CABINET has approved extending the validity period for light vehicle and motorcycle driving licences from five years to 10 years.
This was confirmed by the Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, on Thursday, saying the driving licence validity will be extended from initial five years’ to 10 years’.
The decision is a welcome relief from millions of South Africans, both in the country and abroad, who kept questioning why licence cards expire so frequently, exacerbated by long queues and at times malfunctioning system.
“The implementation of the extended validity period requires legislative amendments. Motorists must therefore continue to renew expired driving licence cards until the new law takes effect,” Ntshavheni said.
Heavy vehicle licences will continue under separate rules because of their different operational requirements, she continued.
The proposal applies only to ordinary motorcycle and light vehicle licences, including Code A1, A, B and EB.
The Department of Transport has argued that longer validity will ease pressure on licensing centres, reduce administrative costs and cut the number of renewal applications.
South Africa currently requires most motorists to renew every five years, one of the shortest renewal cycles in many comparable countries.
The discussion began several years ago. In 2022, the government commissioned the Road Traffic Management Corporation to investigate whether longer licence validity remained safe and practical.
The completed study supported extending the validity period.
