How to renew your car licence disc

Your vehicle licence disc shows that the car is licensed for the year. You renew it every year, and the fee goes to your province.

When to renew

Renew before the expiry date on your current disc. If you miss it, you have a grace period of 21 days, counted from the expiry date, to renew without penalties. After that, late penalties and arrears are added. The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) says the late penalty is 10% of the annual fee for every month the disc has lapsed, and that you can also be fined if traffic officers stop you, or have the vehicle impounded.

Buses are licensed every six months. A vehicle used for public transport, or a heavy load vehicle, needs a roadworthy certificate before each renewal.

Your renewal notice

Your licensing authority sends a renewal notice (MVL2) to the details on the NaTIS system. In the Western Cape, notices are no longer posted: you get them by SMS or email. You can renew without the notice: at the licensing office, fill in the Application for Licensing of Motor Vehicle form (ALV) instead.

Keep your cellphone number, email and address up to date on NaTIS, so that the notices reach you.

Option 1: renew online

1. Register on the official NaTIS online service.
2. Add your vehicle and pay the licence fee, plus a transaction fee and a courier fee.
3. Your disc is couriered to any address in South Africa, usually within 3 to 5 working days.

The RTMC says customers of some banks, including Capitec, FNB and Nedbank, can reach the same service through their banking apps.

If NaTIS shows a problem on the vehicle, such as unpaid AARTO enforcement orders, you may get a licence receipt without a disc until it is sorted out. You can pay AARTO enforcement orders on the same website: see how to check and pay traffic fines.

Option 2: renew in person

Go to your registering authority (the motor vehicle licensing office) with:

• your ID,
• proof of your home address, such as a utility account (if it is in someone else’s name, they make an affidavit that you live there, with the bill attached),
• your renewal notice (MVL2), or a completed ALV form.

The government page also lists selected post offices for renewals, so check with your nearest branch before you go.

What it costs

Each province sets its own licence fees, and the fee depends on your vehicle’s tare mass (its weight without a load). Your renewal notice shows the amount. Late penalties and arrears are added after the grace period.

Stay safe

The RTMC says it does not send fine notices by email, and has warned about fake websites that copy the NaTIS name. Use only online.natis.gov.za, type the address yourself, and don’t pay through a link in an SMS or email.