Bad news for South Africans trying to renew their passports at banks

Banks that offer eHomeAffairs services have become so popular that South Africans are struggling to get appointment slots for passport applications.

According to our sister publication, MyBroadband, shortages have become so severe that applicants are being advised to deal with the queues at their nearest Home Affairs branch instead.

The old eHomeAffairs system, which was launched ten years ago, is still active at 32 Absa, Discovery Bank, FNB, Investec, Standard Bank, and Nedbank branches.

These banks dedicate a portion of their branches to Home Affairs officials, staff, and equipment, which enables both passport and smart ID applications.

The new digital partnership between the Department of Home Affairs and banks is different from the old system, since it permits walk-ins but supports only smart ID card services.

By contrast, the eHomeAffairs system requires users to secure an appointment on a specified date using its online booking system.

For those who wish to use the old system for passport applications, the first step is to create an account using their ID number and a password.

Following this, users are required to submit their personal information using an online form on the eHomeAffairs website.

Depending on the user’s choice of bank, they may need to pay their passport application fee upfront.

The fee for standard adult and minor passport applications in South Africa is currently R600 each.

After completing their payment, the user must select a specific date and time for an appointment to submit themselves for biometric capture, which involves capturing fingerprints and taking photos.

MyBroadband reported that in recent years, many eHomeAffairs users have complained that they have been unable to secure a biometric appointment slot at their preferred branch.

Easier to go to a Home Affairs branch

Looking at online complaints from applicants struggling to find available booking slots in 2026, the publication also found advice.

Some users advised others to log on to the eHomeAffairs platform early in the morning, when the system would refresh to show open slots after cancellations.

Another user explained that entering the last available date for a booking as both the start and end date would resolve a glitch where no open slots are shown.

The most common recommendation was for those who urgently need an appointment to visit a regular Home Affairs office with proof of payment for their application and a payment reference number.

Those who tried this reported being assisted quickly, often with priority queuing after arriving with their documentation at a regular Home Affairs branch.

Some reported only being able to get a booking at a bank branch after paying a third-party facilitation fee, after weeks of trying to find a slot on the system.

Many believed that the online booking system was being exploited by parties who booked slots and scalped them, since it is possible to amend an eHomeAffairs application’s details after payment.

The practice of blocking booking slots has also been used on the department’s Branch Appointment Booking System (BABS), which is used for securing priority bookings at regular Home Affairs offices.

That said, the department has rolled out a new My Home Affairs Online platform that cracks down on scalping on the BABS system.

Home Affairs is working on a more widespread rollout of passport and smart ID services to hundreds of bank branches across South Africa.

It is also looking into expanding the range of services available at branches, including introducing home delivery of Smart IDs and passports for the first time.

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said the department aims to expand its network to more than 1,000 bank branches before ultimately introducing digital identity credentials.