How to renew your car licence in South Africa
Credit in South Africa comes in about eight shapes and they are not interchangeable. The difference between them is not really the interest rate, it is what happens if you cannot pay, and that is the part the advertising never leads with. Here is each type, what it is actually for, and how to tell a reasonable offer from one that is going to follow you around.
Pocket Nerd editorial · Checked 26 September 2026
The short version
- You have a 21-day grace period after your disc expires. Renew inside it and you pay nothing extra.
- After that you pay arrears for every month unlicensed and a penalty of 10% of the fee per month, capped at 100%.
- NaTIS online is the cheapest route that does not involve a queue. No service fee on top of the licence fee.
The five ways to renew
| How | What it is | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| NaTIS onlineOfficial | The official portal. Register with your ID number and email, add the vehicle using its registration number and the number on your current disc, then pay by card or EFT. | The licence fee only. No service fee on top. | Most people. It is the cheapest route that is not a queue. |
| Your banking app | Five banks do it in-app. You enter the registration number, the bank confirms the fee with the registering authority, you pay, and the disc is couriered to you. | The licence fee, plus the bank's own handling and delivery fee. | Convenience, if you bank with one of them. |
| Your licensing officeOfficial | Take your documents to the registering authority. Processed the same day. | The licence fee only. | If your renewal notice never arrived, or something is wrong on the record. |
| A selected Post OfficeOfficial | Not every branch does it, so check before you queue. | The licence fee only. | If a participating branch is closer than your licensing office. |
| A retail outlet | Renew Online operates through selected Spar and Checkers stores, or on their own site. | The licence fee, plus their service fee. | Gauteng and Limpopo only, where it is on your way anyway. |
- NaTIS onlineOfficial
The official portal. Register with your ID number and email, add the vehicle using its registration number and the number on your current disc, then pay by card or EFT.
- Cost:
- The licence fee only. No service fee on top.
- Best for:
- Most people. It is the cheapest route that is not a queue.
- Your banking app
Five banks do it in-app. You enter the registration number, the bank confirms the fee with the registering authority, you pay, and the disc is couriered to you.
- Cost:
- The licence fee, plus the bank's own handling and delivery fee.
- Best for:
- Convenience, if you bank with one of them.
- Your licensing officeOfficial
Take your documents to the registering authority. Processed the same day.
- Cost:
- The licence fee only.
- Best for:
- If your renewal notice never arrived, or something is wrong on the record.
- A selected Post OfficeOfficial
Not every branch does it, so check before you queue.
- Cost:
- The licence fee only.
- Best for:
- If a participating branch is closer than your licensing office.
- A retail outlet
Renew Online operates through selected Spar and Checkers stores, or on their own site.
- Cost:
- The licence fee, plus their service fee.
- Best for:
- Gauteng and Limpopo only, where it is on your way anyway.
Where to find it in your banking app
Five banks do it. Each one buries it somewhere different.
- FNB
- My Banking, Pay Bills, License Disc Renewal
- Standard Bank
- Pay, Vehicle Licence Renewal
- Absa
- Pay, Pay Other Bills, Vehicle Licence
- Nedbank
- Payments, Vehicle Licence
- Capitec
- Pay, Vehicle Licence Renewal
Municipal portals and private services come and go, so we only list routes we can confirm are running. If one is more convenient for you, check what it charges before you commit. The official routes never charge more than the licence fee itself.
Left it late? Work out the damage
Three things get added: the annual fee you owed anyway, arrears for the months you drove unlicensed, and a penalty on top.
What will it cost me to renew late?
Your annual fee is on your renewal notice. Nobody can tell you it in advance, because it depends on your province and how heavy the vehicle is.
Put in your annual fee and the figures will work themselves out.
An estimate, not a quote. Arrears are a twelfth of the annual fee for each month unlicensed, and the penalty is 10% of the fee per month, capped at 100%. Your licensing office has the final number. Our other calculators.
What you need
If the car is in your name
- Your identity document
- Proof of residential address, such as a utility account
- The renewal notice (MVL2), or form ALV if the notice never arrived
- A roadworthiness certificate, only if the vehicle carries the public or heavy load
If it is in a company name
- The business certificate
- The proxy's identity document
- A letter of proxy
- The renewal notice (MVL2), or form ALV
If your renewal notice never arrived, you do not have to wait for it. Ask for form ALV at the licensing office and renew with that. Not receiving the notice is not a defence for renewing late.
While you are doing car admin
Your car is worth less than it was a year ago. If your cover has not been looked at since, you may be insured for a value the car no longer has, and paying for it every month.
Where this comes from
Documents, the official renewal routes and the 21-day grace period: South African Government, Renew motor vehicle licence. Checked 26 September 2026.
Government does not publish one national licence fee, because it depends on your province and the vehicle’s tare. Anyone showing you a single number for the whole country is guessing. Your renewal notice has yours.