Local banks to provide Home Affairs services

THE Department of Home Affairs (DHA) will roll out Smart ID and passport facilities to more bank branches around South Africa, including Durban, this year.

The E-Home Affairs system was launched in 2016 and enables South Africans to apply and pay for their ID card or passport on the Home Affairs website, and then collect their card or passport at a Home Affairs office or the nearest supported bank branch that offers a Home Affairs Live Capture Service. Users will need to provide biometric authentication to receive their documents.

Currently, the E-Home Affairs branches are available at 16 bank locations across the country, most of which are in Gauteng, however these services will be available at more banks in the coming months.

In Durban, so far Standard Bank Kingsmead (1 Standard Bank Centre, Kingsmead Way) came online on 10 February.

ALSO READ: Shoprite bursary applications now open

Managing Executive of Physical Channels at Absa Retail and Business, Tshiwela Mhlantla, said that DHA IT equipment installation is currently in progress at 10 new branches, and these are expected to be completed during the course of the year. Residents would need to travel to Absa Pinetown, 1 Church Lane, to access the service.

Nedbank said it will extend E-Home Affairs services to another four branches in 2020, including Nedbank Durban North at 57 Adelaide Tambo Drive, which is set to go live between February and June.

Commenting to Berea Mail, Lee-Anne van Zyl, CEO of FNB Points of Presence, said FNB plans to extend the Smart IDs and passport service to more branches over the next 12 months.

“The bank continues to work with the Department of Home Affairs to explore making the service available in all major provincial hub’s across South Africa with additional sites in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng as priority. The details of which additional branches will offer the service will be announced in due course,” she said.

Do you want to receive news alerts via Telegram? Send us a message (not an sms) with your name and surname to 060 532 5535.

You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Berea Mail Telegram number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts

Here’s where you can download Telegram on Android or Apple.