Driving with an expired licence card? RTMC warns motorists 'no excuses will be entertained'

 • The final deadline for lockdown expired driving licences ends on 5 May.
 • The Road Traffic Management Corporation is warning motorists with expired cards that no excuses would be accepted.
 • Drivers over the age of 60 are reminded they would be assisted as walk-in applications at DLTCs. 
 • For motoring news, go to Wheels24.

If you still have a lockdown expired driving licence, the Road Traffic Corporation Management (RTMC) has issued a warning, saying "no excuses" would be accepted for driving with an expired licence card if you're caught with one.

The final deadline ends on Thursday, 5 May, for motorists whose driving licences, temporary driving permits, professional driving permits, and learner's licences which expired between March 2020 and 31 August 2021.

The RTMC says motorists who have missed the deadline are advised to obtain temporary driving licences to remain legal and compliant, but this would mean you would need to renew your driving licence card as soon as possible.

Motorists based in Gauteng and some Eastern Cape areas can only apply for driving licence renewals via the online Natis system, despite the system still being problematic and challenging to use for those who are not tech-savvy. 

Visit the Wheels24 Licence Hub here for everything you need to know.

Drivers over the age of 60 are reminded that they need not apply online but can visit any driving licence testing centre and be assisted as a walk-in application, according to a notice on the agency's website.

The RTMC also says driving license centers in most provinces are operating extended hours of service to assist motorists who wish to renew their documents.

According to the Department of Transport, the backlog of driving licence cards that have not been renewed stood at 1.3 million at the beginning of May, with most non-renewals (68%) being in the group aged between 25 and 50 years. 

Suppose you have already applied for a driving licence renewal and would like to know the status of your application. In that case, motorists are advised to forward their identity numbers to the following number 33214 via SMS to verify whether their card has already been printed.

Verification can also be done by logging on to individual profiles at online.natis.gov.za. The information will be on the dashboard under 'licensing information summary'.

The RTMC claims motorists are warned that law enforcement agencies will be heading out as of this week to strictly apply the law against those with expired driving licence cards. 

"No excuses will be entertained as the government has extended the validity period for these documents on numerous occasions and implemented extensive measures to assist motorists who wish to comply", says the agency. 

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