Why South African driver’s licences have Portuguese writing

South African driver’s licence cards have Portuguese writing on them so that they can be recognised in other African countries.

Local motorists with a keen eye may have noticed a line on their licence cards reading: “Carta De Conducao.”

This particular phrase is the Portuguese translation of “driving licence,” and allows the card to be interpreted in African nations where Portuguese is widely spoken.

The practice is in line with international agreements such as the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic, which South Africa is a signatory to, as well as the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic.

These agreements seek to standardise driving documents to promote safety and uniformity in international road traffic by requiring, among others, that certain details on driver’s licences be translated into multiple major languages so that they can be easily understood by foreign authorities.

While not one of South Africa’s 12 official languages, Portuguese was likely chosen for our cards as it’s commonly heard in countries that are part of the Southern African Development Community and with which we share regional and political ties, such as Angola and Mozambique

There are also plenty of smaller communities on the continent, particularly in Namibia and South Africa, where Portuguese is frequently spoken.

Continuing the tradition

South Africa’s new driver’s licence cards will continue the tradition of Portuguese writing but also add French into the mix, another mother tongue in plenty of African countries.

Tender documents outlining the basic design of the new card show that in the top left corner, it will read both “Carta De Conducao” and “Permis De Conduire” – the latter of which is the French translation of driving licence.

A number of other enhancements will also bolster the efficacy and safety of these new cards.

The so-called “smart cards” will feature discrete watermarks and a new reflector strip that are difficult to duplicate, as well as incorporate user biometrics that can store data and be channelled through multiple authentication systems.

In addition, a tender document submitted by the Driver’s Licence Card Account (DLCA) in November 2021 indicate that the new card will consist of several layers of laminated polycarbonate, each of which includes security elements to avoid a single layer containing safety-related information.

Hence, the full picture and all the relevant details will only be displayed if all the layers are stacked and aligned perfectly.

Along with the normal colourised photo of the licence holder, the new card will also have a secondary laser-engraved image of the owner as well as a security background overlapping the image area.

In addition, it will employ non-standard type fonts and personalised data in UV fluorescent ink, all in an effort to complicate cloning.

This is all on top of the type of information found on the existing cards, such as your full name, date of birth, ID number, gender, personalised signature, the validity period of the card, date of issue, licence number, and licence code.

It should be noted that the finalised card will probably not look exactly like the one on the tender.

The DLCA clarified that the real design and artwork will only be revealed to the successful tender applicant after they have signed a non-disclosure agreement, so expect to see a slightly different layout once the official cards are revealed.