The PDP requirements in South Africa are: a valid driving licence for the vehicle you will drive, the minimum age for the permit category (18 for goods, 21 for passengers, 25 for dangerous goods), a medical certificate on form MC signed by a doctor no more than two months before you apply, a clean record for specified driving and violence-related offences over the past five years, and a completed form PD1 handed in at a driving licence testing centre (DLTC) with your ID, photographs and the fee. Dangerous goods applicants also need a certificate from an approved training body.
PDP originally stood for public driving permit, the permit issued before 1998. Its replacement is the professional driving permit, or PrDP, but most people still call it a PDP. It is not a separate licence: it is added to your driving licence card and lets you drive heavy goods vehicles, buses, minibuses, breakdown vehicles and any vehicle carrying passengers for reward.
Driver or Vehicle Requirements at a Glance
- Category G (goods): minimum age 18. Covers goods vehicles with a gross vehicle mass (GVM) over 3 500 kg and breakdown vehicles.
- Category P (passengers): minimum age 21. Covers everything in G, plus buses, minibuses over 3 500 kg or built for 12 or more people (driver included), any vehicle carrying 12 or more people, and any vehicle carrying passengers for reward, such as a metered taxi or e-hailing car.
- Category D (dangerous goods): minimum age 25. Covers every vehicle that needs a PrDP, including dangerous goods vehicles over 3 500 kg and fuel road tankers. Requires a training certificate.
- Underlying licence: a valid driving licence for the vehicle code concerned. A PrDP only works for vehicles your licence already allows you to drive.
- Medical: form MC, completed by a registered medical practitioner or occupational health practitioner, not older than two months.
- Criminal record check: fingerprints taken through the DLTC and checked by the South African Police Service (SAPS).
- Validity: 24 months, then you apply again.
- Where: any DLTC. Gauteng residents are directed to apply online first at online.natis.gov.za.
Licence and Eligibility Requirements
Under regulation 117 of the National Road Traffic Regulations, a DLTC may not issue a professional driving permit unless you hold a valid driving licence for the vehicle the permit is for, you meet the age limit for the category, and a doctor has certified you medically fit within the two months before your application.
You are disqualified if, in the five years before you apply, you were convicted of or paid an admission of guilt fine for:
- driving under the influence of alcohol or a drug with a narcotic effect
- driving with a blood or breath alcohol level over the legal limit
- reckless driving
- for categories P and D only, an offence in which violence was an element.
You also cannot get a PrDP while your driving licence or a previous permit is suspended or cancelled. If you become medically unfit, or are convicted of one of the offences above after the permit is issued, it can be suspended or cancelled.
Choose the category for the work you will actually do. A G permit does not allow you to carry passengers for reward, and a P permit does not cover dangerous goods. Because P includes G, and D includes both, one higher category covers the lower ones.
Vehicle, Inspection and Safety Requirements
The PrDP attaches to you, not to a vehicle, so there is no vehicle test as part of the application. The vehicle still has to meet its own rules: it must be licensed and roadworthy, and vehicles used for public transport or heavy loads need a roadworthy certificate. Passenger services may also need an operating licence, which is issued for the vehicle and the service, not the driver.
The safety checks in the permit itself are medical and legal:
- Medical certificate for PDP: a doctor or occupational health practitioner examines you and completes form MC to confirm you are not disqualified from driving on medical grounds.
- Eye test: done at the DLTC, or by an optometrist of your choice, whose report you take to the centre.
- Dangerous goods training: for category D, a certificate from an approved training body. The regulation requires it to be no more than six months old when you apply.
If you own or operate a vehicle that needs a PrDP, the law also stops you from letting anyone drive it on a public road unless they hold a permit in the right category.
Documents, PrDP or Supporting Evidence
What do you need for a PDP? Take originals of the following to the DLTC:
- Your South African ID, driving licence card or valid South African passport
- Your valid driving licence for the vehicle code you are applying for
- Form PD1 (application for professional driving permit), completed
- Form MC (medical certificate), completed by the doctor no more than two months earlier
- A training certificate, if you are applying for category D
- Any professional or public driving permit you already hold
- Identical ID photographs: gov.za lists four, the Western Cape lists two, so ask your DLTC how many it needs before you have them taken
- Proof of residential address, such as a utility account. If it is not in your name, the account holder must attach it to an affidavit confirming you live there. In an informal settlement, bring a dated, officially stamped letter from your ward councillor
- The prescribed application fee
PDP medical form and application form: forms PD1 and MC are available free at every DLTC and on the eNaTIS website. The City of Cape Town also offers both as downloads on its professional driving permit page. Take the MC form (the PDP doctors form) to your doctor, who completes and signs it.
