Vehicle owners and drivers who use Traffic Register Number (TRN) certificates without expiry dates will have to apply for replacements under proposed changes to South Africa’s road traffic regulations.
Individuals would have three months to apply once the amendments take effect, according to changes outlined by the Department of Transport last week.
TRNs enable people without South African identity numbers to undertake transactions on the National Traffic Information System (NaTIS), including vehicle registration and licensing.
Under the proposals, a TRN’s validity would be linked to the passport and permit submitted when it was obtained. Non-permanent residents would need an unexpired passport from their country of origin and the relevant Home Affairs permit as acceptable identification.
Holders who obtain another form of acceptable identification would have to notify their registering authority within 21 days and surrender their TRN certificates.
The amendments would also exclude TRNs, learner’s licences and driving licences from use as general identification documents. They follow a 2023 investigation involving Transport and Home Affairs that uncovered misuse of road traffic documents for identification purposes.
In a separate exercise announced in August, holders of identified dormant TRNs issued between January 1, 2000, and June 30, 2023, were asked to verify their records to avoid cancellation.
The proposed regulations are not yet in force. Interested parties will have 30 days from publication of the draft amendments in the Government Gazette to comment before final regulations are published with a commencement date.
