Ditch the Queue: More Banks to Offer Smart ID and Passport Services Soon

Home Affairs’ bold digital vision aims to transform ID services, expand bank partnerships, and restore pride in South African identity

In a country where standing in long Home Affairs lines is practically a rite of passage, relief may finally be on the horizon. Minister of Home Affairs Leon Schreiber has announced a major expansion of smart ID and passport services, this time, straight to a bank near you.

If all goes to plan, your next ID renewal might be just a few taps away in your banking app.

From pilot to priority: 30 branches becomes 100

Presenting the department’s R11 billion budget in Parliament this week, Schreiber shared the department’s ambitious plan to increase its public-private pilot project, which currently allows South Africans to apply for smart IDs and passports at around 30 bank branches, to at least 100 branches by the end of this financial year.

Schreiber envisions a future where citizens can order ID documents as easily as buying airtime, all via digital banking apps. Even home delivery is in the pipeline, with biometric facial recognition set to secure the process.

“We are moving from frustration to innovation,” he told MPs.

Farewell, Green ID Books

One of the standout goals? Phasing out the green barcoded ID books for good. The department wants to completely stop producing them by the end of 2025, pushing all citizens to use smart ID cards as part of a broader digital transformation strategy.

Schreiber said these reforms are essential to building South Africa’s first-ever Digital ID system, which will allow citizens to store and access key documents on smartphones or computers.

He promised that a Digital ID policy would soon be submitted to Cabinet, with public consultations to follow.

Going global: Better services for South Africans abroad

South Africans living in the diaspora often face a bureaucratic nightmare when trying to renew their documents. Schreiber says that ends now.

New Home Affairs service points will soon launch in Australia, New Zealand and the UAE, with France, Germany, and the Netherlands to follow this year. North America is expected to come online in early 2026. The department is targeting a five-week turnaround time for IDs and passports abroad, a significant improvement from the current wait times.

Investing in border security and economic growth

Beyond documents and IDs, Schreiber’s budget included updates on other fronts.

He confirmed that redesign plans for South Africa’s six busiest commercial border posts are underway, through a public-private partnership, with approval now sitting with National Treasury.

These ports are key to stimulating trade and reducing delays, but Schreiber warned that the Border Management Authority (BMA) tasked with handling illegal immigration and cross-border smuggling, remains critically underfunded.

Despite the deployment of drones and other smart tech, Schreiber urged Parliament to “put money where its mouth is” by funding the BMA properly.

Political reaction: Support and skepticism

Reactions to the budget varied sharply across the political spectrum.

• ANC MP Mosa Chabane praised the budget for building on the sixth administration’s foundation, even if some past initiatives lacked the funds for full rollout.

• MK Party MP Mariam Muhammad dismissed the budget as a “plaster over a festering wound”, accusing the department of failing to address deep-rooted exclusion and dysfunction.

• DA MP Nicole Bollman welcomed the progress as “measurable” and key to job creation under the new Government of National Unity.

• EFF MP Thapelo Mogale slammed the department for ongoing budget cuts, arguing that Home Affairs can’t fulfil its duties, especially securing the country’s borders, without adequate resources.

Fixing what’s broken

Let’s be honest: for many South Africans, Home Affairs represents the worst of public service delivery, slow queues, outdated systems, and missing documents. But with the launch of these tech-driven reforms, there’s a genuine glimmer of hope.

If Schreiber delivers, we might finally start treating ID applications like a banking errand, not an all-day event. It’s a digital leap that could redefine how we interact with the state.

And maybe, just maybe, we’ll never have to photocopy our green ID books again.

{Source: IOL}

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