The proposal for a driver’s licence valid for eight years is once again on the table for South Africans.
Implementing such a proposal would offer relief to millions of South African drivers who currently face long queues and related frustrations every five years, spending both time and money on renewals.
During a question session with the National Council of Provinces on 4 November, the minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy, viewed the proposal favourably and referred to it as the “right move”. Creecy requested the Department of Transport to determine the impact of extending the driving licence validity period, including the full financial implications. The Driving Licence Card Account (DLCA), the entity responsible for printing the cards, relies on renewal fees for revenue.
Creecy has stated she will make a final decision once she has studied the full impact.
According to the proposal, the extension of the validity period from five to eight years would only be applicable to ordinary or private motorists’ driving licence cards. Public transport operators, such as bus and taxi drivers, or those holding a heavy vehicle licence, may face stricter rules and most possibly still need to renew their licences every two years. This differentiation recognises that professional drivers spend far more time on the road and carry greater responsibility for public safety.
The extension would cut down on administrative pressure at driving licence testing centres (DLTCs), reduce costs for motorists who would renew less often, and align South Africa with global standards without compromising safety, as drivers can still be required to update eye tests or medical certificates when needed.
Advocating for a period of ten years
The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) and the Automobile Association (AA) have long advocated for a longer validity period to ease administrative burdens and reduce backlogs, with Outa advocating for a period of ten years. This move would alleviate administrative burdens, reduce backlogs and lower costs for both motorists and the government, Outa stated.
“Research we undertook in 2022 shows that many countries have already extended the validity period of their driver’s licence cards to ten years or more without compromising road safety,” says Outa’s CEO, Wayne Duvenage.
In 2022, Outa met with the then minister of Transport, Fikile Mbalula, to present their report. Later that year, Mbalula had committed to an eight-year validity period, but this was never implemented.
“It should also be noted that a ten-year validity period was gazetted in 2013, but then mysteriously withdrawn,” explains Duvenage. “We believe the Department of Transport cannot continue to avoid this issue.”
The Department of Transport’s 2025-’26 annual performance plan included a timeline to submit the validity extension to Parliament for endorsement by the fourth quarter of the financial year, but this timeline appears to be behind schedule.
Five-year system ‘outdated and burdensome’
South Africa’s current five-year renewal cycle has long been criticised as outdated and burdensome. Studies commissioned by the Road Traffic Management Corporation show that many countries with strong road safety records use validity periods of eight to ten years or longer.
According to Outa’s report, dated March 2022, for the extension to ten years, the frustration trigger points when renewing licences are:
• long queues
• poor staff attitude
• poor, slow or broken systems
• not being able to book appointments online
• unclear signage about which queue to be in
• lack of seating facilities
• witnessed bribery
• failure to accept card payment
When researching the driver’s licence renewal period in other countries, Outa found there is a range of driver’s licence validity periods, ranging from three to 20 years, with the average of 35 countries measured being 8,5 years.
In the meantime – until the law changes – all driving licence cards remain on the five-year cycle. Drivers with expired or soon-to-be-expired cards should renew as soon as possible to avoid fines.
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