South Africa News

Home Affairs: Smart card ID & passport services being rolled out to more banks across SA means less time standing in long queues

As part of its fight against long queues, the Department of Home Affairs has announced the rolling out of some of its services to more banks.

Speaking during a Portfolio Committee meeting, the department said currently there are 27 bank branches which are operational and available to service clients requiring DHA services.

ID smart cards and passports can be applied for at FNB, Absa, Discovery, Investec, Nedbank and Standard Banks.

“The department envisages rolling out to a further 43 sites once the partnership agreements are signed. In the interim, while discussing options with SITA. The banks have agreed to extend the pilot period to March 31, 2023 and we are envisaging that we would have signed the agreements with all the banks before that date,” the department said.

The DHA has also rolled out mobile units to each province. Currently, there are 106 units across the country with four units at the DHA’s head office for special projects.

“So far 126 202 smart ID card applications were processed through mobile units in the 2021/2022 financial year while 111 958 were collected during the first and second quarters of the current financial year. The plan is to procure as many mobile units in order to reach out to identified service points for those citizens who are not able to visit home affairs offices as per the DHA Access Model,” the department added.

The DHA said provinces have full deployment plans on the usage and functionality of mobile units with the intention to service areas where there is a smaller footprint, including rural areas.

Bank branches currently offering DHA services:

Western Cape

FNB Greenpoint

Standard Bank Canal Walk

Standards Bank Promenade Mall

Nedbank St George’s Mall

Limpopo

FNB Burgersfort

KwaZulu-Natal

Standard Bank Kingsmead

FNB Cornubia

Mpumalanga

Nedbank Nelspruit

Eastern Cape

Absa Greenacres

Standard Bank Newton Park

Gauteng

FNB Bank City JHB

FNB Centurion Lifestyle

FNB The Grove Mall

FNB The Glen

FNB Sandton

Nedbank Arcadia

Nedbank Constantia Kloof

Nedbank Rivonia

Absa Centurion Lifestyle

Absa Sandton Mall

Absa Keywest Mall

Discovery Bank Sandton

Investec Sandton

Standard Bank Centurion

Standard Bank Killarney Mall

Standard Bank Simmonds Street JHB

Standard Bank Jubilee Mall

In the Northern Cape, a pilot project is underway at the Standard Bank at Kathu Mall

-IOL

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