New 10-year driving licences for South Africa coming sooner than expected

The Department of Transport has gazetted changes to driving licence card validity in South Africa for public comment—months, if not years ahead of schedule.

The gazette gives the public and stakeholders 30 days to submit comments on the coming changes.

Under the proposed changes, a driving licence card for a code A, A1, B, or EB licence will be set to 10 years from the date on which it is ordered from the Card Production Facility.

Meanwhile, a driving licence card for a code C1, C, EC1, or EC licence will be valid for 5 years from the date on which it is ordered.

Existing A, A1, B, or EB licence cards with the current 5-year validity will remain valid until they expire, and a new 10-year card will be issued.

The public comment gazette has come just weeks after Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni announced that Cabinet had approved the extension.

The Cabinet approval came 8 months ahead of the Department of Transport’s plan to introduce the policy by March 2027.

The extension was officially included in the department’s short- and medium-term goals in April 2026, with the plan to secure the cabinet’s approval by the end of 2026/27 (March 2027).

The broader plan was to have the extension approved for submission to Parliament by the end of the 2027/28 period (March 2028).

Speaking to BusinessTech, Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) CEO Wayne Duvenage said the process could be completed “within months”.

This would depend on the political will behind the change, and, in the absence of other potential pitfalls, such as trying to tie the validity period to the new, stalled driving licence card printing tender.

As things stand, however, the public consultation reflects an expedited process after years of foot-dragging and broken promises to get the extension through the door.

Former Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula announced the intention to extend licence card validity in 2022. His successor, Sindisiwe Chikunga, scrapped the process.

Talk was revived under the new administration in 2024, but the extension period was reduced to 8 years.

Following public backlash and lobbying from groups like OUTA, the final extension forged ahead with the original plan of 10-year validity.