Registration or Application Process
How to get a PDP in South Africa, step by step:
- Get your medical done. Collect form MC and have a registered medical practitioner or occupational health practitioner complete it. Book this close to your DLTC visit, because the certificate expires for PrDP purposes after two months.
- Book or go to a DLTC. Gauteng residents are directed to apply online through online.natis.gov.za before attending. Elsewhere, ask your local DLTC whether it takes bookings or walk-ins.
- Submit the application. Hand in form PD1, the NCP form (notification of change of address or particulars) if your details have changed, and the documents above. The centre checks your identity, your licence and whether you are already disqualified.
- Eye test and fingerprints. You do the eye test (or hand in your optometrist’s report), and your fingerprints are taken for the police conviction check. At centres with a live capturing unit, the request goes to SAPS electronically. Otherwise you are referred to the nearest police station.
- Pay the fee. Pay the prescribed fee the way the DLTC tells you to. The application is only processed once payment is confirmed.
- Wait for the card. Once the police report is clear and your medical is accepted, a new driving licence card showing the PrDP is ordered. Government says this takes up to 12 weeks.
- Collect it. You are notified when the card is ready. Collect it at the same centre with your ID. Cards not collected within 120 days are destroyed.
To check the status of your PrDP application, contact the DLTC where you applied; it notifies you when the card is ready.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does PDP stand for, and is it different from a PrDP?
PDP stood for public driving permit, the permit issued before 1998. PrDP stands for professional driving permit, which replaced it. When people talk about PDP vs PrDP today, they almost always mean the same thing: the professional driving permit on your licence card.
What is a PrDP in driving terms?
It is an extra authorisation on your driving licence card. It lets you drive heavy goods vehicles, buses and minibuses, breakdown vehicles, dangerous goods vehicles, or any vehicle carrying passengers for payment. The category letter (G, P or D) and expiry date are printed on the card.
How much is a PrDP in South Africa?
The application fee is set by each province, so it varies. Government’s guidance is to ask your local licensing office or DLTC for the current amount. Budget separately for the medical certificate for PDP: its cost is set by the doctor or clinic, not by government, so ask when you book.
Where do I get a medical certificate for a PDP?
Any registered medical practitioner (a GP) or occupational health practitioner can examine you and complete form MC. Get the blank form from your DLTC, the eNaTIS website or your municipality’s website.
How long does a PDP take?
Government states that the permit may be ready within a maximum of 12 weeks after you apply. Police clearance is the step that usually takes longest.
How long is a PDP valid in SA, and when does it expire?
A PrDP is valid for 24 months. The expiry date is printed on your card. To renew, apply again in the same way as your first application, with a new medical certificate and a new criminal record check. If you apply before the expiry date, the regulations let your current permit stay valid until the new one is issued, for up to four months after it expires. Carry the old card and your proof of payment. If you apply after expiry, you cannot drive for reward until the new permit is issued.
Is there a temporary PrDP?
No temporary permit is listed in the government’s PrDP service. The four-month extension above, for permits renewed before expiry, is the only interim cover. A temporary driving licence covers your ordinary licence card only.
How long are police fingerprints valid for a PDP?
You do not bring your own police clearance. The DLTC takes your fingerprints as part of the application and requests the conviction report from SAPS. The document with a strict age limit is the medical certificate: no more than two months old.
Do you need a PDP in South Africa to do deliveries?
It depends on the vehicle. For goods, a PrDP is required for goods vehicles with a GVM over 3 500 kg and for dangerous goods vehicles. Delivering parcels or food in a car, bakkie or motorcycle under that mass is not on the list, but carrying passengers for reward always is. An employer or delivery platform can still set its own PrDP requirement, so check with them.
Can I apply if my driving licence has expired?
No. A PrDP needs a valid driving licence for the vehicle concerned, so renew your licence card first.
The requirements above come from the National Road Traffic Regulations and government’s professional driving permit service. Fees are set by each province and procedures differ by DLTC, so confirm the details on gov.za’s PrDP page or with your nearest driving licence testing centre before you go. For passenger platform rules, see rideshare driver requirements, or browse all driving and transport requirements.