IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NEW CREDIT CARD FORMAT DRIVING LICENCE

The conversion of drivers' licences from the various current formats to the new credit card format (CCF) is scheduled over a 5 year period starting 1 March 1998 until 28 February 2003.

CCF driving licences originating from the following may be authorised on NaTIS for production by the card production facility:

• drivers' licences issued in a RSA identity document (ID) will be replaced over the 5 year period;
• drivers' licences issued as a paper type format (e.g. licences issued in the former TBVC states or Self-governing Territories (SGT's)) will be replaced over the 5 year period;
• foreign drivers' licences to be replaced by South African CCF driving licences;
• Public Driving Permits (PDP's) will be phased out in favour of Professional Driving Permits (PrDP's) over a period of 2 years;
• new PrDP's to be issued to first time applicants and to drivers who were not previously required to hold PDP's;
• new driving licences issued to first time applicants who have successfully completed the K53 test; and
• duplicate licences due to the loss, theft or damage of an issued CCF driving licence.

The replacement of drivers' licences as contained in an ID or paper format will be based on the month in which the applicant was born, irrespective of the year of birth. The conversion period is scheduled over 5 years with the estimated number of drivers' licences to be replaced by CCF driving licences equalling 6,4 million.

Table 1 contains the prescribed 5 year schedule for replacement of drivers' licences as contained in ID or paper format by CCF driving licences, based on the licence holders' month of birth.

TABLE 1: REPLACEMENT OF ID CONTAINED & PAPER TYPE FORMAT LICENCES BY CCF LICENCES

Drivers' licences issued in other countries and acknowledged in South Africa will be converted to CCF driving licences as and when the holders are required to obtain a South African licence in terms of the Road Traffic Legislation during the 5 year period or thereafter.

The phasing out of PDP's in favour of PrDP's will be implemented over a two year period from 1 March 1998 to 29 February 2000 in accordance with the expiry dates of the PDP's.

In accordance with the Road Traffic Legislation, a PDP is deemed to be a PrDP. Consequently, the holder of a PDP for the transportation of goods or persons for reward on 1 March 1998 may continue driving a vehicle for which a PrDP is required until expiry of the PDP. However, the PDP holder must timeously apply for a PrDP of the appropriate category to be authorised before the expiry of the PDP.

In order to ease the workload on the driver's licence testing centres, the expiry date of PDP's for the conveyance of persons for reward issued between 28 February 1997 and 1 March 1998 will by regulation be extended by 12 months. This means that such PDP's will only expire in the second year of implementation after 1 March 1999. Consequently the holders of these PDP's will only have to apply for a PrDP during the second year of implementation.

The following will be applicable to those drivers who have not yet applied for the replacement of a driver's licence by a CCF driving licence at the time when the driver is required to apply for a PrDP, or the other way round:

• as the driving licence and PrDP will be combined on one card, it entitles the driver to apply for both simultaneously; and
• a driver must apply for both his/her CCF driving licence and PrDP within the prescribed period which comes first (i.e. the schedule for the replacement of the driver's licence, the schedule for the application of the PrDP or the expiry date of the PDP).

The issuing of PrDP's to drivers who were not previously required to hold PDP's for the transportation of goods (for vehicles with a mass in excess of 3 500 kilograms) or for passengers (for vehicles with a seating capacity in excess of 12 persons, including the driver) are scheduled for a period of one year from 1 March 1998 to 28 February 1999.

These applications must made in the month within which the applicant was born, irrespective of the year of birth. Table 2 contains the prescribed schedule of PrDP applications per month during the implementation period of one year.

TABLE 2: APPLICATION FOR PrDP's FOR THE TRANSPORTATION OF GOODS OR PASSENGERS BY DRIVERS NOT PREVIOUSLY REQUIRED TO HOLD A PDP