Standard Bank has begun a phased rollout of Smart ID application and renewal services at select branches nationwide, starting with Rosebank, Maponya Mall, and Westgate locations. The move is part of a broader initiative by the Department of Home Affairs to expand access to Smart ID services through partnerships with South African banks.
The bank’s participation builds on an initial pilot program undertaken a decade ago, and represents a significant increase in the role banks will play in the issuing of Smart IDs. The expanded service aims to streamline the application process for customers by allowing them to apply for, renew, pay for, and collect their Smart ID cards at a single branch location, reducing both queuing times and travel burdens.
During the initial launch phase, Standard Bank is waiving convenience and logistics fees for its clients, with customers only required to pay the standard Home Affairs application fee of R140. According to the bank, this fee structure is intended to facilitate testing, refinement, and responsible scaling of the service.
“Access to identity documents is foundational to participation in the economy,” said Marius Le Roux, Head of Fraud Operations, Client Experience and Risk Execution at Standard Bank. “Our focus is on removing friction for clients, not adding to it. That is why, during our launch phase, customers will pay only the Home Affairs fee, while we work closely with the department to scale a reliable, technology-enabled service across our branch network.”
The rollout is structured around the Department of Home Affairs’ digital partnership model, which directly connects bank branch infrastructure to the department’s central systems. This integration is designed to accelerate processing times and improve reliability while avoiding duplication of state resources within bank branches.
The Department of Home Affairs has set a goal of extending Smart ID services to over 1,000 bank branches across the country by 2029. Standard Bank has affirmed its commitment to supporting this national objective, and indicated that further details regarding branch availability and the broader rollout plan will be announced in the coming weeks.
