Standard Bank Smart ID service rollout

Standard Bank will introduce a phased rollout of Smart ID applications and renewal services at select branches in partnership with the Department of Home Affairs.

In a media statement, the bank says the Smart ID services will commence at its Rosebank, Maponya Mall and Westgate branches in Johannesburg first, before scaling across the country.

It will also not charge any convenience or logistic fees during the launch phase, and customers are only required to pay the DHA’s application fee of R140.

Marius Le Roux, Head of Fraud Operations, Client Experience and Risk Execution at Standard Bank says access to identity documents is foundational to participation in the economy.

“Our focus is on removing friction for clients, not adding to it. That is why, during our launch phase, customers will pay only the Home Affairs fee, while we work closely with the department to scale a reliable, technology-enabled service across our branch network,” says Le Roux.

Standard Bank has been a part of the DHA’s partnership mode since 2016, but this current rollout is part of a digital partnership model, which is says connects bank branch infrastructure directly to Home Affairs’ backend systems that allow for faster and more reliable processing.

The in-branch offering will let bank customers apply or renew Smart ID cards, complete payment and collect IDs at the same branch. There is no mention of passport applications for this rollout.

Our approach with the DHA prioritises service reliability, client experience and national scale, ensuring that when we expand, we do so in a way that genuinely delivers value to South Africans across urban, township and rural communities,” Le Roux adds.

The DHA’s target of expanding Smart ID services includes a rollout of more than 1 000 bank branches nationally by 2029. Other banks who signed up to this initiative includes Absa, Capitec, Discovery Bank, FNB, Investec and Nedbank.

Capitec and FNB app to enable ID and passport applications