GENERAL INFO

A Driver's License will be issued by the authorities upon successful completion of a practical test consisting of two components.

Firstly, there’s a yard test in which the applicant must do a pre-trip inspection of their vehicle and demonstrate their ability to do various maneuvers, such as reverse parking, etc. while applying K53 defensive driving observations.

If the yard test is completed successfully, it’s followed by a road test in which the applicant demonstrates their driving ability on public roads while applying K53 defensive driving observations.

Both will be done in accordance with the K53 curriculum (defensive driving) and throughout the test road signs, signals, road markings and rules of the road must be obeyed.

After passing a practical exam (driver's license test) the applicant will be issued with a Driver's License and be fully licensed in South Africa. The license is accepted in all SADC countries but it's still advisable to obtain an International Driver's Permit from the AA before traveling to neighboring countries and abroad.

The Driver’s License test is a practical exam consisting of two components. Firstly there’s a yard test in which the applicant demonstrates their ability to do various maneuvers such as reverse parking, etc. If the yard test is completed successfully, it’s followed by a road test in which the applicant demonstrates their driving ability on public roads.

Both will be done in accordance with the K53 curriculum (defensive driving, observations, etc) and throughout the test road signs, signals, road markings and rules of the road must be obeyed.

During the yard test the applicant will be expected to execute the following:

Pre-trip Inspection of the vehicle (exterior and interior)

Parallel Parking (to the left and right)

Alley Docking (to the left and right)

Turn in the Road (3-Point Turn)

Incline Start (Hill Start)

The yard test may not exceed 20 minutes (stopwatch time) and the applicant may not lose more than 50 penalty points.

During the road test the applicant will be expected to travel on public roads and be tested on various aspects such as:

making lane changes

overtaking

turning at intersections (traffic lights and stop streets)

using hand signals

doing an emergency stop

obeying road traffic law

etc.

The road test has to exceed 20 minutes and the applicant may not lose more that 8 penalty points per minute.

During the test (yard and/or road) some errors will result in immediate failure of the test while others will cause the driver to lose penalty points. If too many points are lost, this will also result in failure.

Items to cause immediate failure:

Non-roadworthy vehicle

Violation of any traffic law (disobeying road signs, signals, road markings and rules of the road)

Collision / Mechanical failure

Dangerous or uncontrolled actions

Rolling vehicle

Bumping or touching of obstacles

Exceeding the number of allowed attempts in parking and emergency stop

Exceeding 20 minutes to complete the yard test (stopwatch time)

Losing too many penalty points (e.g. with observations, steering method, clutch control, etc.)

It’s highly recommended that all applicants undergo proper training for the test, facilitated by a qualified, registered and experienced driving instructor before attempting to do the test.

After successfully passing the driving license test the applicant will be issued with a temporary Driver’s License which is valid for 6 months from the date of issue. The Driver’s License card should be ready for collection at the testing center in 4 – 6 weeks.

Make sure to always carry the original Driver’s License card whilst driving – no copies will be accepted by the authorities.

The Driver’s License card will be valid for 5 years. Renewal should be done prior to expiry. If the card expires a temporary license will be issued upon application to renew and will be used until the new license card is received.