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| CHANGE
OF OWNERSHIP When purchasing a new or used vehicle, the new owner is obliged to register it in his/her name. The licence fee varies, depending on the weight of the vehicle and/or when it was last licensed. The fee varies depending on which department the vehicle needs to be registered. That is usually the place where the owner resides.
The law requires a vehicle to be licensed annually. It is the duty of the vehicle's owner, to ensure that the licence is renewed before it expires. If the licence is not renewed the owner is liable to pay late licensing penalties and arrears. To license a vehicle, form ALV (application for licensing of motor vehicle) needs to be submitted at a motor vehicle registration centre, along with the owner’s ID, the appropriate fee and any penalties and arrear licence fees. The licensing fee depends on the category, description and tare of the vehicle. ROADWORTHY Any vehicle used on South African roads must be roadworthy. When purchasing a used vehicle, or if a vehicle has not been licensed for a long period, a roadworthy certificate is required. A roadworthy certificate is valid for a period of 6 months, and therefore a valid roadworthy certificate means that the vehicle passed a roadworthiness test within the last 6 months. If a car will be sold within 6 months after the issue of the roadworthiness neither the seller nor the purchaser have to renew the roadworthy. If a car will be sold after the roadworthiness has expired it has to be renewed by an authorised examiner. It also has to be renewed if a car has temporarily not been licensed. A roadworthiness certificate can be obtained from any private or public vehicle testing station. The registration document (original) of the vehicle and a valid driving license are required for the above stated procedure. INFORMATION FOR NON-SOUTH AFRICANS WHO ARE HOLDERS OF A DRIVING LICENCE An international driving licence can be used in South Africa. A foreign driving licence can be used in combination with an affidavit that proofs the validity of the document in question. If the driving licence holder is a Non-South African citizen who plans to apply for permanent residence the relevant driving licence has to be changed into a South African within 12 months after the permanent residence permit has been issued. |
