The Department of Home Affairs is set to significantly expand access to its services through its partnership with South Africa's banking sector, with plans to increase the number of participating bank branches from 252 to 750 by the end of the year.
The expansion forms part of the department's broader digital transformation strategy, aimed at making Home Affairs services more accessible by bringing them closer to citizens instead of requiring them to visit government offices.
In a statement, the department said it is working alongside the Border Management Authority and the Government Printing Works to modernise its systems and improve service delivery.
"The goal is to reform all systems and processes to deliver Home Affairs @ home by decentralising access to services through technology," the department said.
"Instead of forcing citizens and visitors to come to the department to access a service, technology is being used to bring services directly to them."
The department said the reforms have gathered momentum since the formation of the Government of National Unity (GNU) in 2024, with several key initiatives already implemented and more planned.
One of the flagship projects has been the expansion of Smart ID services through banks. The programme initially began as a pilot involving Home Affairs officials stationed at selected branches of Nedbank, Standard Bank, Absa, Investec, Discovery Bank and FNB.
However, the pilot was limited to around 30 mainly urban branches and relied heavily on Home Affairs staff operating within the banks.
Under the new partnership model, banks have greater access to Home Affairs' digital systems, allowing applications to be processed more efficiently while freeing up department staff for other services. Capitec has also joined the programme.
According to Home Affairs, Smart ID replacement services are now available at 252 bank branches nationwide, with more than 300,000 applications processed in the past four months alone.
The department said the network will expand to 750 branches before the end of the year. While the current focus is on Smart ID services, work is already underway to extend passport applications to participating banks.
Replacing South Africa's green barcoded ID books remains another key priority. Home Affairs has repeatedly warned that the green ID book is the country's most commonly fraudulently exploited identity document and is encouraging citizens to switch to the more secure Smart ID card.
The department said it issued a record four million Smart ID cards during the 2025/26 financial year, exceeding the previous annual average by more than 1.3 million cards.
In addition to expanding banking services, Home Affairs has published draft regulations for a secure Digital Identity system that will allow South Africans to access government identity services directly through their smartphones.
The department said the next phase of the project will include finalising the regulations and launching a prototype of the Digital ID platform.
Other recent digital reforms include the introduction of an automated citizenship reinstatement portal following a Constitutional Court ruling that found provisions automatically stripping South Africans of their citizenship after acquiring another nationality to be unconstitutional.
Dedicated service centres for South Africans living abroad have also been established to improve access to Home Affairs services and reduce processing times.
Looking ahead, the department plans to digitise Smart ID and passport applications in much the same way as its partnership with the banking sector.
Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said the department's digital reforms are already transforming service delivery.
"Innovations like five-minute paperless applications at over 250 bank branches were unthinkable prior to the Home Affairs @ home programmes," Schreiber said.
"By driving innovation and embracing digital transformation, we are delivering well ahead of schedule, and we will not rest until we complete this work to deliver dignity for all."