Standard Bank has rolled-out smart ID application and renewal services at more branches.
According to a statement, the service is now being introduced at Standard Bank’s Rosebank, Maponya Mall and Westgate branches, before scaling to more branches across the country.
During the launch phase, Standard Bank clients will not be charged logistics fees, payingonly the standard Department of Home Affairs (DHA) application fee of R140, as the bank focuses on testing, refining and responsibly scaling the service.
The service is already available at key locations across the country, including Simmonds Street (Johannesburg), Killarney Mall, Centurion Lifestyle Centre, Canal Walk (Cape Town) and Newton Park (Gqeberha).
“Access to identity documents is foundational to participation in the economy,” says Marius Le Roux, head of fraud operations, client experience and risk execution at Standard Bank.
“Our focus is on removing friction for clients, not adding to it. That is why, during our launch phase, customers will pay only the DHA fee, while we work closely with the department to scale a reliable, technology-enabled service across our branch network.”
The current rollout forms part of the department’s digital partnership model, which connects bank branch infrastructure directly to Home Affairs’ back-end systems, enabling faster, more reliable processing without duplicating state resources in branches.
Standard Bank has been a participant in the partnership model since its inception in 2016.
The in-branch service allows clients to apply for, or renew smart ID cards, complete payment, and collect their IDs at the same branch, reducing queues and travel time. A digital-enabled application process is planned to further enhance accessibility for clients.
“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 notes.
The DHA has set a target of expanding smart ID services to more than 1 000 bank branches nationally by 2029, in a shift towards digital-first public service delivery.
Absa, Discovery Bank, Capitec, First National Bank, Investec and Nedbank all offer smart ID services at selected branches.
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