South African Banks to Issue New IDs, and Soon Passports Too

For anyone experiencing delays in getting a passport or Smart Card ID in South Africa, relief is on the way, with a new programme launched in Johannesburg on Wednesday to allow certain banks to take applications and issue them.

The Minister of Home Affairs Malusi Gigaba said the initiative – which is still being rolled out – will allow people to apply for the documents through Standard Bank, First National Bank and Nedbank. A similar arrangement with Absa is apparently also in the works.

At least 2,000 new IDs have been issued by Standard Bank and First National Bank since August in a pilot project. The same is going to apply to passports.

“The project to issue passports to bank clients will be piloted by Nedbank in October,” Gigaba said on Wednesday. “As we move further, this will be piloted at two locations per bank, the roll out for other banks will be launched next year”.

The green bar-coded ID book is to be phased out within five years.

Applying for a new passport at the bank will be similar to applying at the Department of Home Affairs (DHA). Regular adult passports, which cost R400, are valid for a decade and cannot be renewed.

The DHA’s partnership with financial institutions aims to alleviate long queues and make the process of applying for Smart Card IDs more convenient for South Africans.

In May Gigaba said during his budget vote that the partnership with the banks seeks to facilitate efficient and secured ways of accessing services; accelerate the replacement of the green bar-coded ID book; and eradicate the old system of processing the Green ID book which currently still poses ID fraud risks.

The Minister was joined at the launch by Standard Bank CEO Ben Kruger and FNB CEO Jacques Celliers.