Intermittent eHomeAffairs downtime

Big problem with renewing your smart ID or passport at a bank branch​


Renew my Smart ID?
How often am I going to expire...?
:oops:
 
SlowInternet said:
We don't have any banks in my small town where it can be done.

The wife and I spend 4 hours at HomeAffairs to renew our passports and she also applied for a ID card.

It takes forever to receive any notification to collect. Their toll free no doesn't work; the track your passport on their website doesn't work. There is no way to contact them and when you go to their offices to enquire you are told to stand in the queue that is miles long. They always close their doors way before closing time.

Today, 1 month later I received my sms that i can collect my passport but the wife still hasn't received anything.
Click to expand...
This afternoon I got my passport. So for the next 10 years I shouldn't have to worry about Home Affairs. Hopefully in 10 years they had some time to fix their messy system but that is wishful thinking.
 
Finally managed to log into ehome a few weeks ago. Create application, press submit - ! Cannot Submit - NPR Scheme Validation failure or no response from NPR. Go back into application, can't edit, delete or anything. Try again, fill in data, submit. Same error. Try again at midnight, "The service is unavailable." Try at 8am. ! Cannot Submit - NPR Scheme Validation failure or no response from NPR. Going to banks are great if you can get as far as the book a slot page...

Next day, managed to log in, create application, site locks up. reload, click on application:

Server Error in '/eHomeAffairsV3' Application.
​


Object reference not set to an instance of an object.​



Gave up, try book a slot at local home affairs - no slots available day after day.

Whats left? Walk in without a slot?
 
SlowInternet said:
We don't have any banks in my small town where it can be done.

The wife and I spend 4 hours at HomeAffairs to renew our passports and she also applied for a ID card.

It takes forever to receive any notification to collect. Their toll free no doesn't work; the track your passport on their website doesn't work. There is no way to contact them and when you go to their offices to enquire you are told to stand in the queue that is miles long. They always close their doors way before closing time.

Today, 1 month later I received my sms that i can collect my passport but the wife still hasn't received anything.
Click to expand...
[email protected]
Don't expect miracles though I have been waiting for my ID since the 3rd January, but at least I get e-mails back from them to say things like "Thank you for writing to the Department of Home Affairs Contact Centre. Kindly note that we have escalated the application to the ID section as it is still not finalized, please make a follow up with us on Tuesday." Which I received back today
 
1762421381101.png

TRYING TO LOG ON TO HOME AFFAIRS SINCE THIS MORNING, CONTINOUSLY GETTING THIS ERROR MESSAGE
 
Well we are now in November and I am still waiting for the ID I applied for in January. can't cancel, can't start again etc and when you do get a reply from them it is never good news
 

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Bad Ballie said:
Well we are now in November and I am still waiting for the ID I applied for in January. can't cancel, can't start again etc and when you do get a reply from them it is never good news
Click to expand...

My Smart ID is also still in production. They haven't responded to me via email, and they don't have an online ticketing system in this day and age. Don't get me started on calling them; sometimes it is impossible to get in touch with a human. Oddly enough, my status has been updated to the date that I got to talk to someone. Something must have been done on the system end. They couldn't provide an update and suggested I visit the center where I must apply to speak with a supervisor. Ugh.

Someone else I have spoken to who is in the know told me that these hold-ups are usually due to them reviewing biometrics, and that it could result in having it all redone. I don't hope that this is the case, and they could send me a notice whether this is indeed the case.

Also, what is making this all worse is that I need a passport. When I applied, I applied online and only selected to renew my ID to get a Smart ID. Once this case is opened, it can't be changed or added to, nor can a separate case be opened. This was told to me directly at the center when I went through the ID process. I can't get a passport application until I get my Smart ID.

I am not happy with this process.
 
Fulcrum29 said:
My Smart ID is also still in production. They haven't responded to me via email, and they don't have an online ticketing system in this day and age. Don't get me started on calling them; sometimes it is impossible to get in touch with a human. Oddly enough, my status has been updated to the date that I got to talk to someone. Something must have been done on the system end. They couldn't provide an update and suggested I visit the center where I must apply to speak with a supervisor. Ugh.

Someone else I have spoken to who is in the know told me that these hold-ups are usually due to them reviewing biometrics, and that it could result in having it all redone. I don't hope that this is the case, and they could send me a notice whether this is indeed the case.

Also, what is making this all worse is that I need a passport. When I applied, I applied online and only selected to renew my ID to get a Smart ID. Once this case is opened, it can't be changed or added to, nor can a separate case be opened. This was told to me directly at the center when I went through the ID process. I can't get a passport application until I get my Smart ID.

I am not happy with this process.
Click to expand...
I have been told that the last time I did my fingerprints were captured was 1995 and they have been archived, so they have to wait for the archive to be retrieved before anything else can happen. Of course going in for a temporary ID isn't a issue and my fingerprint is on record, so I know they are full of it. Temporary ID's are also useless as very few places will accept them, most Banks for example won't accept them. I have already transferred most of my stuff into my wife's account/name, and am seriously considering just disappearing from the electronic world completely at this point.
 
Bad Ballie said:
I have been told that the last time I did my fingerprints were captured was 1995 and they have been archived, so they have to wait for the archive to be retrieved before anything else can happen. Of course going in for a temporary ID isn't a issue and my fingerprint is on record, so I know they are full of it. Temporary ID's are also useless as very few places will accept them, most Banks for example won't accept them. I have already transferred most of my stuff into my wife's account/name, and am seriously considering just disappearing from the electronic world completely at this point.
Click to expand...

This is currently taking longer than it took with my driver's license card. Broken printer and all.
 
INM in Mexico .. made an appointment in advance, they see you exactly at the appointment time, and 45 min later you have a freshly printed cedula (national id card) in your hand with full biometrics done, etc. Way more efficient than in SA as process has been decentralised.
 
Cage Rattler said:
INM in Mexico .. made an appointment in advance, they see you exactly at the appointment time, and 45 min later you have a freshly printed cedula (national id card) in your hand with full biometrics done, etc. Way more efficient than in SA as process has been decentralised.
Click to expand...
Why do you want a cedula if you gonna jump the border. Thats like getting a Zimbabwen ID.
 
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