Home Affairs Partners with FNB, Standard Bank to Expand ID and Passport Services

The minister emphasised that the services will be available to all South Africans, regardless of whether they are clients of the participating banks.

The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has announced a major new partnership with First National Bank (FNB) and Standard Bank to make it easier for South Africans to apply for smart ID cards and passports. The collaboration, unveiled on Wednesday, will see services offered at selected bank branches across the country and, in future, through mobile banking applications.

A Technology-Driven Service Expansion

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber hailed the initiative as a transformative step toward improving access to essential documentation. By leveraging the banks’ extensive branch networks and digital capabilities, the DHA aims to significantly expand its service footprint. “This new digital partnership model that harnesses the power of technology will dramatically increase Home Affairs’ reach, bringing us closer than ever before to delivering our vision of ‘Home Affairs at home’,” Schreiber said.

The minister emphasised that the services will be available to all South Africans, regardless of whether they are clients of the participating banks. He described the partnership as a clear example of how government and the private sector can work together to address long-standing challenges in service delivery.

Phased Rollout Across Hundreds of Branches

FNB and Standard Bank will both implement the programme in phases.

• FNB plans to roll out services immediately at 15 branches, followed by an expansion to 240 branches over the next year, with further announcements expected as the project progresses.

• Standard Bank will start with 20 branches going live this year, scaling up to 300 branches by next year, with additional branches to be added through 2027.

In both cases, the banks aim to integrate Home Affairs services into their mobile applications, allowing users to initiate applications remotely before completing verification and collection in-branch.

Strengthening Longstanding Partnerships

For FNB, the collaboration builds on more than a decade of working with the DHA. Sipho Silinda, CEO of FNB Public Sector Banking, noted the deep connection between financial inclusion and secure identification. “We have always believed that financial inclusion is directly linked to safe and secure documentation, and we are delighted to take our partnership with the DHA to the next level,” Silinda said. He added that the integration with FNB’s app will provide a convenient reissuing option for clients.

Standard Bank’s Personal and Private Banking CEO, Funeka Montjane, described the agreement as a “forward-thinking collaboration” that will save people time and streamline the process of accessing essential identity services. She said the partnership reflects the bank’s commitment to improving everyday life for South Africans by removing unnecessary barriers to important services.

Boosting Service Delivery and Accessibility

The DHA’s ongoing push to modernise and decentralise services is part of a broader effort to make identity document and passport applications faster, more secure, and more accessible to the public. This expansion through banking channels complements existing Home Affairs offices and addresses high demand in urban, peri-urban, and rural areas.

By combining government authority with private sector infrastructure, the initiative is expected to reduce queues, cut processing delays, and bring documentation services closer to where people live and work. It is also aligned with the DHA’s vision of using technology to improve service delivery while maintaining the security and integrity of South Africa’s national identification systems.