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Last checked: 24 October 2026
Collecting a Smart ID or passport
This page is for the step after you have applied: how the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) or the bank tells you a Smart ID or passport is ready, where and when you collect it, what to bring, who may collect it, and any deadline a source states. How to apply is on Booking and walk-ins. Tariffs and the application document lists are on Fees and documents. A card that was lost or stolen: Replacing a lost or stolen Smart ID. A first identity document from age 16: First Smart ID at 16.
The Digital Partnership page says you collect at the bank branch where the application was made, and that the partner bank communicates the collection details. Delivery is not in that answer [source]. The partner-branch page says you collect from your selected branch, or have the document delivered where the bank offers that [source]. Only Standard Bank states that you must collect your own ID, and only Standard Bank states a 12 month collection window [source]. Where another source is silent, this page says so.
At a Home Affairs office
- A green barcoded ID book can only be collected from the office where the application was made [source].
- A Smart ID card is collected at the preferred modernised office you chose when you applied. Modernised offices, on that page, include banks, DHA offices in malls, and mobile offices [source].
- Specify the office of collection before the application transaction is closed or submitted. The page prints that as a warning [source].
- DHA uses the cellphone number you provided during the application to send updates about progress and the readiness for collection [source].
- The word SMS, an email, how many messages, and what the message says: not stated by source [source].
- What to bring to that collection, who may collect for you, a fee for collecting, and a deadline after which the document is sent away or destroyed: not stated by source [source].
People living abroad can apply for ID books at a South African mission or consulate. Applications are sent to Head Office in Pretoria, and delivery takes longer than a local application because of the logistics. That sentence is about ID books. A Smart ID card collected at a mission: not stated in that sentence [source].
Public office hours on the DHA contacts page: Monday to Friday, 8:00 to 15:30. Every last Wednesday of the month, 9:00 to 15:30. The page calls these the hours offices are open to the public. A collection-only counter, or a different collection time: not stated on that page. The enquiry number printed there is 0800 60 11 90 [source].
The two DHA sentences for a bank
| DHA page | What it says about collection | What it does not say |
|---|---|---|
| Digital Partnership with banks | Collections are at the bank branch where the application was made. Collection details will be communicated by the partner bank. The page prints that word as "partnerd bank". Updates about the Smart ID card application come directly from the bank, through its usual service channels [source]. | Delivery, the name of the channel (SMS, app or email), what to bring, who may collect, a production time, and a deadline: not stated by source. The "about 15 minutes" on that page is the time in the branch, and the page says it differs by bank. Passport applications during phase 1 are listed as not yet available, so this collection answer is not describing a passport [source]. |
| Apply through a partner branch | Updates come directly from your bank, through its usual channels. Collect the document from your selected branch, or have it delivered, where offered by the bank. The how-it-works steps sit under both the Smart ID re-issue section and the passport section [source]. | Which banks offer delivery, the channel name, what to bring, who may collect, a production time, and a deadline: not stated by source. The passport section on this page is for a standard or maxi passport, for South African citizens aged 18 and older, and for naturalised citizens aged 18 and older. A minor passport: not stated in that list [source]. |
Branch opening days, on the Digital Partnership page: refer to your bank and the participating branches. A collection-only time: not stated by source [source].
What each bank says
Each row is that bank's own page. A blank in real life is not filled from another row. Branch lists stay on the bank pages.
| Route | How you are told | Where | What to bring when you collect | Who may collect | Deadline that source states |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capitec, article dated 11/03/2026 | Not stated by source. | Not stated by source. | Not stated by source. Documents for the application itself: none, unless you are opening an account [source]. | Not stated by source. | Not stated by source. Time in the branch: normally a few minutes. How long until the card is ready: not stated by source [source]. |
| Capitec, news article dated 09/03/2026 | A notification when the ID is ready. SMS, app or email: not stated by source [source]. | Collect it from the branch [source]. | Not stated by source. | Not stated by source. | Not stated by source. The application on a self-service terminal: less than five minutes. How long until the ID is ready: not stated by source [source]. |
| Standard Bank, in branch | The ready-for-collection answer says you receive SMS updates every step of the process. That answer does not say the sender is Home Affairs, and it does not split in-branch from online [source]. | Once the smart ID is ready, collect it from the branch. A separate line says pick up the smart ID from the branch where you applied. The delivery answer says the same branch. The introduction says collect the document at one of the specialised branches. All four sentences are on the page [source]. | Not stated by source. "Your green barcoded ID or your driver's licence" is under what you need for the in-branch application, not under collection [source]. | No. You need to collect your own ID. The question on the page is about the ID [source]. | Up to 4 weeks to process the smart ID. Other factors may affect the timelines. Then 12 months from the notification that the ID is ready at the branch. After that it is sent back to DHA and it may be destroyed. A new application is required if it is destroyed. A passport is not in the in-branch service list, and a passport deadline: not stated by source [source]. |
| Standard Bank, online | Home Affairs sends an SMS when the smart ID or passport is ready. The same page's FAQ also gives the "SMS updates every step" answer for the smart ID [source]. | Collect the smart ID or passport at the selected branch. The online branch heading says those branches are where you give fingerprints and a photo, and where you collect the smart ID or passport [source]. | Not stated for the collection visit. The appointment visit says to come with your ID [source]. | The "collect your own ID" answer is not limited to the in-branch route. A passport collected by someone else: not stated by source [source]. | The 4 week answer and the 12 month answer are worded for the smart ID. A passport deadline: not stated by source. Standard Bank says it does not control DHA turnaround times or collection dates, and it gives 0800 601 190 for complaints about the service [source]. |
