Home Affairs rolls out new online tool to speed up smart ID switch

Home Affairs has launched a new online platform to help citizens find participating bank branches where they can apply for the secure identity document. Home Affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber has launched a new online service aimed at making it easier for South Africans to locate participating bank branches where they can apply for Smart ID Cards, as government intensifies efforts to phase out the green barcoded ID book. The service, available through the Department of Home Affairs’ online platform, was unveiled on Monday during the Home Affairs Digital Partnership media event with FNB at Canal Walk in Cape Town.

According to the department, the platform allows citizens to instantly find their nearest participating bank branch offering Smart ID services. The system will also be updated in real time as more banking partners join the programme. The launch forms part of the department’s expanding Digital Partnership with the banking sector, which now provides Smart ID services through 372 participating bank branches nationwide.

The department said more than 500,000 South Africans have applied for Smart ID Cards through participating banks since the partnership was launched on March 9, 2026, highlighting growing demand for more accessible and secure Home Affairs services. Schreiber said the new online platform is designed to remove barriers to accessing Smart ID services and accelerate the replacement of the green barcoded ID book. “This new online service makes it easier than ever for South Africans to find their nearest participating bank branch and switch to the secure Smart ID Card.

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Every reform we implement should make our services easier to access, and this is another practical step towards achieving that goal,” he said. The minister urged South Africans who still use the green barcoded ID book to migrate to the Smart ID Card, citing security concerns associated with the older document. The department has repeatedly encouraged citizens to adopt the Smart ID Card, which it says offers stronger protection against fraud and identity theft.

Schreiber said the growing uptake of the service through banking partners demonstrates the success of the department’s strategy to bring Home Affairs services closer to communities. “More than half a million South Africans have already made the switch from the fraud-prone green barcoded ID book through our banking partners. It has never been easier to join them,” he said.

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