Car Licence Renewal Penalty Fees
The days of getting your car license renewal reminder in the post a couple of weeks before it expires is far behind us. Don’t get me wrong we love the paperless, less population, let’s save the planet idea but we would still like some sort of reminder Mr. Traffic Officer.
The traffic department has said that it’s our own responsibility to renew our car licenses on time but it seems slightly archaic that we wouldn’t get some kind of reminder on our digital devices, an sms, an email or better yet a traffic services app that we can log in to and check these sort of things. Then again if the traffic department became that efficient it would reduce traffic fines and we wouldn’t want them to miss their yearly revenue targets.
“How much are the car Licence Late Renewal Penalty Fees?”
One of the most popular questions that we get is, “how much are the car License Renewal Penalty Fees?”. There is no set answer to this question as it depends on how long your car license has been expired for. In South Africa, we get a 21-day grace period for renewing our license, from the date that it expires you have 21 days to get your car license renewed before getting a fine. Anything after 21 days and you will be trimming your wine budget. The fines can get pretty costly as penalties are calculated at 10% of the license renewal fee for every month that goes by without renewing it. So if your car license costs R780 to renew and you are 3 months late on renewing your license, then the fine will be R234 and you will have to pay R1014 in total.
MoneyPanda Tip: set a reminder/alarm from your email account(google) or on your phone for the expiry date of the next year as soon as you pick up the scissors to cut the disc.
Check the Updated Car License Fees Here:
Some more popular questions South Africans ask about renewing their car licenses:
“When Do You Have to Renew Your Car Licence?”
You will have to renew your car license every single year but luckily only once a year.
MoneyPanda Tip: Take a picture of your car license disc and save it as a favourite on your phone so that you have it if you need to check something on it.
Compare over 9 providers premiums and check if you are paying too much:
“What Do You Need to Renew Your License?”
- Official ID and a copy
- Proof of residence (utility bill, store or telephone account, bank statement, etc.) no older than three months- this is the one most people forget and the licensing department won’t let you renew your car’s license without it!
- Completed ALV1 (Application for Licensing of Motor Vehicle) form. The form can be completed at the licensing office or post office. Car details required can be found on your old license disc. Download the ALV form here.
“Can I Renew my Cars License at the Post Office?”
You can renew your car’s license at the Post Office…depending on where you live.
Motor vehicle license renewals can be done at a nearby selected post office or your relevant registering authority. You can also go to a Road Traffic Inspectorate testing (RTI) centre to renew your vehicle license. NOTE: You can’t renew your car license at every post office or even in every province such as the Western Cape, check which post offices renew car licenses here.
“Can Someone Else Go in & Renew My Car License for me?”
Yes, someone else can go stand in the awful line at the traffic department to renew your cars’ license on your behalf but make sure you repay them with a nice lunch. All they need to take with them is:
- The individual’s ID book or ID smartcard
- Proof of their residential address such as a utility bill
- A letter stating that they have sent you on their behalf to handle the car license renewal.
