Motorists are advised to act swiftly and renew their vehicle licence discs before setting out on their festive season travels, as a massive number of discs are set to expire in the coming months.

The festive season sees a sharp increase in traffic on South Africa’s roads, which makes keeping vehicle licence discs up to date crucial, Pretoria Rekord reports.

Why early renewal matters

Properly licensed vehicles help prevent fines and ensure safer travel during one of the busiest times of the year.

Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) spokesperson Simon Zwane warned that millions of motorists could find themselves on the wrong side of the law if they delay renewing their licence discs ahead of the busy holiday period.

He said that, with October Transport Month, the RTMC is calling on all motorists to renew their vehicle licence discs.

According to Zwane, over a million licence discs are due to expire in each of October, November, and December.

To help motorists stay up to date, he said the RTMC will send SMS and email reminders to those registered on its online renewal platform, which he described as a convenient and affordable service.

Convenient online renewal options

Motorists can easily access it by visiting online.natis.gov.za and following the steps to upload their details.

“The platform has proven to be very popular with vehicle owners.”

He noted that since its launch in 2022, the system has successfully renewed about five million licences, and just under 8 000 in the last week alone.

Zwane stated that motorists who bank with Capitec, First National Bank, and Nedbank can also use their banking apps to access the online service.

Another addition is the online vehicle registration and change of ownership feature, which Zwane said is aimed at dealerships handling large numbers of transactions.

Zwane continued, “More than 10 major motor dealerships are already using the service daily to conduct secure transactions.

New features to simplify vehicle administration

“Between April and October 2025, the RTMC processed 120 230 changes of ownership transactions and 78 239 new vehicle registrations via the platform.”

He said the RTMC has also added new features to improve convenience for motorists, including a safe and secure option to pay Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) enforcement orders directly on the platform.

“This value-added service allows motorists to save time by using a one-stop service for all their vehicle licence compliance needs,” he explained.

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