South Africans will soon be able to walk into their bank branches, without an appointment, to apply for smart IDs and passports.
This comes as part of a new digital partnership between the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) and five major South African banks: Absa, Capitec, Discovery Bank, FNB, and Standard Bank.
And FNB will lead the rollout.
No more appointments needed
As reported by Mybroadband, FNB’s Points of Presence CEO, Zibu Nqala, recently confirmed that the bank will expand the service to 240 branches over the next 12 months. The first 15 branches will focus on high-demand areas, especially communities that have so far been underserved.
Currently, seven FNB branches across Gauteng, the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and Limpopo already offer smart ID and passport services through the eHomeAffairs pilot program, which launched in 2015.
As part of the new partnership, FNB plans to extend services to the Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Free State, and Mpumalanga.
Unlike the eHomeAffairs pilot, where DHA staff operated with department equipment inside bank branches, the new model will be bank-driven. Citizens will no longer need to apply online, pay in advance, and book limited slots through the government website.
Instead, they will be able to walk into participating branches and complete the process directly with bank staff.
With this new rollout, South Africans will have hundreds of additional locations to apply for IDs and passports, and the freedom to do so without the inconvenience of pre-booking.
Have you used these services at any of the banks before?
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