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How to get your new Smart ID at a bank
South Africans looking to upgrade their green ID booklet to a smart ID card can book an appointment to do so using the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) eHomeAffairs platform.
Moreover, the system allows applicants to book appointments at DHA-supported bank branches across the country, meaning they never have to step foot in a Home Affairs office or face the associated queues.
The system launched in 2016, starting with a pilot phase that allowed citizens aged 30-35 to apply for their smart ID card online.
The DHA initially partnered with four of South Africa’s major banks, but it has since expanded the service to offer renewals and applications from branches operated by six different banks.
These include Absa, Discovery Bank, FNB, Investec, Nedbank, and Standard Bank.
Booking online with the system requires citizens to visit the eHomeAffairs website and register.
This will require you to input personal details like your name, surname, ID number, date of birth, email address, and cellphone number. The email address and cellphone number are only required for verification purposes.
Once registered, users can sign into the system. It will send them a one-time PIN to verify their login.
After signing in, users are presented with the home page and a “Create New Application” button at the top left-hand side of the screen. They must then specify whether the application is for themselves or on someone else’s behalf.
While most of the application form fields are pre-populated with your details, it requires users to provide the following information:
• Country of citizenship
• Birth town
• Residential and postal address
• The location at which you wish to have your biometrics captured and from which to collect your documents
Regarding the office or branch where you submit your biometrics, users currently have 30 bank branches from which to choose nationwide. However, they must be a customer of the bank they choose.
Once the form is complete, users can hit the “Submit” button at the top to progress to the document submission page, where they must upload a copy of their ID before proceeding to payment.
Payment for bank branch appointments works by loading your banking details on the eHomeAffairs portal and finalising the transaction through your Internet banking.
Once your banking details have been captured, you can book a slot at the selected branch. You do not have to complete payment before booking.
A complete list of available bank branches is provided at the end of the article.
South Africa wants to phase out its green ID books
Panic over green ID books
Former DHA minister Aaron Motsoaledi sparked chaos among South African residents in June 2024 when he announced his department’s plans to declare green ID books invalid.
“We want to do away with the green barcode ID. We think it’s long enough that we’ve kept dual identity documents,” he said.
“Very soon, we will make an announcement that we will keep one, and the other (green barcode) becomes invalid.”
He urged South African citizens to upgrade their books to cards so they would not be left behind when the announcement came.
However, a MyBroadband analysis revealed that Motsoaledi’s statement was premature at best, as it was unlikely the old green ID would become invalid for several years.
Besides most naturalised citizens and permanent residents being excluded from eHomeAffairs, the pace of smart ID uptake was too slow to invalidate green IDs anytime soon.
During the department’s budget vote speech in July 2024, deputy minister Njabulo Nzuza said the DHA wants to issue 2.5 million smart ID cards during the current financial year.
That would be a slight reduction in production compared to previous years. The DHA issued 2.6 million cards in 2022/23 and 2.8 million in 2023/24.
“In the 23/24 financial year, the Department issued 2,822,236 smart ID cards to citizens aged 16 years and above, against a target of 2.5 million,” said Nzuza.
“This is an increase of 7% compared with the 2,613,248 smart ID cards issued in 2022/23. This year, we plan to issue a further 2.5 million smart ID cards.”
The DHA will struggle to justify a deadline for invalidating South Africa’s green ID books at this production rate.
DHA deputy director-general Thulani Mavuso said 26 million South Africans currently hold smart ID cards. The plan was to phase out green ID books when the DHA reached 38 million smart ID cards.
However, this doesn’t account for the numerous new green ID books that have been issued over the past 11 years, and the target is likely substantially higher.
Therefore, the DHA must significantly increase its smart ID production to phase out green ID books anytime soon.
The table below lists all the DHA-supported bank branches through which South Africans can apply for a smart ID card or renew their passport.
eHomeAffairs bank branches by province
Province Branch Address
Gauteng (17)
Absa Centurion Lifestyle Centre C/o Lenchen and Old Johannesburg Rd, Centurion Lifestyle Centre, Centurion
Absa Key West Krugersdorp Shop 80, Key West Shopping Centre, c/o Paardekraal Drive and Viljoen Street, Krugersdorp
Absa Sandton City C/o Rivonia Road and 5th Street, Sandton
Absa Towers C/o Commissioner and Troye Streets, Johannesburg
Discovery Bank Head Office 1 Discovery Place, c/o Rivonia Road and Katherine Street, Sandton
FNB Centurion Lifestyle Centre C/o Lenchen and Old Johannesburg Rd, Centurion Lifestyle Centre, Centurion
FNB Glen Shopping Centre Shop U2, The Glen Shopping Centre, Glenvista
FNB Lynnwood Shop L04 Upper-level Cnr Simon Vermooten & Lynnwood Rd Equestria Pretoria
FNB Merchant Place 4 Merchant Place c/o Rivonia and Freedman Dr Sandton
Investec Bank Sandown 100 Grayston Dr, Sandown, Sandton
Nedbank Arcadia Shop 25, Nedbank Plaza, Beatrix Street, Arcadia
Nedbank Constantia Kloof 16 Constantia Boulevard Constantia Kloof Roodepoort
Nedbank Rivonia 135 Rivonia Road, Sandown, Sandton
Standard Bank Centurion Lifestyle Centre C/o Lenchen and Old Johannesburg Rd, Centurion Lifestyle Centre, Centurion
Standard Bank Jubilee Mall Shop no. 47 Jubilee Mall corner Jubliee and Harry Gwala Road Temba Hammanskraal
Standard Bank Killarney Mall Killarney Mall, Riviera Rd, Killarney, Johannesburg
Standard Bank Simmonds Street 5 Simmonds St, Selby, Johannesburg
Western Cape (5) Absa Stellenbosch Oude Bloemhof Building, c/o Plein And Ryneveld Streets, Stellenbosch
FNB Greenpoint Shop 1 & 2, ERF 176300, Media Quarter, Somerset Road, Greenpoint
Nedbank St George’s Mall Shop 3 The Box, St Georges Mall c/o Riebeeck Street
Standard Bank Canal Walk Shop 599, Upper Level, Canal Walk Shopping Center, Century Blvd, Century City
Standard Bank Mitchell’s Plain Promenade C/o AZ Berman Road and Morgenster Road, Mitchell’s Plain
KwaZulu-Natal (3)
FNB Cornubia Shop U56, Cornubia Boulevard, Cnr N2 Highway & M41, Durban
Nedbank Durban North 57 Adelaide Tambo Dr, Durban North, 4051
Standard Bank Kingsmead 1 Kingsmead Way, Durban
Eastern Cape (2) Absa Port Elizabeth 682 c/o Bagshaw & Govan Mbeki Avenue, Gqeberha
Standard Bank Newton Park 1 Pickering St, Newton Park, Gqeberha
Mpumalanga (1) Nedbank Nelspruit Shop 65, The Crossing Shopping Centre, c/o Samora Machel and Madiba Drive, Nelspruit
Limpopo (1) FNB Burgersfort Shop 55, Twin City Complex, Dirk Winterbach Street, Burgersfort
Northern Cape (1) Standard Bank Kathu Mall Shop 62, Village Walk Shopping Centre Kathu, Hendrik Van Eck Street, Postmasburg
V.5557
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How to get your new Smart ID at a bank
South Africans looking to upgrade their green ID booklet to a smart ID card can book an appointment to do so using the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) eHomeAffairs platform. Moreover, the system allows applicants to book appointments at DHA-supported bank branches across the country, meaning they never have to step foot in a Home Affairs office or face the associated queues. V.5557
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