How to book your learner's licence
The booking itself is straightforward. The part that catches people is the waiting list, and turning up without one of the documents.
How old you have to be
The age is measured on the date of the test, not the date you book.
| Code | Vehicle | Minimum age |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (A1) | Motorcycle up to 125cc | 16 |
| 1 (A) | Motorcycle over 125cc | 18 |
| 2 (B) | Light vehicle up to 3 500 kg | 17 |
| 3 (C1/C/EC) | Heavy vehicle | 18 |
What to bring when you book
- Your South African identity document
- Two identical ID photographs, 35 mm × 45 mm
- Proof of residential address no older than three months. If the bill is not in your name, the account holder signs an affidavit saying you live there, and it gets attached
- The booking fee
- A pen — the application form is completed at the centre
- A medical certificate (form MC) if you are 65 or older
If you are under 18, you also need an affidavit signed at a police station or by a Commissioner of Oaths. Bring it with you — being sent home for it means rejoining the queue.
The eye test
Done at the centre when you book. You can bring a certificate from an optometrist instead, as long as it is less than three months old. If you wear glasses or contact lenses, wear them — the licence will simply be endorsed to say you must drive with them.
What it costs
Fees are set provincially and change. In the Western Cape the test fee is R68 and the issue fee on passing is R33; other provinces run roughly R70 to R140 for the application. Budget around R360 in total if you pass first time, and confirm the current figure with your own centre.
The cost that hurts is failing. Each rewrite is a fresh booking fee of roughly R135 to R260, plus another wait.
How long the wait is
This varies enormously and is the single most useful thing to ask about before you commit. Quiet centres can fit you in within two weeks. Busy metro centres run three to six months. Two centres in the same city, in the same week, can be 14 days and 114 days apart.
It is worth phoning several centres rather than defaulting to the nearest one. In Gauteng, bookings go through the online NaTIS portal rather than in person.
What you get on the day you pass
The learner's licence is issued the same day, once you pay the issue fee. It is valid for 24 months and cannot be extended — if it lapses you apply and write again from scratch.
With it, you may only drive the class of vehicle it covers, and a licensed driver must be seated next to you at all times. On a motorcycle there is no supervision requirement, but you may not carry a passenger.
Before you book
Only about 17% of people pass the computerised test in the Western Cape, and roughly 40% nationally. Given the wait and the rebooking fee, the cheapest thing you can do is arrive prepared. Take a free mock test under the same conditions first, and read why most people fail.