Driving licence and car in South Africa: the traffic register number, the 21 days and the conversion that starts only with permanent residence
Your Dutch car stays at home: left-hand drive may not enter South Africa, and an import permit for a used car goes only to those who hold permanent residence. You buy locally, and that starts with a traffic register number that can take up to six weeks. You convert your driving licence only once you have permanent residence — and then within a year, or it counts as invalid.
No, your Dutch car does not come to South Africa — and yes, your Dutch driving licence stays what you have for the time being. What it costs is the car itself: you buy locally and right-hand drive, and the cost indication works with that. The find is in the order of the counters: a foreigner without a South African identity document can only put a car in his name with a traffic register number, and that application can take up to six weeks, while a car you have bought must be in your name within 21 days. The trap is the driving licence: the duty to convert only starts with permanent residence, but then it has to happen within a year — otherwise your licence counts as invalid.
Why can't my car come along?
Two rules of the trade authority ITAC close the door. Since 27 May 2009 left-hand-drive vehicles that were not registered in South Africa before 23 July 2004 may not be registered, roadworthy-tested or used on a public road. And the import permit for a used car (form IE462) is granted to immigrants only once Home Affairs has issued permanent residence; the car may then not be disposed of for 24 months. Whoever later imports a right-hand-drive car after all falls under customs rebate 407.04 as the embassy describes it: one car per household, owned for at least twelve months, form DA304A, twenty months without lending, hiring out or selling; without the rebate, 40% customs duty applies plus an ad valorem duty of up to 20%. For a Dutch move the sum is simple: sell the car at home. How the rest of your belongings travel is in household goods to South Africa.
How do I buy a car in my name?
| Step | Term | What you bring |
|---|---|---|
| Traffic register number (form ANR) at the registering authority | up to 6 weeks | certified copy of passport or driving licence plus temporary residence permit; two black-and-white photos; proof of address |
| Seller notifies the change of ownership (form NCO) | before your registration | — |
| Registration and licensing (form RLV) | within 21 days of the purchase | registration certificate in the seller's name; roadworthy certificate if the current one is older than 60 days; proof of purchase; valid vehicle licence |
| Yearly vehicle licence (licence disc) | every year before expiry; 21 days' grace | renewal notice MVL2 or form ALV; also online via NaTIS |
| Converting the driving licence (form DL1) | within 1 year of permanent residence | see below |
The proof of address returns on every line: a utility account in your name, or an affidavit from the person in whose name the account is, with the account attached. So arrange that with the lease, before you look for a car. Whoever lets the registration slide pays arrears and penalties; whoever does not renew the disc for more than four years sees the registration lapse.
No traffic register number, no car in your name, and the number can take six weeks. Apply for it in your first week, before you have found a car — otherwise the car of your choice is still in the seller's name after 21 days, with you as a driver without papers.
When do I convert my driving licence?
The government page knows one conversion route, and it is open to those with permanent residence (and to diplomats): within one year of the issue of the permanent residence permit the Dutch licence must have been converted, otherwise it is regarded as invalid. For the years on a temporary visa the page contains no duty and no possibility to convert; it does allow for you driving on an International Driving Permit, since then you must be able to show the licence on which it was issued.
The conversion itself takes place at a driving licence testing centre in the province where your permanent residence was granted, with form DL1 and the change-of-address form NCP. You hand in: passport with the residence permit, four black-and-white photos, your current licence, proof that you were not a permanent resident when it was issued, a translation by a competent authority if the licence is not in an official language of South Africa, a letter of validity from the embassy and a confirmation from the issuing authority — in the Netherlands the RDW — that the licence is valid, with the categories, and has not been cancelled or suspended. There is no driving test, but an eye test on site, and you hand over the Dutch licence when you receive the South African one. How long it takes varies per centre.
What do I still arrange in the Netherlands?
The RDW confirmation and the translation are documents you arrange more easily from the Netherlands than from Cape Town — put them on the document list of the step-by-step plan, even though you will need them only years later. And note the expiry date of your Dutch licence: an expired licence cannot be converted in South Africa, because the government page asks for a valid one.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 4 of 5 of the journey, step 4.2: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to South Africa or go straight to step 4.2 in the open plan.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change — when in doubt the source is leading, not this article.
- South African Government — converting a foreign driving licence: within a year of permanent residence, with an eye test and no exam — gov.za
- South African Government — the traffic register number for foreigners who want to buy a car (up to six weeks) — gov.za
- South African Government — registering a car within 21 days of the change of ownership — gov.za
- South African Government — the yearly vehicle licence and the 21-day grace period — gov.za
- ITAC — guidelines for importing used vehicles: only with permanent residence, and the ban on left-hand-drive cars — itac.org.za
- South African Embassy in The Hague — the car of first-time immigrants: rebate 407.04, twelve months' ownership and twenty months without disposal — zuidafrika.nl
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