Standard Bank has joined Capitec and FNB in signing up to the Department of Home Affairs’ (DHA) new digital partnership model.

This model will expand Smart ID and Passport services to thousands of bank branches nationwide in the next few years.

Standard Bank announced on Tuesday, 12 August 2025, that it has joined the DHA’s new digital partnership model to make smart ID and passport services more accessible to South Africans.

This comes after Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber announced on Monday, 11 August, that Capitec and FNB are the first banks to sign up to this model.

The minister explained that his department invited several South African banks, including Absa, African Bank, Capitec, Discovery Bank, and Standard Bank, to join this new model.

Notably, this model is a new phase of an existing collaboration between Home Affairs and the country’s banking sector, called the eHomeAffairs system.

The DHA introduced the eHomeAffairs system in 2016. Since then, FNB, Standard Bank, Absa, Investec, Nedbank, and Discovery Bank have operated successful pilot sites.

Currently, 30 bank branches in South Africa offer passport and Smart ID renewals through this system.

Now, the DHA is looking to expand this project, with a medium-term goal to extend these services to 1,000 bank branches, as part of its “Home Affairs@home” strategy.

This is premised on the rollout of a new live capture system model, which the department hopes will accelerate the adoption of Smart IDs in the country.

Standard Bank said its partnership with the DHA will enable clients to apply for and renew their smart ID cards and passports through the bank’s digital banking channels in the near future. 

“For almost a decade, Standard Bank has provided services in nine branches and will be working with the Department to fully scale the offering across the country,” the bank said.

“We welcome Standard Bank to this important partnership, which brings us closer to our vision of delivering smart ID and passport services conveniently and efficiently across South Africa,” Schreiber said.

“By working with leading financial institutions like Standard Bank, we are ensuring that more citizens, whether in rural or urban areas, can access these essential services without enduring long queues, as we move towards a truly digital-first era of public service delivery.”