At home: which dates should you watch?
| Document | How long it lasts | Before it ends | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driving licence card | Five years from the date the card was ordered | Renew four weeks before the expiry date; add an earlier reminder if you want time to book. | Road Traffic Regulations reg 108(5)(a), quoted by the Department of Transport (30 July 2026); gov.za: Renew driving licence |
| Temporary driving licence | Six months | gov.za: Temporary driving licence | |
| Professional driving permit (PrDP) | Two years | The medical certificate you apply with must be no older than two months. Drivers on your payroll? Keep licences and permits in each employee’s file. | Department of Transport (30 July 2026); gov.za: Professional driving permit |
| Vehicle licence disc | One year (six months for buses) | 21 days’ grace from the expiry date; after that, penalties and arrears apply. | gov.za: Renew motor vehicle licence |
| Passport, aged 16 or older | Ten years | Not renewable: you apply for a new one. Home Affairs says it must be valid for at least 30 days after your departure date, with two facing blank pages. Check your destination’s own rule. | Department of Home Affairs: Travel documents |
| Passport, aged 15 or younger | Five years | As above: apply for a new one. | Department of Home Affairs |
| Fixed-term leaseWhere the CPA applies | The term in the lease | The landlord’s notice goes out in the 40 to 80 business days before a lease ends. | Consumer Protection Act s14(2)(c) |
| Rental depositRefunded after the lease ends | 7 days after the lease ends, if nothing is owed14 days after the home is restored, if there are deductions21 days after the lease ends, if the tenant does not respond to a request to inspect | The inspection guide sets out the deposit refund deadlines and the inspections they rest on. | Rental Housing Act s5(3)(g), (i), (m) |
A roadworthy certificate is needed before a vehicle is registered in a new owner’s name. Public-transport and heavy-load vehicles are tested every year before the licence is renewed, and buses every six months (gov.za).
Keep the licence disc, the insurance schedule and the roadworthy together. Renewing a card or a disc? KuduDoc prepares the ALV and DL1 forms, filled from your details. For everything else in the house, work from a life file checklist for your household.
Letting out a home? Keep lease dates and deposit deadlines for every unit in one register.
The ten-year driving licence card
In July 2026 Cabinet approved ten-year cards for codes A1, A, B and EB. On 30 July 2026 the Department of Transport said motorists must keep renewing until the amended regulation takes effect. Until then, the expiry date printed on your card is the one to watch. Last checked .
At work: which dates does a tender or lender ask about?
A tender or a loan application wants certificates that are current on the day you submit. Watch company certificate dates the same way you watch the closing date.
| Document | How long it lasts | Before it ends | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| B-BBEE certificateFrom a SANAS-accredited agency, or from CIPC for exempted micro enterprises | 12 months | Apply again once it expires. | B-BBEE Commission; CIPC |
| B-BBEE sworn affidavitEME or QSE | 12 months from the date the commissioner of oaths signed it | Signed in front of a commissioner of oaths. You can fill next year’s affidavit from your company details, and see where to find a commissioner of oaths. | CIPC EME affidavit; oath regulations GN R. 1258 reg 3(1) |
| Tax compliance status (TCS) PIN | The number of months you choose when you request it | Anyone who uses the PIN sees your status on the day they use it, so the status can change before the PIN expires. | SARS: Manage your TCS; SARS: checking a TCS PIN |
| CIPC annual returnCompanies | Due every year from the anniversary of incorporation | 30 business days to file once it is due. File the beneficial ownership declaration and the AFS or FAS with it. CIPC warns that not filing leads to deregistration. | Companies Act s33(1); CIPC: Enterprise maintenance |
Keep each certificate with its valid-until date, and the records a tender asks for, kept as one checklist. Handed someone else’s certificate or PIN? Here is how to check a B-BBEE certificate or a tax PIN with its issuer.
Tax clearance or tax compliance status?
SARS brought in the tax compliance status system in place of the paper tax clearance certificate (SARS eFiling guide). What a tender asks for today is a TCS PIN, and the date to watch is the PIN’s expiry.
Set the reminders once
Record the date on the document, and KuduDoc emails you before the date: 90, 60, 30 and 7 days before, by default — or the days you choose, with quiet hours.
