Good news for Nedbank customers who need smart IDs in South Africa

Nedbank has unveiled plans to roll out smart ID renewal services at its bank branches across South Africa in partnership with the Department of Home Affairs. 

The bank said it will also participate in offering passport renewals in the second phase of the partnership with the department. 

“The partnership has already progressed beyond concept, with technical integration and testing currently underway between Home Affairs’ systems and Nedbank’s digital banking platforms,” Nedbank said.

The services are scheduled to go live to Nedbank employees in November, with the bank being relatively late to the party compared to its peers. 

Capitec and Standard Bank were the first two banks to launch their in-branch Smart ID services on 9 March 2026. 

“As part of its phased implementation strategy and post going live with internal staff, Nedbank will commence the rollout of 9 strategically selected pilot sites across multiple provinces,” the bank said. 

This will be to validate readiness in due course, gather key insights, and inform the broader national deployment.

“The pilot phase will follow a structured test-and-learn approach. Insights gained will inform the rollout of additional sites as the partnership expands in early 2027,” Nedbank’s Werner Terblanche said.

Terblanche said the bank will establish a footprint that spans all nine provinces and strengthen access to Home Affairs services through branches and digital platforms.

Once client experience outcomes and operational stability have been fully validated, Nedbank will activate its scaling phase planned for 2027

As part of its ongoing transformation agenda, Nedbank is also developing a self-service solution that will also leverage bank-owned Self-Service Kiosks. 

This capability will enable the rapid scaling of service points across the branch network, improving operational efficiency. 

The expansion of Home Affairs’ partnership with commercial banks has taken on new importance with the looming end of Green ID books in South Africa. 

Home Affairs has revealed that South Africans will have two years to get a smart ID card as the department begins withdrawing support for old documents. 

This shift has been driven by the enhanced security of the smart ID card, as green ID books are increasingly being forged and manipulated to facilitate crime. 

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said the green ID book is the most forged document in Africa and costs the country billions of rands a year in fraud. 

Home Affairs’ deputy director-general Thulani Mavuso said the partnership with banks has ensured that all South Africans can easily access smart ID services. 

“There are more than 450 participating bank branches, and this has greatly increased our footprint. These branches have distributed 700,000 smart ID cards since March,” Mavuso explained. 

“If you are carrying that particular green ID book, it does not serve any purpose. It is better to replace it now with the smart ID card, which is secure,” he said. 

“The message is that they have to collect those documents because, in the next two years, they will not be able to use their green ID books.”