Smart ID access expands as Home Affairs partners with Absa

Launching the initiative in Tembisa, Home Affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber said the partnership marks another step in improving access to essential government services.

South Africans can now apply for Smart ID Cards at more than twice as many locations after the Department of Home Affairs expanded its Digital Partnership with Absa, introducing the country's first bank-based Home Affairs mobile unit to reach communities with limited access to government services. The latest expansion forms part of the department's wider digital transformation programme, which is designed to make identity services easier to access by bringing them closer to where people live, work and bank.

Absa joins expanding digital partnership

Launching the initiative in Tembisa, Home Affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber said the partnership marks another step in improving access to essential government services. The new mobile unit will deliver secure Smart ID services to remote, peri-urban and previously underserved communities, reducing the need for residents to travel long distances or spend hours waiting in queues at Home Affairs offices. Schreiber said the Home Affairs @ Home programme is focused on making identity services more convenient while reducing the time and cost involved in obtaining official documents.

More locations now available nationwide

Since the Digital Partnership was launched on 9 March 2026, the department has expanded its network to 327 participating bank branches across the country. Combined with 214 modernised Home Affairs offices, South Africans now have access to Smart ID services at 541 locations, compared with only 214 before the partnership began. The department expects the network to grow even further, reaching around 750 participating bank branches by the end of the year. Together with Home Affairs offices, this will provide close to 1,000 service points nationwide, almost five times the number available just two years ago.

More digital services on the way

Government also plans to extend the partnership beyond Smart ID replacements. Before the end of the year, participating bank branches are expected to process applications for first-time Smart ID Cards, adult and children's passports, giving citizens access to more Home Affairs services in familiar banking environments. Another major development will allow South Africans to have their identity documents delivered directly to their homes, further reducing the need to visit government offices.

Schreiber said the expansion will support the gradual replacement of the green barcoded identity book with the more secure Smart ID Card, helping strengthen identity security while improving service delivery through digital technology.