Good news about South Africa’s eight-year licence card extension

The Department of Transport’s move to extend the validity of driving licence cards in South Africa from five years to eight is going ahead, and has been outlined in its 2026/27 annual performance plan.

The department plans to have the policy document for the extension sent to Cabinet for approval by the end of the current financial year, in March 2027.

Its broader plan is to have the extension approved for submission to Parliament by the end of the next financial year, in March 2028.

These new deadlines represent a delay in implementation of the original plan, which has hit frequent stumbling blocks and missed other key deadlines.

According to its own Annual Performance Plan, the department was meant to submit its decision regarding the extension to parliament by the fourth quarter of the 2025/26 financial year, which it did not.

In the lead-up to the now-passed deadline, civil rights organisation AfriForum reminded the department of its own deadlines.

“I wish to remind you that the end of the 2025/26 financial year is drawing near and that urgent work must be made to table this proposal in parliament,” campaign officer Louis Boshoff wrote to Transport Minister Barbara Creecy.

“The sooner a decision is implemented to extend the validity period to eight years, the sooner the department’s burden to print new licence cards will be eased.”

Following the missed deadline, the department has now adjusted its plans as follows:

Short-term goals (2026/27)

• June 2026 – Validity period submitted to the Minister
• September 2026 – Validity period submitted to the Shareholders’ Committee
• December 2026 – Validity period submitted to the relevant Forum of South African Directors-General (FOSAD) Clusters
• March 2027 – Validity period of the driving licence cards extended to 8 years, approved for submission to the Cabinet

Medium-term goals (2026/27-2028/29)

• 2026/27 – Validity period of the driving licence cards extended to 8 years, approved for submission to Cabinet
• 2027/28 – Validity period of the driving licence cards extended to 8 years, approved for submission to Parliament
• 2028/29 – None stated

With the extensions process formalised in the Department of Transport’s annual plans, it seems as if the change will be implemented after all.

Finalising the cost-benefit analysis

In an interview with Newzroom Afrika earlier this year, Minister Creecy confirmed that her department was rushing the process to extend the licence validity period in hopes of avoiding “unintended consequences”.

She said that although the extension will definitely take place, the department was still awaiting the results of its study to determine the financial repercussions of the change.

The cost-benefit analysis looks at how the extension will affect government revenue, particularly the Driving Licence Card Account (DLCA).

The DLCA acknowledged the policy directive related to the extension of driving licence cards’ validity, noting that the decision may impact its financial stability.

It said that while the proposed change forms part of broader efforts to enhance departmental administrative efficiency and alleviate service demand pressures, it will likely impact the financial sustainability of the organisation.

The DLCA added that the extended validity period would reduce the volume of card renewals processed in a given cycle, which in turn may impact revenue flows linked to card production and issuance.

“The policy development process is still underway, including the necessary regulatory reviews, stakeholder consultations, and impact assessments,” it said.

“The organisation will continue to monitor these developments closely and assess the potential operational and financial implications.”