Standard Bank opening ‘new’ smart ID branches across South Africa

Standard Bank has opened its first revamped branch with smart ID application and renewal services in Maponya Mall in Soweto. 

This forms part of the phased rollout of Smart ID application and renewal services at select branches, further strengthening a partnership between the bank and Home Affairs that has spanned more than ten years.

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber was in attendance, with Standard Bank following hot on the heels of Capitec, which revealed its first in-branch smart ID terminal on the morning of 9 March. 

Standard Bank Personal and Private Banking CEO Funeka Montjane said that the new branch is an example of what the public and private sectors can do in partnership.

“We have been working since 2016 to roll out these services. Now, we are opening branches in Maponya Mall, Rosebank, Westgate, and the bank’s branch in Parow in the Western Cape,” Montjane said.

By the end of March, Montjane expects Standard Bank to have 30 branches able to offer these Home Affairs services and over 40 by the end of April.

“So the first phase, in this first phase, Standard Bank customers will be able to apply in branch for the replacement of the green ID with a smart card as well as a reissue of smart card IDs if they’ve been stolen, lost, or damaged.”

Montjane said that no appointment is required and no additional documents are needed. Biometrics will be collected on site, and the only fee will be the R140 charged by Home Affairs during the launch phase.

“As this first phase stabilises, we look forward to extending a range of these services available, including first-time ID applications and passport services,” Montjane said.

“It’s more than, it’s more than just about launching the service. It’s really about the dignity of our people and the security of the country. And it’s really making it easier for everybody to participate fully in the economy of South Africa.”

The initiative seeks to expand access to identity document services while strengthening the integrity of South Africa’s national identity system.

The transition from the green barcoded ID book to the Smart ID Card is a key priority for the Department, helping reduce identity fraud and improve the security of the country’s identity framework.

“This partnership with Standard Bank marks an important step in restoring dignity to how South Africans access identity document services,” Schreiber said.

“By securely connecting trusted institutions such as banks directly to Home Affairs systems, we are expanding access to Smart ID services while strengthening the integrity of South Africa’s national identity system.”

“This is how we build a modern, digital Home Affairs that delivers services with greater security, convenience, and dignity, closer to where people live. This is Home Affairs @home in action.”

This partnership between Home Affairs and South Africa’s major banks is about expanding access to the department’s services and reducing the burden on Home Affairs offices across South Africa. 

However, it is also part of a wider competition between South Africa’s major banks, as competition intensifies to be “front-of-wallet” for clients. 

South African banks have steadily expanded their personal and private banking offerings to lock clients into their ecosystem and ensure they are “main-banked clients”. 

These clients are more lucrative for banks and are significantly stickier than individuals using secondary bank accounts or single products with financial institutions. 

As a result, banks have been eager to participate in the new phase of an existing collaboration between Home Affairs and the country’s banking sector.

The DHA 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.

Now, the DHA is looking to expand this project, with a medium-term goal to extend these services to 1,000 bank branches, as part of its “Home Affairs@home” strategy.

This is premised on the rollout of a new live capture system model, which the department hopes will accelerate the adoption of Smart IDs in the country.

Schreiber explained that the old model relied on the costly duplication of Home Affairs staff and hardware inside bank branches.

It also failed to take advantage of technology to dramatically expand services into all rural and urban areas where bank branches already exist, and onto banking apps.

Many of South Africa’s biggest banks have signed up for the expanded partnership, including Capitec, FNB, Standard Bank, Absa, Nedbank, African Bank and Tyme Bank.

So far, as of 9 March 2026, Schreiber said that 17 Standard Bank and Capitec branches have gone live. Ultimately, Schreiber said, there is no reason why all branches should not be able to offer these services.

Below are images of the devices used to capture biometrics for smart ID applications in Standard Bank branches.