New solution for motorists with expired driving licences in South Africa

Motorists who are still waiting for their new driver’s licence can order a temporary licence at no additional cost.

A temporary licence normally carries a R72 fee, however, the Department of Transport (DoT) recently confirmed that it decided to waive this fee.

This comes after the DoT also instructed airlines in South Africa to accept expired driver’s licences as a valid form of identification, provided they can prove they’ve applied for a new card.

“I think we felt that we needed to assist motorists who are using their licenses as a form of identity. So we needed to be quite clear as to what needs to happen,” said DoT spokesperson Collen Msibi.

Both measures are a response to the ongoing licence card backlog, which started when the country’s only printing machine broke down earlier this year.

Individuals who wish to use their expired licences as a form of ID for matters like plane boardings must produce the expired card, along with a receipt showing they’ve applied for a new licence.

The department explained that expired licences remain valid for three months after expiry, provided the motorist re-applies before their licence expires.

Temporary licences, meanwhile, are valid for a period of six months and are an acceptable form of ID in South Africa.

“The six months is mainly because your temporary driver’s licence is only valid for six months. That’s why we say six months,” explained Msibi.

Importantly, if a temporary licence expires before the individual receives their new one, they can continue to use it for identification purposes.

“What’s nice about it, though, is that you don’t have to pay for your temporary licence. So, when you go and apply for a temporary licence, there’s no charge for it,” he said.

Good news for the licence backlog

In its most recent update, the DoT revealed that the licence backlog has been significantly reduced over the past few months.

The printer broke down in February and was only restored at the beginning of May, resulting in a renewal backlog that peaked at 756,227 orders.

In May, the Driver’s Licence Card Account (DLCA) stated that it would take four to six months to clear the orders, which would have put the original clear date sometime between September and November 2025.

However, the production rate was too slow in the first three months to meet this target, as it still needed to clear 5398,947 cards as of 11 August.

Based on this initial rate of production, the backlog would only be cleared by early 2026.

Luckily, the DLCA has since picked up production, running the machine non-stop on 24-hour shifts in an effort to catch up.

As a result, the backlog was reduced to 336,028 cards by mid-September.

At this rate, the DLCA could potentially clear the outstanding renewals by mid-November, though Msibi said December was a more realistic target.