Good news for passports in South Africa

• The Department of Home Affairs is expanding its passport application services to 300 bank branches nationwide, including Absa, Capitec, Standard Bank, and First National Bank.
• The expansion is part of the Home Affairs @ Home initiative, which aims to bring Home Affairs' services closer to where people stay, and is a result of the pilot program launched a decade ago.
• The move is expected to increase access to passport services, with home delivery of Smart IDs and passport applications also planned, and is seen as a significant step forward in decentralizing access to government services.