FNB to roll out smart ID and passport applications via mobile app and branches
The new services will be added to the FNB banking app in the next few months.
THE First National Bank (FNB) will allow customers to apply for smart ID cards and passports through its mobile app in the next few months. The bank also plans to make first-time applications and the reissuance of these documents available at all of its branches over time.
This follows an announcement by FNB today, August 12, that it has expanded its collaboration with the Department of Home Affairs (DHA), enabling the reissuance of smart IDs and passports via the FNB banking app and branch network. On Monday, August 11, DHA announced the partnership with Capitec and FNB to allow clients to apply for smart IDs and passports through their banking apps and to turbocharge the number of branches where applications can be made. The department has already partnered with five local banks to allow applications for smart IDs and passports at selected branches.
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This initiative supports the department’s efforts to improve service delivery and accessibility nationwide. Since the partnership began in 2015, FNB has issued over 570 000 smart IDs and passports through its seven participating branches. This includes 312 000 smart IDs and 258 000 passports, reflecting the success and scale of the collaboration.
Commenting on this partnership, Harry Kellan, CEO of FNB, said: “FNB recognises how critical smart IDs and passports are to all South Africans, whether for applying for basic services, opening bank accounts, seeking employment, or travelling. We continue to innovate to meet our customers’ needs and we are proud to extend our decade-long partnership with the Department of Home Affairs while supporting government’s digital and modernisation agenda. With the department’s newer technology, reaching millions of South Africans through FNB’s systems and infrastructure will be a reality.”
Over the upcoming months, Kellan said customers will be able to apply for reissuance via the FNB Banking App or the existing DHA’s online booking system. “On the banking app, customers can apply for their smart ID or Passport to be reissued and delivered to their address or collected at one of our branches. Should a customer require assistance, they will continue to visit one of our designated branches, as they currently do, for photographs and fingerprints and can collect from the same branch. We will enable status tracking for the customer to view where in the process their smart ID or passport is once the application is completed,” added Kellan.
Zibu Nqala, a CEO of FNB Points of Presence hinted: “Our ambition is to expand this service nationally, with a particular focus on reaching communities that have historically faced challenges in accessing these essential services. In addition to the mobile banking app capabilities that will be introduced, over time we will also look to enable every branch to assist customers with the service. This will ensure representation across all provinces and allow us to continue providing convenient, community-focused services in partnership with the DHA.”
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