Motorists planning to travel over the Easter holiday period have been warned to ensure that their driver’s licences and vehicle licence discs are valid to avoid a stressful encounter with traffic officers.
The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) is urging households to ensure that their driving credentials are up to date before the long weekend from 3 to 6 April 2026.
It noted that approximately 700,000 vehicle discs and 128,080 licence cards have either expired or are due to expire before the end of March.
“Motorists who intend travelling over the Easter long weekend are advised to check the validity of their vehicle licence discs and driving licence cards now and renew to avoid delays and embarrassment later,” it said.
The RTMC highlighted the number of expired discs and licence cars per province:
- Gauteng — 259,563 licence discs | 44,142 driving licence cards
- Western Cape — 116,633 licence discs | 17,108 driving licence cards
- KwaZulu-Natal — 98,725 licence discs | 20,188 driving licence cards
- Mpumalanga — 51,198 licence discs | 12,515 driving licence cards
- Limpopo — 45,240 licence discs | 11,831 driving licence cards
- Eastern Cape — 44,840 licence discs | 8,404 driving licence cards
- North West — 36,335 licence discs | 6,187 driving licence cards
- Free State — 31,964 licence discs | 5,471 driving licence cards
- Northern Cape — 15,891 licence discs | 2,234 driving licence cards
Notably, Gauteng has the most of any province, with more than double the number of expired licences than the runner-up, the Western Cape.
Motorists are encouraged to renew their vehicle licence discs through the eNatis platform, allowing users to order and receive a new disc within three to five working days.
“More than six million vehicle licence discs have been processed through this platform since it became available in 2022,” the RTMC said.
Individuals living in Gauteng, Gqeberha, and Kariega in the Eastern Cape can also use the platform to book a slot to renew their driver’s licence card, while those living in other provinces can use the service at their local driver’s licence testing centre.
The RTMC launched its online renewal service for licence cards and vehicle discs back in February 2022, though driver’s licence renewals are still limited to just three provinces.
Gauteng was the first to benefit from the service, which was later followed by the Eastern Cape, and later the North West in mid-2024.
The RTMC explained that the decision to implement the service in the country’s remaining provinces is not all up to them, as the relevant provincial transport authorities must decide whether or not to support the rollout.
Motorists have some leeway
In South Africa, driver’s licence cards remain valid for three months after their expiry dates; however, they must still prove that they applied for a new card before the current one expired.
This was confirmed by the Department of Transport in September 2025, when it reiterated that motorists have a three-month grace period in response to concerns about the licence backlog caused by the breakdown of the country’s only card printing machine in February 2025.
“An expired licence card may be used for a period of up to three months, provided the holder thereof can show proof that he or she applied for a new card before the current card expired,” it said.
“If the card had already expired at the time of application for a replacement, the holder must also apply for a temporary driver’s licence at the time and keep proof thereof.”
However, this grace period is much shorter for vehicle licence discs, which are only valid for 21 days after their expiry date.
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