Good news for Standard Bank clients who apply for a new passport or smart ID

Standard Bank has procured all the necessary devices and infrastructure to roll out Home Affairs services across the first 20 new branches under the department’s new digital partnership model. 

These branches will be able to offer Home Affairs services in early 2026, with the first two branches already in the pilot testing phase. 

The bank said in a statement that this development marks a major step forward in the bank’s commitment to bringing essential government services closer to the communities it serves.

The expansion builds on the success of Standard Bank’s existing DHA service offering, which has already enabled thousands of clients to apply for and collect Smart IDs and passports at select branches. 

With the next phase of implementation now firmly in motion, the bank is focused on ensuring operational readiness and delivering a seamless, secure, and client-friendly experience.

“We’ve moved from concept to execution, and the fact that we’ve already secured the infrastructure for 20 new branches shows just how serious we are about making this service accessible to more South Africans,” Standard Bank Head of Client Experience for Personal and Private Banking, Marius Le Roux, said. 

“It’s about convenience, yes, but it’s also about dignity and inclusion and providing access to essential government services to more of our clients.”

Standard Bank is currently in the integration and testing phase with the Department of Home Affairs. It said this phase is critical to ensuring that all systems, processes, and technologies are fully aligned before the broader rollout begins. 

As part of this phase, two pilot branches have been selected to trial the new systems in real-world conditions. 

These pilots are essential for validating the bank’s readiness to scale and for identifying any refinements needed to optimise the service journey. 

Staff at these branches have undergone specialised training, and the infrastructure has been configured to support biometric data capture, secure document handling, and real-time system integration with Home Affairs platforms.

Expanding access

To support the pilot phase, Standard Bank introduced a “Friends of the Program” initiative. This initiative invites a select group of clients to participate in early-stage testing and provide feedback on their experience. 

“The Friends of the Program initiative allows us to gather real-time feedback from real users. It’s a powerful way to ensure that what we’re building is not only functional but also intuitive and responsive to client needs,” Le Roux said. 

With the necessary infrastructure for 20 new branches already in place, Standard Bank plans to begin the next phase of its rollout in 2026. 

These branches have been strategically selected to ensure geographic diversity and to serve communities where access to Home Affairs services is currently limited. 

While a needs analysis is still being done to determine the exact location for the new services, the bank said there will be a strong focus on branches where there is a high concentration of clients who still hold Green ID Books.

“It is very encouraging to see the commitment of partners in the banking industry, like Standard Bank, who are moving with real urgency to invest in this visionary digital service delivery model,” Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Leon Schreiber, said.  

“By working together and through digital transformation, we are set to expand inclusion and access to Home Affairs services in underserved areas on an unprecedented scale.”

The development towards the expansion of Home Affairs services at more Standard Bank branches follows from an announcement by Schreiber in August, unveiling plans to expand the department’s partnerships with banks significantly. 

Capitec and FNB were the first banks to sign up to Home Affairs’ new model on 11 August, which is an expansion of an existing collaboration between the department and South Africa’s major banks. 

Home Affairs introduced the eHomeAffairs system in 2016. Since then, FNB, Standard Bank, Absa, Investec, Nedbank, and Discovery Bank have operated successful pilot sites.

Currently, 30 bank branches in South Africa offer passport and Smart ID renewals through this system.