The newly introduced initiative marks the beginning of the end for long queues.
The Home Affairs department has partnered with Capitec and FNB to allow clients to apply for smart IDs and passports through their banking apps.
Minister of Home Affairs Dr Leon Schreiber on Monday announced that they are the first banks to be selected to sign up for the department’s new digital partnership model
Collab
The model will enable Smart ID and passport services through banking apps and facilitate applications at hundreds more bank branches across the country in both urban and rural areas.
It forms part of Home Affairs’ plan to expand its services to 1 000 bank branches by 2029 as mandated by Cabinet’s Medium-Term Development Plan.
“This collaboration dates back more than a decade and has, until now, seen the successful delivery of Smart ID and Passport services at only 30 branches across five different banks,” the department said.
End of long queues
Using banking apps to access government services is not new.
Several banks have already integrated services in their banking apps, allowing clients to collect their smart IDs from bank branches, including the integration of the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) online booking platform for driver’s licenses. The Citizen has tested the system, which is convenient and works seamlessly.
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The newly introduced initiative marks the beginning of the end for long travelling distances to reach Home Affairs services, for long queues, and for the Green ID book with its unacceptable vulnerability to fraud and identity theft.
Improved services
Home Affairs said the new and improved model will be used to facilitate applications through banks.
“That original model relied on the costly duplication of Home Affairs staff and hardware inside bank branches, and failed to take advantage of technology to dramatically expand services into all rural and urban areas where bank branches already exist, as well as onto secure banking apps that have come to be widely used across society.”
This marks the first time that South Africans will be able to apply for IDs and passports through banking apps.
Home delivery?
The department said the reform marks a critical milestone in the journey to unlock the power of digital transformation to deliver Home Affairs @ home, a goal by Schreiber to receive documents without visiting a Home Affairs office.
It is unclear whether the Home Affairs partnership with the banks will facilitate the home delivery of the documents.
The Citizen has sought clarity from the department regarding delivery, and will update the article once comments have been received.
Banks
The department said its Director-General, Tommy Makhode, has written to the CEOs of ABSA, African Bank, Tyme Bank, Capitec Bank, Discovery Bank, First National Bank, Investec Bank, Nedbank, and Standard Bank, inviting them to join the initiative.
Home Affairs said it will be hosting a press conference at the Capitec offices in Stellenbosch on Tuesday and at FNB’s Cape Town office on Wednesday to provide more information on the new initiative.
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