South African citizens from 16 years and older are able to apply for their smart IDs or passports using the Department of Home Affairs' (DHA's) online application portal.
In April, the DHA launched the online portal, eHomeAffairs, as part of its strategy to move services from paper to digital and eliminate lengthy queues at its offices.
On debut, only South African citizens between the ages of 30 and 35 were allowed to apply for their ID documents online. Subsequently, the DHA extended the age group for people between the ages of 25 and 40.
Now, DHA minister Malusi Gigaba has opened the online application process to citizens of all ages.
Speaking in Cape Town yesterday, Gigaba said: "The system is now open to all citizens who bank with the four banks: Absa, First National Bank, Nedbank and Standard Bank."
Partner up
To provide a seamless online application process, the DHA formed public-private partnerships with the four banks and launched eHomeAffairs.
Through the portal, citizens can download and fill in the e-application form, make an electronic payment and book an appointment to complete the application process at their nearest participating bank.
eHomeAffairs is currently only offered at selected banks in Gauteng and the Western Cape, but government is working towards concluding a partnership that will see the system being rolled out to more provinces, according to Gigaba.
There are 12 branches of the four banks that are connected to the system in Gauteng, with one branch in Canal Walk (Standard Bank) in Cape Town, he said.
"While most of these branches are centralised in Gauteng, plans are apace to enter into a public-private partnerships with participating banks, hopefully to be finalised in October this year, to increase our footprint in the provinces, thus allowing for more South Africans to access the online service."
Home affairs is in a race to replace 38 million green bar-coded IDs with smart ID cards that have better security features and are extremely difficult to forge.
Following the launch, the department received 4 088 online applications, said Gigaba. "As at 23 August, a total of 35 751 applications have been submitted through the system, of which 50% has been finalised to date. Online applications are making a huge difference in the time spent in queues."
The department will continue on the path of fully embracing the digitisation of public services to improve the service quality and standards of South Africans, Gigaba concluded.
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