South African motorists may in future only need to renew their driving licence cards every 10 years, instead of the current five years. The proposed changes are part of draft amendments to the national road traffic regulations that were published in August 2026 for public comment. The amendments are not yet in force and motorists must still comply with the existing renewal requirements.
The department of transport published the proposed amendments after the cabinet approved the extension of the validity period of driving licence cards from five to 10 years. The draft regulations provide for changes to the validity of certain licence cards, including those for motorcycles and light motor vehicles. The proposal must, however, go through the appropriate legislative process before it can come into effect. The physical licence card will still need to be renewed, even if the proposed changes are accepted.
The public comment process gave stakeholders and members of the public the opportunity to give their views on the proposed amendments. The published draft regulations and related documentation provide the details of the proposal. Motorists must therefore not assume that their current driving licence cards are already valid for ten years. Until the new regulations officially come into effect, the existing requirements remain applicable.
Sources: Government Gazette, Government
This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
