The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has officially opened its eHomeAffairs portal to the public at large, enabling all South African citizens to apply for their ID smart cards and passports online.

DHA initially launched the portal in April, inviting citizens between the ages of 30 and 35 to be the first to apply for Smart IDs online.

The system is now available to all citizens over the age 16 who bank with Absa, First National Bank, Nedbank and Standard Bank. Currently, 12 branches of these banks are connected to the DHA’s eHomeAffairs portal system in Gauteng, with one branch connected in Cape Town.

“While most of these branches are centralised in Gauteng, there are plans to enter into a public–private partnership with participating banks, hopefully to be finalised in October, to increase our footprint in the provinces, thus allowing for more South Africans to access the online service. We envision this will be a complete reimagination of Home Affairs’ services,” said Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba in a statement released last month.

He added that the department would undertake system maintenance and enhancements on September 3 at the 12 bank branches, as well as the 178 offices that issue ID smart cards.

“The steering committee, where our department and the banks are represented, is monitoring the implementation and performance of the system. It is in this context that we were able to identify gaps in the system and speedily recommend upgrades to the live capture system,” he noted.

Gigaba explained that, once this system was readily available, all citizens would be able to make changes to their already submitted application forms on the eHomeAffairs portal at any point, up to the time the application process was concluded at their banks.

Moreover, offline performance enhancements will enable the DHA to capture applications even when the live capture system is offline, thus ensuring that clients are not turned away or inconvenienced.

“With eHomeAffairs, you can download and fill out the e-application form, make an electronic payment and book an appointment to complete the application at your nearest participating bank.”