South Africa - How To Apply for a Driving Licence

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Procedure

Apply In-Person

1. To apply for a driving license, the person who needs the license should visit the nearest Driving License Testing Centre (DLTC).
2. The nearest DLTC can be visited with the help of the contact links available in “Office Locations & Contacts” section of this page. Please find the link according to your Municipality under the appropriate province.
3. Get the application form (DL1) which will be available at the DLTC. Please make sure that you have all the documents with you that are mentioned in the “Required documents” section of this page, when you visit the DLTC.
4. Fill all the required details. Also mention the category under which you need license. Please pay the prescribed fees along with the submission of application form at the DLTC.
5. Please keep the payment receipt as a proof of payment and as an intimation of the date and time of license test.
6. Visit the DLTC on the prescribed date and according to the specified time of the test. Before proceeding to the license test, your learner’s license and proof of payment will be verified.
7. Then, a qualified examiner will conduct the license test. If you are successful in the test, you will have to register your fingerprints and give an eye test at the driving test premises. Also, you can get certificate from a qualified optometrist and submit it at the test centre.
8. After that, you should pay an issuing fee for getting a temporary license that can be used until you get your ordered license card.
9. Once your license is completely ready for issuance, you will get prior intimation after which you can visit the DLTC and collect the license card.

Apply Online

• The National Traffic Information System of South Africa instructs only Gauteng residents to apply online for their driving licenses.

1. The link of online portal for driving license application is as follows: Online Portal
2. Visit the link and click on “Book now for Driving License Test” option.
3. You will be redirected to a page where you can apply for a driving license test.
4. You will have to fill all the fields under the tabs “License Type and category” and “Identify Applicant”.
5. Then click on “Next” button to proceed. In the further steps, do as directed and schedule a date and time for the license test.
6. Then submit your application and pay the prompted fees. Visit the DLTC on the intimated date and time to attend your license test.
7. If you pass the test, your fingerprints will be taken and an eye test will be conducted at the premises.
8. When your license card is ready for collection, you will be notified after which you can visit the DLTC where you gave the test and collect your driving license.

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Required Documents

1. Valid Learner’s license
2. Document for identity proof
3. Photographs in black and white (as instructed)
4. Residential address proof
5. Utility bill
6. Affidavit confirming the applicant’s residence (in case of lack of utility account)
7. Confirmation letter from ward councillor (in case of informal settlements)

Office Locations & Contacts

• Contact links for all the provinces in which you can find the Office addresses and Contact details of all the municipalities under the provinces are listed below:
  

• City of Johannesburg: Contact Information
  
• City of Tshwane: Contact Information
  
• City of Cape Town: Contact Information
  
• Nelson Mandela Bay: Contact Information
  
• Eastern Cape: Contact Information
  
• Free State: Contact Information
  
• Gauteng: Contact Information
  
• KwaZulu-Natal: Contact Information
  
• Limpopo: Contact Information
  
• Mpumalanga: Contact Information
  
• North West: Contact Information
  
• Northern Cape: Contact Information
  
• Western Cape: Contact Information
  

Eligibility

• The person applying for driving license should possess a valid and unexpired learner’s license.
• The applicant should satisfy the age limit constraint with respect to the category of license he/she needs. Please refer “About” section in the following page for knowing different categories and corresponding age limits: Eligibility
• The applicant should learn driving in appropriate way and should be aware of the traffic rules in South Africa before applying for a driving license test.

Fees

• Please contact your local licensing office to know the fees details.

Validity

• The expiry date of the driving license can be found in the license card.

Documents to Use

• Application form: Application form DL1

Sample Documents

Please attach sample completed documents that would help other people.

Processing Time

• Your permanent license card will take four to six weeks for issuance till which you will be provided a temporary license card.

Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications. 
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type='website'>video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites. 	
Please remove the '&' inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver, 
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is displayed.
e.g In the following url 'http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M' Video ID is 'Y0US7oR_t3M'.

Instructions

• Please find the appropriate municipality under your province to get the contact details accordingly from the links provided.
• With the help of the contact details, you will get to know the nearest testing centre for license.
• The centre can be contacted for exact fees details for application of license test and also issuing fees of license cards.
• Please confirm with the DLTC that how many photos they require before you have photos taken.

Required Information

1. Identification number
2. Date of birth
3. Postal address
4. E-mail address and contact information

Need for the Document

• You need a driving license to drive legally on South African roads. And this application enhances you to attend a driving test and get a driving license.

Information which might help

• Please remember that you must renew your existing license before four weeks of its expiry date. Otherwise you will have to apply for temporary license till the renewal is done.

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

Please explain what are other uses of obtaining this document/certificate.
e.g. Birth Certificate can be used as proof of identity.

External Links

Place some external links which might help.

Others

More information which might help people.