The best places to renew your car licence
Once there was no option but to queue at a driving licence testing centre (DLTC), but now there are several places where you can renew your annual car licence, and avoid queuing altogether by using services that courier the licence to your door.
Renewing the licence at a DLTC is the cheapest method as there is no extra commission charged, unlike services that queue on the customer’s behalf.
There is also no extra commission charged when renewing your car licence at a post office. You need to present your identity document and a completed renewal form, which can be downloaded at https://www.postoffice.co.za/Products/Domestic/mvlapplication.pdf and completed in advance to save time.
If your vehicle is registered in KwaZulu-Natal, you also have to hand in proof of address no older than three months. This is because KwaZulu-Natal registration numbers indicate the town where the vehicle is registered.
At DLTCs and post offices, the licence disc is issued straight away and there’s no waiting period.
You get a 21-day grace period to renew a car licence from the expiry date on your current disc. After that, penalties will be charged at 1/10th of the licensing fee for every month the licence remains lapsed.
If you are willing to pay an extra fee and are willing to wait, there are other places that offer car licence renewal services:
● Pick n Pay, PostNet and Spar outlets. The turnaround time is up to 10 working days, and in addition to the cost of the new disc there an admin fee of up to R250 depending on the store.
● Online renewals can be made at renewonline.co.za (www.renewonline.co.za), motorhero.co.za (www.motorhero.co.za) and licenserenewal.co.za (www.licenserenewal.co.za), with the delivery of your disc made to your doorstep (R200 for admin and delivery).
● Certain insurance companies and banks also offer this service, so check with yours. One banking app that offers this service is the FNB Nav app (www. fnb.co.za/ways-to-bank/digital/navCar.html).
● Licences can be renewed directly with the Road Traffic Management Corporation’s online service. Motorists are required to log into the NaTIS platform (online.natis.gov.za). Once payment is made, motorists will have a choice to have the car icence disc couriered to their addresses of choice for R99 or get it printed at the nearest DLTC.
● Fitment centre group Supa Quick has partnered with Disky, an online platform, for motorists to renew their vehicle licences using WhatsApp at any of the 190 Supa Quick stores across SA. There is a fee applicable and collection of your licence disk is within five to 10 working days from the Supa Quick store.