| FNB, Smart ID replacement | An SMS or an in-app notification when the Smart ID is ready for collection, or "ready to collect". Both wordings are on the page [source]. | The collect step does not name the branch or a Home Affairs office [source]. | Original identity documents. The same page says you do not need to bring documentation when applying for a Smart ID in branch. The collect step is the one that asks for original identity documents [source]. | Not stated by source. | Not stated by source. The in-branch process takes about 10 minutes. How long until the card is ready: not stated by source. "When can I visit the branch?" is answered Monday to Saturday during branch operating hours. A collection-only window: not stated by source [source]. |
| FNB, eHomeAffairs | An SMS when the Smart ID or passport is ready for collection. An in-app notice in that collect step: not stated by source [source]. | The collect step does not name the branch or a Home Affairs office [source]. | Original identity documents. The examples on the same page (green ID book, passport or birth certificate) are in the visit step, and the collect step does not repeat them [source]. | Not stated by source. | Not stated by source. FNB's eHomeAffairs help line, as printed there, is 0800 60 11 90 [source]. |
| Absa | A message that the card is ready: not stated by source. The SMS or email on this page is the booking confirmation [source]. | Not stated by source. | Not stated by source. If you booked, bring the confirmation to the appointment. That sentence is the appointment, not a collection [source]. | Not stated by source. | Not stated by source. |
| Nedbank | An SMS when the smart ID card is ready. Who sends the SMS: not stated by source. A passport-ready message: not stated in that step [source]. | Collect the card at the branch you selected [source]. | Not stated for the collection visit. The appointment step says bring the booking confirmation and your ID book or card [source]. | Not stated by source. | Not stated by source. Nedbank says DHA officials issue IDs and passports at these branches, and that Nedbank is not otherwise involved. A passport collection place: not stated in the collect step, which says "card" [source]. |
Standard Bank's home-delivery answer is no: you collect the ID at the same branch where the application was made. The question is about the smart ID. A passport delivered to a home address: not stated in that answer [source]. Capitec, FNB, Absa and Nedbank: home delivery on their Smart ID pages: not stated by source [source, source, source, source].
Walk-in application hours at Standard Bank: refer to the selected branch. That answer is about applying, not a separate collection window [source].
A passport, as distinct from the Smart ID
- The travel documents page gives issuance turnaround, not a collection appointment and not a destruction deadline: 13 working days for an ordinary tourist passport and for a maxi passport, and 18 working days for a minor tourist passport. Where you collect the passport: not stated on that page [source].
- On that page, an application inside South Africa can be submitted at a Home Affairs front office with live capture, at participating banks, or through eHomeAffairs. The application must be made in person. Collection in person, and collection by someone else: not stated by source [source].
- The Digital Partnership page still lists a passport application during phase 1 as not yet available at those bank branches [source].
- The partner-branch page lists an adult standard or maxi passport, from age 18, for citizens and for naturalised citizens, and its collect-or-deliver step is the step quoted above [source].
- A gov.za statement of 9 March 2026 says that throughout 2026 the Digital Partnership will also enable passport services and courier delivery [source].
- A gov.za statement of 22 July 2026 says the partnership will continue to expand before the end of the year to include adult and minor passports, first-time Smart ID card applications, and, as the next major milestone, home delivery of identity documents to citizens' homes [source].
- This page was checked on 24 October 2026. On that date the Digital Partnership page still listed phase 1 passports as not yet available, and the partner-branch page already listed adult passports and delivery where the bank offers it. Neither page explains the difference [source, source].
- Standard Bank's online route names first-time passport issuing and passport renewal, an SMS from Home Affairs, and collection at the selected branch [source]. FNB's eHomeAffairs collect step names the Smart ID or the passport, and original identity documents [source]. Capitec's two articles, and Absa's Smart ID page: a passport collection: not stated by source [source, source, source].
Passport fees are on Fees and documents.
Older statements about a deadline
A Home Affairs media briefing dated 19 August 2011 said that, at the end of July 2011, 610 655 IDs were still to be collected, and that a further 269 940 IDs were awaiting destruction at Head Office after applicants had not collected them for twelve months. It told people to collect from the office of application. Those figures are the briefing's figures for July 2011. The current identity documents page and the Digital Partnership page do not state a 12 month rule, and they do not repeat those counts [source, source, source].
Standard Bank's 12 month answer is the only current bank page in this set that states a collection window, and it states it for the ID [source].
A DHA statement published on 4 December 2025 extended office hours on 8 to 19 December 2025 and 5 to 16 January 2026, by two hours a day, for applications and collections. On those days, offices equipped for Smart ID cards and passports would close at 18:00 instead of 16:00. Clients were advised to book an application or collection appointment on the Branch Appointment Booking System (BABS) before visiting. People without a booking could still visit as walk-ins. The statement says dedicated counters are offered for collections, in that message to people who had applied for Smart ID cards and passports. Whether those hours, that booking advice, or those counters apply on other dates: not stated by source [source]. The booking routes are on Booking and walk-ins.
What these sources do not state
- One collection rule for every bank. Absa's page does not state collection at all [source].
- That the Standard Bank 12 month window, or the duty to collect your own ID, applies at Capitec, FNB, Absa, Nedbank, or a Home Affairs office [source, source, source].
- A fee charged for the collection visit itself [source, source, source].
- Which banks, on 24 October 2026, actually offer the delivery the partner-branch page allows [source, source].
- The screen or number you use to ask for a status if no message arrives. The contacts page and FNB print 0800 60 11 90. Standard Bank prints 0800 601 190 and says it does not control collection dates [source, source, source].
Back to the home page, fees and documents, booking and walk-ins, and the bank pages: Capitec, Standard Bank, FNB, Absa, Nedbank.