How to: renew your drivers licence in Stanger

Every five years you must make the dreaded pilgrimage to renew your drivers licence.

Planning a visit to the licensing department can be an absolute nightmare, but equipping yourself with all the necessary documents will make the process a much smoother one.

Here is a step-by-step guide to help you when renewing yours.

Renewing your drivers licence

The Courier visited the Stanger Licencing office this week and followed the licence renewal process.

Here is what we found:

The process is fairly simple but be prepared to spend two hours or more waiting in the queue to get your eyes tested and fingerprints taken.

We found the staff friendly and willing to assist.

A woman at the front desk was happy to explain how to fill out the forms and offered to make copies of IDs before directing us to the next office.

The renewal was R250.

The Courier visited the department at 12pm on a Monday and it took about two and a half hours to complete the process but apparently this was a quiet day.

People we chatted to in the queue said the queue of about 20 people was not long, nor was the waiting time (they had waited longer previously).

Your driving licence needs to be renewed at least four weeks before the expiry date, to avoid having to apply for a temporary license, which comes at an additional cost of R90.

For driving licence renewal the applicant needs to be present as new biometrics need to be taken.

Although you won’t need to undergo another driving test, you will need an eye examination and your fingerprints will be taken.

This process takes about 20 minutes and there are generally only two officials carry out the process calling in one person from the front of the queue and another from the end of the queue.

Also read: My unforgettable experience at the Stanger licencing department

If your sight has worsened from the date on which your licence was issued, new conditions will be attached to your licence.

Before you head down to the licensing department, make sure you take the following:

• Identity document (ID) and a copy of your ID, old driving licence card or valid South African passport
• Four black-and-white or colour ID photographs. Take R50 with you to the Stanger Licencing office and you can have your photos made while you wait.
• Proof of residential address. This needs to be an official document not older than three (3) months that clearly states your address, for example a bank statement, account or utility bill. If the utility bill is not in your name, the owner of the bill must make an affidavit declaring that you live at the address and the utility bill must be attached to the affidavit.
• If you stay at an informal settlement, you must bring a letter with an official date stamp from the ward councillor confirming your postal and residential address.
• Prescribed application fee. Be sure to take cash with you as most licencing departments do not have card or ATM facilities.
• Complete form DL1: Application for renewal of driving licence card.
• Complete the notification of change of address or particulars of person or organisation (NCP) form.

Costs

There are no fines or penalties for late renewals.

The waiting time for your licence was previously four – six weeks. However a labour dispute has led to a nationwide backlog in the issuing of driver’s licence cards, with some motorists having to wait up to two months.

The backlog is a result of industrial action that started three months ago at the Driving Licensing Card and Account (DLCA) in Gauteng.

This is the only national government department responsible for the printing of all driving licence cards for both provincial and municipal licensing centres.

Also read: No driving licences issued in KZN for a month

The DLCA previously produces about 450000 licence cards a month.

Transport department national spokesperson Ishmael Mnisi announced in October that a contingency plan had been made for a meager 15000 cards to be produced a month until the dispute is resolved.

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