More than 600,000 vehicle licence discs to expire by end of November

According to the National Traffic Information System, (Natis), 624,333 vehicle licence discs will expire at the end of November. With the festive season approaching, the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) advises motorists to update their vehicle licences and ensure their vehicles are roadworthy.

Licence renewal centres will continue to operate throughout December.

The highest number of vehicle discs expiring are in the Western Cape (152,531), followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 136,342, Mpumalanga 67,654, Eastern Cape 63,903, Limpopo 56,408, Free State 45,425, North West 44,744, Gauteng 35,142 and Northern Cape with 22,184.

A further 1,026,269 licences will expire at the end of December, according to RTMC spokesperson Simon Zwane.

He said motorists are abandoning long queues at vehicle licensing centres in increasing numbers and opting to renew their licences online to save time.

Vehicle licence disc renewals were formerly available only at the post office or licence centres, but now motorists can renew discs online using online.natis.gov.za where they can opt for their discs to be delivered. The online service is also available through participating banks such as First National Bank, Capitec and Nedbank.

Zwane said the eNatis online booking system had witnessed a significant reduction in customer complaints regarding delays with vehicle registrations, adding the RTMC strives to deliver vehicle licences within three to five days and has been able to achieve this target 97% of the time.

The RTMC said more than 2.5-million vehicle owners opted for the convenience of the online platform since its launch in 2022. 

To access the service, vehicle owners must register their profile on online.natis.gov.za, upon which they are entitled to receive renewal notices and can pay Aarto enforcement orders online while renewing their vehicle licences. Licence renewal fees vary according to the weight of the vehicle and differ by province.

A licence for a midsized car weighing between 1,501kg and 1,750kg costs between R624 (Free State) and R810 (KwaZulu-Natal). The fee for a larger car or SUV weighing 1,751kg to 2,000kg varies from R720 (North West) to R1,032 (Gauteng).

On top of this there is a R99 delivery fee when booking online through eNatis.