Transport Minister wants 8-year driving licences in South Africa

Transport Minister Barbara Creecy has confirmed that increasing the licence validity period for drivers to eight years is a good move.

That said, she also noted that motorists working in public transport, such as bus drivers and taxi drivers, or those holding a heavy vehicle licence, need to renew their licences every two years.

These comments came during a question session with the National Council of Provinces on 4 November 2025.

Creecy explained that the department had conducted a study on licence validity periods prior to her appointment.

“I read that study when I was appointed. People who are either driving heavy vehicles that can cause significant accidents or those driving passengers should be renewing on a two-yearly basis,” she said.

“However, with regard to the driver’s licence for ordinary citizens like you and me, the suggestion was that we go for a period of eight years. I think it’s something that we view in a favourable light.”

She noted that the Driving Licence Card Account (DLCA) is reliant on driving licence renewals for revenue and that extending the validity period would eat into this.

Creecy went on to say that she had requested her department to determine the impact of extending the driving licence validity period.

“What I asked is: can we understand the financial implications if we make this decision?” said Creecy.

“I’m not saying that one would make the decision if there were significant financial implications, and I don’t think it’s wise to make decisions in an executive office if you don’t understand the consequences.”

Creecy concluded by saying that she awaits the study’s results before making a decision.

Plan to increase the validity period

The transport department revealed its plans to propose an extension to the licence validity period to 8 years in its annual performance plan for 2025/26.

This was published in June 2025, and all indications suggest that the plan is already behind schedule.

The plan included a timeline which outlined that it planned to begin consulting with the executive committee, the committee of transport officials, and MECs in the first quarter of the year.

However, the results of this first step remain uncertain, and its second goal, which was slated to end on 30 September, is in a similar situation.

The second goal was to publish a notice in the Government Gazette for public comment – no such notice has been published thus far.

This isn’t the first time plans have been made to extend the licence validity period, either, with former Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula announcing a similar plan in October 2022.

“We are changing the lifespan, timeframe of the driver’s licence…it will be eight years. We are going to the cabinet with that,” Mbalula said at the time,

This change was never implemented, and it remains to be seen if the current plan will yield results.