A date read off the page comes with the sentence it was taken from, for you to confirm.
Where a renewal takes time, add an earlier reminder: gov.za asks you to renew a driving licence card four weeks before it expires.
Mokoena household Next date first
Read from the page Page 1
Date of expiry 2027-01-31
Email me before Default schedule
KuduDoc does not renew anything. You renew with the licensing department, Home Affairs, SARS or CIPC. Reminders work on every plan, including free Personal.
Once the new one arrives, file it beside the old. Here is how long to keep the old ones.
Questions people ask
How long is a South African driving licence card valid?
Five years from the date the card was ordered (Road Traffic Regulations, reg 108(5)(a)). In July 2026 Cabinet approved ten-year cards for codes A1, A, B and EB, and the Department of Transport has said motorists must keep renewing until the new rule takes effect. The date printed on your card is the one to watch.
Is there a grace period after a licence disc expires?
Yes: 21 days from the expiry date on the disc, according to gov.za. After that, penalties and arrears apply. The disc is renewed every year, and every six months for buses.
How often must a PrDP be renewed?
Every two years. The medical certificate you apply with must be no older than two months (gov.za).
How long is a South African passport valid?
Ten years for a citizen aged 16 or older and five years for a child aged 15 or younger. Passports are not renewed: you apply for a new one (Department of Home Affairs).
How long are a B-BBEE certificate and a sworn affidavit valid?
Twelve months each. A B-BBEE certificate is valid for 12 months (B-BBEE Commission and CIPC). A B-BBEE sworn affidavit is valid for 12 months from the date the commissioner of oaths signed it, and it is signed in front of the commissioner.
How long is a tax compliance status PIN valid?
For the number of months you choose when you request it on eFiling. Whoever uses the PIN sees your tax compliance status on the day they use it, so the status can change before the PIN expires (SARS).
Does KuduDoc renew these for me?
No. KuduDoc keeps the date with the document and emails you before it: 90, 60, 30 and 7 days before, by default — or the days you choose. You renew with the licensing department, Home Affairs, SARS or CIPC yourself.
Sources
- Department of Transport: Cabinet approves extending driving licence validity (30 July 2026)gov.zaFive years under reg 108(5)(a) today; ten-year cards for A1, A, B and EB once the amended regulation takes effect; PrDPs on a two-year cycle.
- Renew driving licencegov.zaRenew four weeks before the expiry date.
- Temporary driving licencegov.zaValid for six months.
- Professional driving permitgov.zaThe medical certificate is no older than two months.
- Renew motor vehicle licencegov.zaEvery year, six months for buses; 21 days’ grace.
- Roadworthy certificategov.zaWhen a roadworthy is needed, and which vehicles are tested each year.
- Travel documentsdha.gov.zaTen years from 16, five years under 16; not renewable; 30 days after departure and two facing blank pages.
- B-BBEE Commission: certificates from accredited agenciesbbbeecommission.co.zaValid for twelve months.
- CIPC: B-BBEE certificatescipc.co.zaValid for 12 months; a new application once expired.
- CIPC: EME sworn affidavitcipc.co.zaValid for 12 months from the date the commissioner signed it.
- Regulations governing the administering of an oath or affirmation, GN R. 1258 of 1972justice.gov.zaReg 3(1): the deponent signs in the presence of the commissioner of oaths.
- SARS: Manage your tax compliance statussars.gov.zaYou choose the number of months before the PIN expires.
- SARS: checking a TCS PINsars.gov.zaThe status shown is the one on the date and time the PIN is used.
- SARS: guide to tax compliance status on eFilingsars.gov.zaThe TCS system in place of the paper tax clearance.
- Companies Act 71 of 2008gov.zaSection 33(1): the annual return.
- CIPC: Enterprise maintenancecipc.co.za30 business days to file; the beneficial ownership declaration and the AFS or FAS; deregistration.
- Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008gov.zaSection 14(2)(c): notice 40 to 80 business days before a fixed term ends.
- Rental Housing Act 50 of 1999gov.zaSection 5(3): the deposit refund deadlines.
Last checked