Green IDs Out, Smart IDs in as MORE Banks Join Home Affairs

Green IDs out, Smart IDs in as MORE banks join Home Affairs

South Africa’s paper-based green ID book is finally being pushed into retirement, now that even more banks have joined Home Affairs’ digital push. Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber confirmed that the country’s major banks have committed to rolling out Smart ID and passport services to at least 840 additional branches within the next 12 months. The announcement marks one of the most aggressive expansions of Home Affairs’ digital service delive…

Home Affairs, FNB, Standard Bank Partner To Enable Smart ID And Passport Applications - The Bulrushes

Johannesburg – The Department of Home Affairs, First National Bank (FNB), and Standard Bank yesterday, 13 August 2025, launched a new partnership to enable South Africans to apply for their smart card IDs and passports via FNB and Standard Bank branches and on the FNB and Standard Bank mobile applications at a later stage. FNB will be taking a phased approach to the rollout of these services and is committing to rolling out 15 branches immediate…

Absa And Discovery Bank Hop Aboard Home Affairs' Smart ID And Passport Expansion Train - Stuff South Africa

Like a sibling scrambling to get back in the good books because their brother was the first to say ‘thank you’ at the dinner table, Absa and Discovery Bank have fallen in line with the Department of Home Affairs’ (DHA) ambitious plans to digitise and expand smart ID and passport processes in SA. All aboard the smart ID push Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber announced that the two banks had signed up for the partnership in a post on X. Like do…

A Decade of Collaboration- Partnerships Between Banks and Home Affairs in South Africa

Nearly a decade ago, the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) began partnering with banks to deliver Smart ID and passport services to South Africans. First National Bank (FNB) piloted the program, followed by Capitec, Standard Bank, and now Absa. Initially, these in-branch facilities appeared to simply replicate Home Affairs’ systems and equipment. However, over time, the collaboration has proven to be more than duplication—it has emerged as a valu…