Pretoria – The Department of Transport has moved to stop the use of traffic register number certificates, learner’s and driver’s licences as general forms of identification.
The department on Sunday, 11 October 2026, announced that it was amending Traffic Regulations to ensure that documents issued in terms of the National Road Traffic Act, 1996 (Act No. 93 of 1996) were not used as general forms of identification documents such as traffic register number certificates, learner’s and driver’s licences.
Why the amendments are necessary
In 2023, the Department of Transport assisted the Department of Home Affairs in a major investigation which revealed widespread abuse of Traffic Register Numbers (TRNs) and other road traffic documents that are used as a form of identity document.
The TRN was created solely to enable persons without a South African identity number to transact on the National Traffic Information System (NaTIS) for road traffic purposes, whilst finalising their legal status with Home Affairs.
It was never intended to serve as general identification.
The investigation found that some institutions are accepting TRNs and driving licences as a general identification document, contrary to the Identification Act, 1997 (Act No. 68 of 1997), which mandates Home Affairs as the sole authority to maintain the National Population Register and to issue identification documents.
The amendments are therefore necessary to remove legal ambiguity, stop abuse, and align road traffic legislation with the Identification Act.
What are the proposed amendments?
1. Amendment of Regulation 1 –
Definition of Acceptable Identification: Regulation 1 is amended to remove the TRN and all other documents issued under road traffic legislation as acceptable forms of identification.
The amended definition provides that:
(a) In the case of a person not permanently resident in the Republic, acceptable identification means an unexpired passport issued by the country of origin, accompanied by the relevant permit issued by the Department of Home Affairs in terms of the Immigration Act, 2002 (Act No. 13 of 2002);
(b) In the case of a company, acceptable identification means a certificate of incorporation, registration certificate, memorandum of incorporation or name change issued in terms of the Companies Act, 2008 (Act No. 71 of 2008);
(c) In the case of a close corporation converted into a company, acceptable identification means the certificate of incorporation issued to the company in terms of Schedule 2 of the Companies Act, 2008. The effect is that a TRN, Learner’s Licence and Driving Licence will no longer be regarded as identification document.
2. Amendment of Regulation 335 –
Control of Traffic Register Number Regulation 335 is amended to tighten control over TRNs:
(a) Paragraph
(b) of subregulation (1) and paragraph (b) of subregulation (2), which provided for the TRN as a form of acceptable identification, are deleted;
(b) Subregulation (4) is amended to provide that if a holder of a TRN becomes the holder of any other acceptable identification, he or she must notify the registering authority on form ANR within 21 days and surrender the TRN certificate;
(c) A new subregulation (6) is inserted to provide that a TRN shall be valid only during the validity period of the passport and permit submitted to obtain it;
(d) A new subregulation (7) is inserted to provide that all natural persons who hold a TRN certificate which does not reflect a validity period must apply for a new certificate within three months after commencement of the Regulations.
How are the Regulations being issued for public comment?
The proposed draft Regulations amendments will be published for public comment in accordance with the provisions of the National Road Traffic Act, 1996 (Act No. 93 of 1996).
Interested persons and affected institutions will be required to submit written comments within 30 days from the date of publication in the Government Gazette.
All submissions will be considered before the final Regulations are published.
What are the Implications for other institutions?
Once the amendments come into effect, all institutions, including banks, ACSA, offices, and residential estates, must review their policies and systems.
TRNs, Learner’s Licences, and driving Licenses may no longer be accepted as forms of general identification.
They may only be accepted for their intended purpose: road traffic-related transactions.
For identification and verification purposes, only Home Affairs-issued documents will be valid.
When will the Regulations come into effect?
The Regulations will come into operation once all the comments and inputs have been considered and incorporated into a final set of amendments, which the department will publish in the Government Gazette with a commencement date.
Provinces have, in the interim, been instructed to centralise the issuing of TRNs at provincial help desks to strengthen controls.
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