Big announcement about smart ID and passport applications at banks

South Africa’s Minister of Home Affairs, Leon Schreiber, has announced the conclusion of an agreement he says will enable banks to offer smart ID and passport services through their banking apps.

The agreement is between Schreiber’s department, the Border Management Agency (BMA), Government Printing Works (GPW), and the South African Revenue Service.

“The agreement marks a new era that will fundamentally reform and improve the way that government works in the Republic of South Africa,” the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) said in a statement.

“In terms of the agreement, the service ecosystem composed of Home Affairs, the BMA, and GPW will leverage world-class technology capacity within SARS to revolutionise all civics and immigration services.”

The DHA said the agreement’s conclusion means residents can look forward to the following benefits:

• Integration of Home Affairs services with banking platforms to expand access to smart ID and passport services to hundreds of bank branches as well as banking apps.
• An option to select courier delivery of documents.
• Launch of a world-class Electronic Travel Authorisation system to digitise and automate immigration procedures to eliminate inefficiency and fraud.
• Upgrading the Movement Control System at ports of entry.
• Introduction of smart IDs for naturalised citizens and permanent residents.

“Work to roll out these revolutionary improvements is now in full swing, and the Department will announce their activation on an ongoing basis,” the DHA said.

Schreiber recently said the government can only invalidate South Africa’s green ID books once all South Africans, including naturalised citizens and permanent residents, have access to smart ID cards.

He indicated there were still around 18 million South Africans to reach.

“The green ID book is insecure and a risk to South Africa. We need to get rid of it. We can only do away with it if everyone has access to the alternative smart ID,” he said.

“Our aim was 2.5 million people this year, but we are on track for 3.6 million.”

Even at a rate of 3.6 million cars per year, it will be at least five years before the country can invalidate the old document unless the government makes drastic changes.

Schreiber said it was critical that the DHA massively expands its collaboration with South African banks.

“In the past, Home Affairs had its own computer, fingerprint scanner, camera, and an official sitting in a corner of the bank. That makes no sense. We must integrate with the bank’s technology,” said Schreiber.

The department must hasten its smart ID production if it wants to hit Schreiber’s target of expanding smart ID access to all South Africans before the national and provincial elections in 2029.

Schreiber revealed the goal while speaking at the Independent Electoral Commission’s e-Voting Conference in early March 2025.

“We are moving determinedly to expand access to smart IDs to a scale never seen before,” the minister said.

He emphasised the urgency of expanding Home Affairs services to more locations nationwide to ensure all South Africans can get the document without having to travel long distances.

“This will enable us to eventually discontinue the green barcoded ID book, which is far more prone to fraud than the smart ID,” said Schreiber.

He emphasised that implementing a digital ID system would follow his department’s smart ID expansion to all South Africans. He also wants a fully-fledged digital ID system by the next national and provincial elections in 2029.