visit for banking. The Department of Home Affairs plans to expand the programme to hundreds of bank branches during the year and aims to reach 1,000 branches by 2029.
Source: Twitter
Other stories about Home Affairs
The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) stated that it has uncovered what it describes as a "nefarious syndicate" operating inside the Department of Home Affairs, where officials allegedly enriched themselves by unlawfully issuing visas and residence permits. Acting SIU head Leonard Lekgetho said investigators identified four officials earning less than R25,000 per month who received a combined R16,313,327.00 in direct deposits.
In a Facebook post shared by SA Immigration – Visas on 26 January 2026, the organisation highlighted the case of !Khūboab Oedasoua Lawrence, whose application has remained unresolved since April 2025. According to multiple reports, Home Affairs cited technical limitations within its Smart ID live capture system, which is currently unable to process special characters used in some indigenous languages, including click consonants and diacritics.
The Minister of Home Affairs, Leon Schreiber, said that the Department of Home Affairs will institute disciplinary action against officials implicated in the Special Investigating Unit’s (SIU) probe into corruption within the Department. Schreiber spoke on 23 February 2026 at the press briefing where the SIU released a report revealing the extent of corruption in the Department of Home Affairs.
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Proofreading by Kelly Lippke, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.
Source: Briefly News
