Banking institution Standard Bank collaborates with Home Affairs to broaden Smart ID and passport services offerings.
South Africa's Home Affairs and Standard Bank Partner to Expand Smart ID and Passport Services
In a significant move to increase accessibility and convenience, the South African Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has announced a new partnership with Standard Bank. This collaboration aims to expand Smart ID and Passport services across urban and rural areas by enabling applications and renewals through Standard Bank’s branches and digital banking channels.
The partnership leverages a new digital model to solve long-standing service delivery problems, reducing the need for lengthy queues at traditional Home Affairs offices. Key details of the collaboration include:
- Expansion of Physical Service Points: Standard Bank will start with services in 20 branches in 2025 and plans to expand to 300 branches over the next year, with more branches planned by 2027. These branches are located across both urban and rural areas to broaden access for all South Africans, including non-clients.
- Digital Application Integration: Clients will be able to apply for and renew Smart ID cards and passports through Standard Bank’s digital banking apps, marking a shift to a "digital-first" public service delivery approach.
- Collaboration Goals: The DHA’s vision is to extend these services to 1,000 bank branches nationwide by 2029, aiming to bring essential identity services closer to citizens and alleviate bottlenecks at DHA offices.
- Inclusion and Convenience: The initiative is especially important for rural communities, poor South Africans, and those with mobility challenges who previously faced difficulties accessing Home Affairs services physically. This aims to be a "game-changer" by facilitating easier access to identity documents that enable participation in education, employment, social grants, and other opportunities.
- Official Endorsements: Minister Leon Schreiber emphasized that partnering with leading banks like Standard Bank demonstrates how collaborative efforts and technology can solve service delivery problems.
Minister Schreiber is scheduled to visit Standard Bank this week to provide more details on the partnership. Standard Bank is the third bank to join this initiative to expand Smart ID and Passport services. The expansion of services is expected to increase access in South Africa, particularly benefiting residents in rural areas.
In summary, the partnership uses a phased rollout combining in-branch services and digital channels to make Smart ID and Passport services widely accessible and convenient across South Africa’s diverse geographic and socioeconomic landscape.
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