{
  "id": 11102925,
  "title": "Asked to complete HANIS verification? Here’s what you need to know",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/asked-to-complete-hanis-verification-heres-what-you-need-to-know",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-01T03:55:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "IOL",
    "slug": "iol",
    "url": "https://iol.co.za/news/south-africa/2026-10-01-asked-to-complete-hanis-verification-heres-what-you-need-to-know/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Completing the Home Affairs National Identification System (HANIS) verification can be perplexing for numerous older South Africans, particularly following issues with SASSA grants or failed biometric checks. HANIS is a Department of Home Affairs system designed to authenticate a person's identity using biometric details like fingerprints, in conjunction with Home Affairs' data. This verification system has been utilized for identity checks, including by financial institutions and government agencies. It serves to confirm the individual's identity, aligning biometric data with Home Affairs records, thereby thwarting identity fraud and ensuring services are correctly attributed. This verification is crucial when managing social grants, as exemplified by SASSA's stance that biometric verification enhances identity authentication during grant applications, reviews, and serves to prevent identity theft, duplicate claims, and other fraudulent activities.\n\nA HANIS verification might be required when there's doubt over a beneficiary's identity. This could arise from difficulties in completing biometric verification via SASSA or discrepancies in matching information with Home Affairs records. Elderly beneficiaries might encounter difficulties with fingerprint verification, especially if capturing fingerprints is problematic for biometric equipment. It's crucial to understand that a failed biometric check does not imply guilt of fraud; it merely indicates that the system couldn't complete the verification process. For elderly individuals, particularly those with mobility issues or difficulty with fingerprints, it's advisable to inquire directly with officials about the outstanding verification and subsequent steps to avoid repeated visits to government offices. SASSA's guidance for older beneficiaries confirms eligibility for those aged 60 and above, stating that application and grant services are free. Recognizing that fingerprints may become challenging to read due to aging, years of manual labor, skin changes, or scanner conditions, a failed fingerprint attempt shouldn't be automatically viewed as a failed identity verification.\n\nIf fingerprint capture proves unsuccessful, communication with the Home Affairs official is essential instead of merely returning for repeated attempts without clarity. The appropriate next steps depend on individual circumstances and Home Affairs' records. If directed by SASSA or another government department to obtain HANIS verification, one should request clarification from officials. They should provide a valid identity document, any reference numbers or documentation from SASSA or the referring department, and keep copies of essential documents while asking for proof of each visit or submission. While family members or friends can apply for an older person's grant if the beneficiary is too old or ill to travel, HANIS verification remains an identity process. Families should first confirm with Home Affairs or SASSA the specific arrangement applicable to their case, as families should not assume someone else can complete the biometric verification on the beneficiary's behalf. Notably, a grant review checks if a beneficiary still qualifies for their grant and involves verifying identity, income, assets, marital status, and other factors. However, HANIS verification pertains solely to identity verification, though the two processes may overlap since identity verification can be part of a grant review. SASSA advises beneficiaries facing a review to present documents like a valid ID, proof of income, three months of bank statements, and proof of residence, depending on their situation.",
  "summary": "A HANIS request does not automatically mean a beneficiary is suspected of fraud. Here is what older SASSA grant recipients should know about identity checks, failed fingerprints and visiting Home Affairs.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}