Smart ID bank service passes one million users in South Africa
Editorial data graphic: CrispNG, based on Home Affairs figures released on 26 October 2026. This is not a photograph.
South Africa’s Smart ID bank service has passed one million users, according to figures released by the Department of Home Affairs on 26 October.
The department said its digital bank partnership had served 1,002,773 people since the service went live at its first branch on 9 March 2026. It reported 669 participating bank branches in its latest statement.
The milestone gives people replacing an identity document another route to consider alongside a Home Affairs office. It does not mean every bank branch offers the service.
How the Smart ID bank service works
Home Affairs says the replacement-card application uses a digital process with biometric verification and takes five minutes on average. That is the department’s application-time claim, rather than a guarantee that a customer will receive a finished card in five minutes.
The Citizen also reported the million-user milestone on 26 October, attributing both the customer total and branch count to Home Affairs.
Check the branch and product before travelling
The official partner-branch portal, checked on 27 October, lists Smart ID re-issues for green ID book holders converting to a card and for people replacing an existing Smart ID. It also lists an initial phase for permanent residents and naturalised citizens from visa-exempt countries.
Use the portal’s product, bank and location filters, then confirm the arrangements through your bank. The listed Smart ID service is a re-issue route; first-time applicants should check the arrangements for their application rather than assume the same eligibility.
The portal sets out four stages:
- Apply through the bank’s available channel: its app, website or branch.
- Visit a participating branch: staff verify your identity and capture fingerprints and a photograph.
- Home Affairs processes the application: verification and document production follow the branch visit.
- Receive the document: collect it from the selected branch, or use delivery where the bank offers that option.
The portal says applications, bookings and payments use the bank’s own channels, and the bank sends application updates. Applicants do not need to start this partner-bank process on eHomeAffairs.
What about passports and home delivery?
The 26 October announcement described passports, first-time Smart IDs and home delivery as services Home Affairs planned to expand through the network. It did not give a firm launch date for every branch.
The live portal already lists adult tourist passport applications and describes delivery where a bank offers it. Check the required product and individual branch rather than treating the million-user announcement as confirmation that every service is available everywhere.
Information checked: 27 October 2026. The usage and branch figures are from Home Affairs’ 26 October statement.