New premium service for South Africans applying for a new passport or Smart ID

South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs is developing a system for delivering documents, such as passports and smart IDs, to people’s homes.

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber’s spokesperson, Duwayne Esau, told MyBroadband it forms part of their “Home Affairs @ home” strategy.

The deputy director-general for civic services, Thomas Sigama, told parliament they are looking to launch a premium service.

This premium service is aimed at getting documents, like passports and Smart IDs, “in a very short space of time.

“Of course, that will have to go with cost. We’ll look into that and also come back and present those initiatives to the committee. Everything is in full swing,” Sigama said.

Esau added that doorstep delivery of Home Affairs documents is one important element of their five-year vision to deliver Home Affairs @ home.

Schreiber unveiled his five-year strategic vision to transform Home Affairs into a digital-first department in September.

The “Home Affairs @ home” strategy aims to create a system in which visiting a Home Affairs office in person will be unnecessary.

“Over the next five years, all of the department’s services must become fully automated, digitized, and offered online,” he said.

This is good news for all South Africans who want to renew their passports or apply for a new Smart ID.

Those looking for civic services, like obtaining or replacing an ID, passport, or certificate, will be able to apply online through a secure platform linked to their biometrics.

Schreiber said this will be done in the same way that banks and the South African Revenue Service (SARS) already verify transactions.

“The application will then be processed through an automated risk engine that only requires human intervention in cases where anomalies are detected,” he said.

He added that all other cases will be processed automatically, digitally, and securely.

“Once an application is complete, the resultant ID, passport, or other enabling document must be shipped directly to the door of the client,” he said.

Shipping these documents to an applicant’s doorstep will be a premium service, which comes at an additional cost.

“Over time, these vital documents will also be made available in digital format on the client’s secure online profile – and in the wallet app on their phone,” he said.