South Africa’s Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber has announced a major expansion of the department’s Smart ID and passport services pilot project, currently operating in around 30 bank branches across the country.
Speaking on Tuesday, Schreiber said the project—aimed at modernizing government service delivery and reducing long queues at Home Affairs offices—has proven highly effective and will soon be rolled out to more bank branches nationwide.
“This is about making services more accessible, efficient, and citizen-friendly,” said Schreiber. “If you can do your banking in a secure environment, you should be able to collect your Smart ID and passport just as easily.”
The expanded initiative forms part of a broader strategy to digitize public services and improve turnaround times for essential documents. With banks already offering secure infrastructure, the collaboration has been widely praised for reducing administrative bottlenecks and minimizing wait times.
More details on which banks and locations will be included in the expansion are expected in the coming weeks. For many South Africans, this move signals a long-awaited shift toward efficient, tech-enabled service delivery—and away from the frustration of traditional Home Affairs visits.
