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No passports, only Smartcard ID pilots at banks 'for now'

Source: Traveller24, 19/01/2016

Cape Town – Nobody enjoys the admin or queues that tend to go with the
department of home affairs or banks – yet it is the combination of the
two institutions that have a number of South Africans wildly excited –
following the announcement in October 2015 that they would be able to
apply for their passports at certain banks.

But it seems South Africans will have to wait a bit longer before
enjoying this new service.

The new service offering was first announced in November, following
the DHA`s plans to fast-track its smartcard ID roll-out through
application services at SA banks – with the service expected to start
in early 2016.

But as the association holds the promise of reduced admin and shorter
queues, one Nedbank client is particularly upset by the fact that
banking institutions seem to be none-the-wiser about the new service
and when it will be rolled out.

This is according to Gauteng resident Ronel Fourie who contacted
Traveller24 to say she went to her Nedbank branch in Cresta, wanting
to apply for her passport. Fourie said she and her husband are
planning to spoil their son with a family holiday to Mozambique for
his 21st birthday but she was sorely disappointed by response she
received at the bank.

Fourie recalls how excited and happy she was when she read in October
2015 that Nedbank would be piloting the passport application project –
however the bank has since told her the service is "only available to
staff".

What upset Fourie even more is that nobody could inform her if and
when the service would be available to her as a banking client,
despite the DHA "announcing it would be working on it".

"The impression I got is that they are never going to help me with a
passport and they could give no indication if and when the bank would
actually be able to assist me with a passport."

Fourie said she was instructed to either go to home affairs or try and
find out more about it at Nedbank Head Office, "as this is the only
branch doing the trials".

A Nedbank spokesperson at the head office told Traveller24 that the
pilot project has only included members of its Sandown office and not
banking clients. Nedbank said the pilot project was still underway and
it would communicate to its clients when the service for passport
applications would be available.

Department of Home Affairs spokesperson Mahyilome Tshwete said the
official date for the passport roll-out has yet to be set, stating
that it was essential for communication systems to be secure and
efficient.

Tshwete confirmed that for now it is only the Smart Card ID
application being piloted at certain banks since this is "the
difficult and fundamental one".

"There is nothing slowing the process, we just want to get the service
right, without having to go back to fix anything. You cannot apply for
your passport without your ID, so currently we only working on IDs,"
Mahyilome said.

"I was so happy that I banked with Nedbank when I initially read the
report on News24,"Fourie said, stating it upset her that banking staff
were not informed about the process.

"I now have to go to Home Affairs in Randburg and my last experience
there was not a good one."
Fourie says she last applied for an ID for her son about three years
ago and it was not a pleasant experience "due to the queues".
"I wanted to cry when I walked out of the bank, being about to apply
at the bank is easier because it's a little bit more efficient,"
Fourie said.

Twshete confirmed, for now, passport applications will only be
available from its offices around the country and not banks.

The application process is as follows below:
1. Regular Passports
Regular South African passports are issued to South African applicants
who are 16 years old and older. They are valid for 10 years and are
not renewable. When South African passports expire, new passport
applications will have to be filed.
What you need:

• Identity Document
• Two colour passport photos
• Finger prints will be taken
Cost: R400

2. Child Passports Child passports are issued to children who are
fifteen years and below. These passports are not renewable. On their
expiry, applications for new passports will have to be filed. Issued
to South African citizens under the age of 16. It is valid for five
years from the date of issue.

What you need:

• Your (parent's) ID and child's birth certificate
• 2 colour passport photos of the child
• Death certificate if one parent is deceased
• a copy of the Court's appointment letter, if you are the child's
guardian
• There are special rules for children born out of wedlock, check out
the Home Affairs website for more details.
Cost: R400

3. Maxi tourist passport It is a document for frequent travellers and
is issued to South African citizens of 16 years and above. The
document contains 48 pages to provide for more visa pages. It is valid
for 10 years from the date of issue.
What you need:

• Identity Document
• Two colour passport photos
• Fingerprints
Cost: R600

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