The South African Department of Transport (DOT) has issued Notice 3530 of 2025 regarding the use of expired driving licence cards as identification at airports.
In terms of Part 112 of the Civil Aviation Regulations, 2011, passengers departing from aerodromes in South Africa are required to present valid identification to the air carrier at boarding gates. A valid driving licence card is recognised as one of the acceptable forms of identification.
The notice comes in response to significant delays in the issuing of driving licence cards, following a breakdown at the Card Production Facility between 5 February and 7 May 2025. At the time, the backlog in card production had grown to more than 700,000 licences.
To address this situation, the Department has clarified the validity of expired licence cards. Motorists may retain their expired card and apply for a temporary driving licence. An expired card may be used for up to three months if the holder can provide proof of application for a replacement before the original card expires. Where the card had already expired at the time of application, the motorist must also apply for a temporary licence and retain proof of this. Temporary licences are valid for six months or until the replacement card is issued.
Airlines are required to accept expired driving licence cards as identification under these conditions. The notice is dated 19 August 2025, but was published on the government system on 26 September 2025.
