Self-service kiosks, Smart IDs, passports, birth certificate, marriage certificate, death certificate, reprints and applications, home affairs, Minister Njabulo Nzuza, budget speech

Citizens may soon be able to apply for and reprint their important certificates thanks to Home Affairs’ incoming self-service kiosks. Photo: Brian Indrelunas / Flickr

A DIY Home Affairs service? Citizens may soon ‘serve themselves’

New self-service kiosks will be procured to assist citizens with applications for passports, smart IDs and even reprints of certificates.

Self-service kiosks, Smart IDs, passports, birth certificate, marriage certificate, death certificate, reprints and applications, home affairs, Minister Njabulo Nzuza, budget speech

Citizens may soon be able to apply for and reprint their important certificates thanks to Home Affairs’ incoming self-service kiosks. Photo: Brian Indrelunas / Flickr

A self-service system for smart IDs, passports and other important documentation will soon be introduced by the Home Affairs Department.

What is the new self-service system?

During his departmental budget speech, Deputy Minister Njabulo Nzuza said the new system will be rolled out in the 2022/23 financial year. He explained that the budget will see the department exploring new ways to ‘better serve citizens’.

“The 2022/2023 budget will see us exploring new ways to better serve citizens. We will procure kiosks that will allow clients to self-service for passports and smart ID applications and reprint birth, marriage and death certificates,”

said Nzuza.

Speaking about the kiosks, Nzuza said they will be designed in a way that requires authentication through biometrics. The kiosks will be located in areas that will allow citizens to access them even after office hours or on weekends.

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Nzuza said that the self-service kiosk will bring in a new era in the way clients are serviced. Speaking more about the department’s plans, Nzuza said it will be rapidly expanding its online booking system this year.

Nzuza explains more about the online booking system

He shared that the Branch Appointment Booking System pilot is only operational in a hybrid model in 25 offices. He explained that this decision was taken so as to not turn away clients that have not made a booking.

Nzuza further explained that it is only to be used to book for applications of passports and Smart ID cards.

“In the future, we would like to only service booked clients for those two products because it is our firm belief that scheduling an appointment for those two products is possible compared to scheduling a death or birth registration because those are occurrences that are not planned for in advance hence we will continue to take walk-ins for those two services,”

said Nzuza.

In order to schedule an appointment, residents of SA can access the Home Affairs website. Nzuza said that Government is also exploring partnerships with other institutions. 

Home Affairs’ self-service kiosks will be rolled out in the 2022/23 financial year. Photo: Cape Town Guy / Flickr

SA Post Office and Home Affairs in talks

He added that the Home Affairs department is in talks with the SA Post Office to extend the accessibility of services, reports Business Tech.

“We are also exploring opening offices in the major shopping centres in which we envisage a positive uptake, with five of the malls having offered rent-free space for five years,”

he said.