Home Affairs plans to open five new offices

The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) is planning to open five new offices this year for smart IDs and passports. Its goal is to improve efficiency and modernise the systems. Also, e-visas will be possible for more countries.

AUTOMATED PROCESS

As part of this process, they will introduce live capture terminals at offices across the country. Live capture is an automated process of enrolling and capturing applications securely and more efficiently compared to manual capture.

This functionality was first implemented in 2013 to apply for passports and smart identity cards. Since then, it has been put in place in 202 offices and 30 bank branches across the country, according to Business Tech.

“The functionality will be rolled out to an additional five front offices in the 2024/25 financial year, improving access to smart ID cards and passports and reducing the issuance of green barcoded ID books,” said the DHA.

NEW OFFICES

The five new offices planned for 2024 are:

• Masisi (Limpopo),
• Seshego (Limpopo),
• Madikwe (North West),
• Ventersdorp (North West), and
• Lady Frere (Eastern Cape).

The DHA will embark on a partnership with the various banking groups and malls in the country. The pilot for the project with the banks ended last month. There hasn’t been a follow-up from the department or the banking groups after that. The DHA said it would continue to build on its current partnership models to enhance its services, especially in the hopes of cutting down queue times. A particular focus is moving into shopping malls.

“The DHA has engaged with various shopping malls that meet its accessibility and office model requirements. A DHA office was opened in Menlyn Mall in March 2023. Lessons learned will be applied in the further rollout to other malls,” it said.

The malls that they are prioritising include Cresta Mall in Randburg and Pavilion Mall in Pinetown. Although the DHA and institutions must still sign the necessary documentation and put agreements in place, they are currently negotiating.

E-VISAS

Another system that the DHA is working on, is the e-visa system. Their goal is to decrease long waiting times for visa applications. The e-visa system already applies to 34 countries for which South Africans need a visa. The DHA will add another 15 countries to this list – five in 2024 and ten in 2025. In addition, the types of visas that qualify will be expanded to include study, business, and intra-company transfer visas.

The system was piloted in Japan, Germany, and France. The next five countries that the DHA will add are:

• Spain,
• Italy,
• United Kingdom,
• Kenya, and
• Uganda.

The department did not specify the ten countries that they will add in 2025. Through the e-visa system, applicants are able to apply for a visa from the comfort of their homes and upload all required documents.

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