More banks to offer smart ID and passport services

HOME Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber yesterday announced that his department would increase the pilot project that currently delivers Smart ID and passport services in about 30 bank branches across the country.

- MAYIBONGWE MAQHINA

Presenting the R11-billion budget for the department, Schreiber said they would use digital transformation to integrate the Home Affairs IT platform onto banks' networks, thereby enabling many more bank branches to deliver the service.

"Our target for this financial year is to expand this service to at least 100 more branches," he said during the budget debate in the National Assembly.

Schreiber also said technology reform would enable South Africans to order Smart IDs and passports through their banking app, similar to when buying electricity or data.

"We will introduce the option of home delivery for Smart IDs and passports, using advanced facial recognition technology to secure the process."

Schreiber said they will rapidly accelerate access to Smart IDs with the goal of ending the production of new Green ID books by the end of this year.

The minister announced plans to launch new facilities abroad to assist South Africans living and working overseas to have a five-week turnaround time for IDs and passports.

"We are starting in Australia, New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates, followed by France, Germany and The Netherlands later this year, and North America in the new year."