Renew A Motor Vehicle License in South Africa

Every year, South Africa requires you to renew your car's registration (also called a motor vehicle license). Different from a driver's license, the motor vehicle license is a disc that goes on your windscreen and contains information about your car and ownership. Yearly motor vehicle license renewal has a 21-day grace period past the expiry date or change of ownership. But there is much more to think about when it's time to renew! Our step-by-step guide to vehicle license renewal will help you get everything squared away, so the process goes smoothly

Before You Renew

Before you start the renewal process, you need to gather your appropriate paperwork. Having everything in hand will make everything go smoothly. We recommend keeping everything together from year to year. Make sure that you have the following for an individual vehicle license renewal:

• The roadworthy certificate, especially if your vehicle is a heavy load vehicle or used for public transport.

• Your identity document.

• Proof of your residential address (a utility account, for example, or another service bill). If you do not have public services in your name, the bill owner will have to swear an affidavit that you reside at the address, and the bill must be attached. If you live at an informal settlement, you can confirm your address with a letter from the ward councilor with an official date stamp.

• Motor vehicle license renewal notice (MVL2) OR form ALV (Application for Licensing of Motor Vehicle)/MLV1.

• If you're a foreigner, you will need a traffic register number, which you can get at your local licensing office.

If the vehicle you need to renew is in a company's or organization's name, you will need some additional paperwork. First, get a business certificate. Then, you'll need a letter of proxy plus the proxy's identity document. The MLV2 or ALV should be completed as well.

Now that all your documents are in order, it's time to complete your renewal.

The Next Step

You can either take your documents to a licensing office or post office that issues motor vehicle licenses or, as of October of 2021, you can renew online.

To complete your motor vehicle license renewal in person, simply submit your documents and pay the license fee specified on the renewal notice. Your application will be processed the same day, and you will get your new renewal disc.

If you want to use the online registration service through NaTIS:

• Log in to the NaTIS platform

• Select "Motor Renewals"

• Choose the proper car and license disc

• Pay the fee

• Get your new disc either by courier to your address or by going to your nearest DLTC (Driver's License Training Center)

Other Renewal Options

Not everyone has reliable internet. Many folks are still in lockdown, have child or eldercare problems, are unable to stand in line for a number of reasons, or can't get an appointment. Enter a plethora of vehicle license renewal services around!

There are a bunch of different kinds of services. ChatBack via WhatsApp allows you to renew online using your phone or another mobile device, and you don't have to have premium internet to use it. While convenient, especially during the pandemic, there have been complaints about this service. Some users completed their motor vehicle license renewal well before the expiration date, but never received their new discs.

Since there is no mechanism to share updated renewals with police, this means that people continue to rack up fines, fees, and penalties because there is no way to prove that they completed their renewal. In addition, ChatBack is only available in Gauteng, Western Cape, Kwazulu-Natal, Free State, and North West. If you're in any other areas, you can try your luck with NaTIS or use a registration service.

Third-party registration services are the best license renewal services. These companies employ people to renew your vehicle license on your behalf, find out what happened to your online registration that never arrived, and more. Currently, most are hiring people who have lost their jobs due to COVID, thus providing help to multiple groups of citizens. Other services these companies offer include:

• Change of ownership

• Change of address

• Removing a vehicle from your name

• Arranging for personalized number plates

• Paying fines

• Standing on queue

If you need any information about your car's ownership history, VIN number, or any accidents or repairs, use VinDocs to search for your vehicle. VinDocs is the best provider for online vehicle reports.

In Conclusion

Managing your motor vehicle license renewal is time-consuming and bothersome on the best day. Now, license office closures and staff shortages combined with postal service slow-downs and other pandemic challenges make the renewal process downright cumbersome. Following our step-by-step renewal guide will ensure that your next trip to the licensing office is an easy one or that one of our best license renewal services can complete it for you.