New rules for South Africans with expired driving licences
The Department of Transport has gazetted new rules allowing expired driving licences to be used as valid forms of identification in South Africa, provided certain conditions are met. This has come as the country continues to deal with a massive backlog in printing new cards caused by repeated breakdowns of its only licence card printer. According to the notice published on Friday, 26 September 2025, motorists whose licences have expired will have a three-month grace period during which their expired card remains valid, as long as they can prove they applied for a new one before it expired. This is not a new concession but part of standard procedure, as highlighted previously by the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA), which informed drivers that their licence remains valid for three months if renewal is done on time. To make use of this grace period, drivers must carry both their expired licence card and the official receipt showing that they have applied for renewal...
