Renewing your *Drivers License* in SA

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Even the thought of having to renew my drivers was enough to give me a headache. I mean, you couldn't pay me enough to redo it (what with the hassle of having to make a booking, failing and having to fork out more money for another test date, the stress of having to do an incline start while not putting the car in gear, and of course all the money that went into lessons) let's just say I would rather do without a car than have to do the test again today, I'm sure you feel the same :)


So, when I was pulled over the other day for a routine check (I was not speeding however hard you find that to believe!) I was politely informed that my drivers would expire in the next few months. Ok, so I'll just head to a station and get it renewed, easy peasy right?? Wrong.


30 minutes standing in a queue of 20 people, with one person on duty while everyone is on tea break is not my idea of a nice day out. So, to make things easier for you, I've got all the info on what you need right here:

You will need:
  • green application form (you get this at the driving license centre...fill in parts A & D)
  • your current driving license
  • your ID book
  • photocopy of your current license (Someone at the centre made a copy for me. I'm not sure why you need this but take one just incase)
  • two black and white ID photographs (they seem to have a very snazzy new system in place and only require 1 photo, but take 2 as you never know!)
  • R220 (you can pay by cash or credit/debit card at most places, but have the cash on hand just in case)
Before your licence can be renewed, you will need to have your fingerprints taken and you will have to undergo an eye test. If your sight has deteriorated since your licence was issued, new restrictions may be attached to your licence. For example, you may be required to wear glasses when driving. Should you fail the eye test completely, your driving licence will not be renewed.


The eye test took me bout 30 seconds, and fingerprints about 1 minute. BUT I did go to a very small centre (I would definitely recommend in Jo'burg is Bedfordview, the service was 100 times better than Edenvale and I was in and out in 15 minutes...truth!)

I was then told it would take about 4 weeks for my new, renewed license to arrive. 

Driving License Testing Stations:
click here for Cape Town
click here for Johannesburg 
click here for a more comprehensive, all over South Africa directory of testing stations

Hope you find that helpful, and good luck :)