​The City of Cape Town is bracing itself for the annual influx of residents applying for their motor vehicle licence renewals ahead of the December holidays, and urges residents to make arrangements to apply for their licence discs in good time to avoid the expected long queues. Residents can also apply for a renewal online.

‘Although we have implemented measures to deal with the high volume, residents can still expect long queues as people often visit the licensing offices during their December holidays,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Finance, Councillor Johan van der Merwe.

Residents can also avoid these queues by renewing their licence discs online and the City encourages them to go this route if possible. An online licence application takes approximately 14 days from the date of application to receiving it in the post, so residents must please bear this in mind and act in a timeous fashion. Residents who would like to go this route can do so via the City’s online services portal (/city-connect/pay/driving-and-vehicles/vehicle-licences/pay-your-vehicle-licence). The City assures residents that the online motor vehicle registration portal is up to date and will remain so during this busy time.

Residents are reminded to take along their proof of address when renewing their motor vehicle licences. This must be done annually as per National Government requirements. It is very important for customers to have all of the required documentation with them when they apply for licence disc renewals to prevent any additional delays.

‘The City has done everything that we can to increase our staffing complement in the lead-up to and during December, both at the walk-in centres and for our online service, but the demand always remains quite high as many residents scramble to get their vehicle licences ahead of the big holiday days to avoid fines during their travels. We have increased the number of terminals at the motor vehicle registration offices and staff will again be rotated to the busy offices to ensure that the City offers residents the most efficient service possible,’ said Councillor Van der Merwe.

Card payment facilities are now available for vehicle licence disc renewals at the motor vehicle licence offices, including the Cape Town Civic Centre.

Residents should please note the motor vehicle licence renewal offices across the city will close early (13:00) on Friday 1 December 2017, and will not be open on 16 December 2017, 23 – 26 December 2017, 30 December 2017, and 1 January 2018.

End