Late renewal
By EasyNatis · Updated
Your disc can be renewed up to 21 days after it expires with nothing added. From day 22 the whole lapse counts from the expiry date: a penalty of 10% of the licence fee for every month, a started month counting as a whole one, and arrears of one twelfth of the licence fee for every lapsed month after the first. On a R528.00 licence, two months late is R105.60 penalty and R44.00 arrears: R149.60 more than renewing on time.
The rule in three lines
Both are worked on the licence fee only, never on NATIS's transaction fee, RTMC's delivery or our admin fee. The licensing authority's quotation is the final figure.
First
What it means
A disc that expired on the last day of a month can still be renewed for the ordinary fee until the 21st of the next month. Renew inside that window and the new disc runs from the old expiry, so you lose nothing.
What to watch
Second
How it is counted
Every 30 days of lapse, or part of one, is a month. Thirty-five days late is two months. The penalty stops growing at 100% of the licence fee, so after ten months it doubles the fee and no more.
On the licence fee only
A 1,001–1,250 kg car in Gauteng pays R528.00 a year for its licence, so each late month adds R52.80.
Third
Why it is one month fewer than the lapse
A late renewal is not backdated. The new disc runs for twelve months from the month you renew, so the licence period stretches to cover the lapse, and you are billed one twelfth of the fee for each lapsed month except the first, which the renewal month itself absorbs. Renew one month late and the period is exactly twelve months: no arrears. Renew three months late and it is fourteen: two months of arrears.
Counted in calendar months
Arrears follow the licence period, which is a calendar fact: a disc for June renewed in August lapsed two calendar months, and one of them is charged. The penalty, by contrast, follows the days.
The 1,001–1,250 kg car in Gauteng that the fees pages use, renewed later and later. Month counts are whole months of about 30 days; the licensing authority's quotation is the final figure.
| Renewed | Penalty | Arrears | Added to the fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| On time, or within the 21-day grace | R0.00 | R0.00 | R0.00 |
| 1 month late | R52.80 | R0.00 | R52.80 |
| 2 months late | R105.60 | R44.00 | R149.60 |
| 3 months late | R158.40 | R88.00 | R246.40 |
| 6 months late | R316.80 | R220.00 | R536.80 |
| 12 months late | R528.00 | R484.00 | R1012.00 |
Licence fees as published by each province, from the fees page. Already lapsed? The app asks the licensing authority for your exact figure and shows it before you pay anything.
One scan, one small debit a month, and the next disc arrives before the old one runs out.
The app reads your vehicle off the barcode. Nothing to type, nothing to get wrong.
Your licence fee, NATIS's transaction fee, RTMC's delivery and our admin fee, added up and divided over the months to your expiry, up to 12. Debited monthly from your card. From the next renewal the total is spread again, usually over 12 months; the app quotes your exact amounts.
Before it expires, to your door. Next year renews automatically — no once-off. Reminders before every renewal. Cancel anytime from the app.
21from the old expiry date. From day 22 the grace is forfeited and the whole lapse is charged from the expiry date.
Ten percent of your annual licence fee for every month late, with a started month counting as a whole one, capped at the fee itself. On a R528.00 licence that is R52.80 a month. It is worked on the licence fee only, not on the NATIS transaction fee, the delivery fee or our admin fee.
One twelfth of the annual licence fee for every lapsed month after the first. A late renewal is not backdated: the new disc runs twelve months from the month you renew, so the licence period stretches to cover the lapse, and the months it stretches by are billed as arrears. One month late owes none; three months late owes two.
The amount the licensing authority quotes for your vehicle, penalties and arrears included, plus our usual parts. We ask them for the exact figure and show it to you before you pay anything, then renew as soon as it is paid so the lapse stops growing.
No. If you renew before your disc expires, your new expiry is a year on from the current one, so you keep every month you have already paid for. This is why renewing late is worse than it first looks: once a disc has lapsed, the new expiry is measured from the renewal instead, and the time in between is gone.
No. The tables show the annual licence fee for a disc renewed on time. Once a disc has lapsed, the licensing authority adds arrears and penalties to the amount owed. We ask them for the exact figure for your vehicle and show you that number before you pay anything.
Download EasyNatis, scan your licence disc, and see your number before you pay anything.
On a computer? Scan with your phone to open the right store.
https://easynatis.co.za/app?c=fees-penalties