Learner’s licence requirements: age, documents and forms

1Minimum age for each code

Your age is counted on the date of the test, not the date you book. If your birthday falls a week before the test, you can book now.

• Code 1, motorcycle up to 125cc: 16
• Code 1, motorcycle over 125cc: 18
• Code 2, car, bakkie or minibus up to 3 500 kg: 17
• Code 3, vehicle over 3 500 kg: 18

• Which code you need

2Documents to bring

The national list is short. Centres add their own details, so phone or check your centre’s page before you go.

• Your identity document (ID)
• Two identical ID photographs, but ask the centre how many and in what colour before you pay for prints
• Proof of your postal and home address, such as a utility bill
• If the bill is not in your name, an affidavit from the person named on it saying you live there, with the bill attached
• If you live in an informal settlement, a letter with an official date stamp from your ward councillor
• The booking fee

• Find your testing centre
• Official learner’s licence steps (Western Cape)

3If you are under 18

You probably do not have a bill in your own name. Some provinces, Western Cape among them, ask for an affidavit from an adult confirming where you live, stamped at a police station or by a commissioner of oaths. Ask your centre whether yours does the same.

4Forms and the eye test

You complete the application for a learner’s licence, form LL1, at the centre. If you are 65 or older, you also complete a medical certificate, form MC. Both are available at any testing centre and on NaTIS.

You do an eye test at the centre, or you have it done by an optometrist and hand in their form at the centre.

• NaTIS road traffic forms

5What to show on test day

On the day of the test you hand in the booking receipt and your ID. If you pass, you pay the issue fee and get the learner’s licence the same day.

• What happens on test day
• What the fees come to

?Short answers

What documents do I need for a learner’s licence?

Your ID, two identical ID photographs, proof of address such as a utility bill, and the booking fee. If the bill is not in your name, bring an affidavit from the person it belongs to with the bill attached. Ask your centre to confirm the photographs.

Can I get a learner’s licence at 16?

Only for a motorcycle of 125cc or less (Code 1). For a car (Code 2) you must be 17 on the date of the test, and 18 for a heavy vehicle (Code 3) or a larger motorcycle.

Do I need proof of address if I live with my parents?

Yes. Bring a bill in your parent’s name with an affidavit from them saying you live at that address. Some centres ask under-18s for an adult’s affidavit stamped at a police station.