It constantly frustrates me how although since 1998 (16 years ago) the official licence system has made use of a system of letters to distinguish between different licence codes, to this day, people still, on a regular basis, refer to licence codes by the old number system.
To make things easier for people who are getting confused, I’ve pulled the data from the Road Traffic Act and put it together here, first the learner’s licence, then driver’s licence info. The system has undergone several changes over the decades and the time frame that each refers to is specified at the top of each column
I’ve also added a copy of a current driver’s licence to show what the current codes refer to.
Learner’s Licence system
| learner’s licence issued before 1 March 1998 | New/Current Learner’s Licence | What this currently entails |
| Code 01, 02, 03, 04 and 15 | Code 1 | Motorbike / trike |
| Code 05, 06, 07, 08 | Code 2 | LMV |
| code 10, 11, 13 and 14 | Code 3 | HMV or LMV |
Driver’s Licence
| Current | [1995 – 1998] | [01.06.1990 – 1995) | [31.12.1985 – 01.06.1990) | [01.02.1972 – 31.12.1985) | [01.01.1967 – 01.02.1972) | [… – 01.01.1967) |
| A1 | Code 01 | Code 01 | Code 01 | Code 01 | Code 01 | Code 01 |
| A | Code 15 | Code 02 Code 15 Code 03 Code 04 |
Code 02 Code 03 Code 04 |
Code 02 Code 03 Code 04 |
Code 02 Code 03 |
Code 02 Code 03 |
| B | Code 05 Code 07 |
Code 05 Code 07 |
Code 05 Code 07 |
Code 05 Code 07 |
agricultural / industrial vehicles | |
| EB | Code 08 | Code 08 | Code 08 | Code 08 | Code 08 | Code 08 |
| EC1 | Code 10 | Code 10 | Code 10 | Code 9 | ||
| EC | Code 11 Code 13 Code 14 |
Code 11 Code 13 Code 14 |
Code 11 Code 13 Code 14 |
Code 10 Code 11 |
Code 10 Code 11 |
Code 10 |
Current SA driver’s licence codes
A code 6 licence could be given for any category licence referring to an electrically powered vehicle.
A code 12 licence could be given for any category licence referring to a vehicle that is specially adapted for use by a physically disabled person.
All info is from the Road Traffic Act, Regulations, Chapter V: Fitness of Drivers, Part ll: Learner’s and driving licences and it goes into a lot more detail than I’ve displayed here. You can click the following terms if you would like more info on the SA Driver’s licence system or the Professional Driver’s Permit.
Am I eligible to drive a 65 seater bus with an EC1 licence
Can I drive a rigid double diff vehicle using an EC1 licence
It depends on the GVM of the vehicles, not how many seats, or diffs the vehicle has.
But most likely, if the GVM of the vehicles in question are less than 16 tons
For example, the Tata LPO 1823 has a GVM of 17900kg, so you would not be permitted to drive it.
ec1 licence,articulated,gcm 16tons.
rigid vehicle,gcm?
please help.
Replied to your other comment: https://blog.gcawood.com/2014/01/11/driving-licence-system-in-south-africa/comment-page-62/#comment-94071
Good day,
I have been driving for more than 40 years with a EB license. While doing military service, I drove 65 seat buses, and Samil 50 trucks. Unfortunately, I did not apply for those licences to be added to my private license. Now I want to drive a motorhome and trailer not exceeding a GVM of 16 000 kg. (EC1) Do I need to do a course with a driving school, and also get a learner’s license before I go for drivers license?
Thank you.
Hi Johan,
Unfortunately you do need a new learner’s licence, that will be your first step. You will need to get a Code 3 HMV learner’s licence.
After that you can do your test. You don’t need to do it through a driving school, but I’ll always advise doing at least one or two lessons with a driving school, as the tests are not as simple as just driving the vehicle around. And it’s good to know exactly what to expect with regards to the yard test.
To get an EC1 licence, you will need to drive a vehicle of that class, with suitable trailer, to obtain the given licence. Driving schools will often have suitable vehicles if you do not.
I got my license n July 1998. I am pretty sure I did code 8 in those days. But today I noticed the my card says Code B. Should it not say Code EB? How do I go about checking what I did back then and if I am correct, how do I go about rectifying it?
I believe the transition from old to new licences took place in March 1998, so it seems likely that the licence you received originally was a B licence.
Do you have a copy of your original ID with driver’s licence in it or other documentation that indicates your original licence was a code 8?
Good day
I booked my test day for an ec licence test ,and i am wondering if i can, on test day ,do my ec1 test instead and receive ec1 licence ?or would they require me to rebook?
Best to phone and confirm, but the yard for both tests should be the same, so shouldn’t be an issue.
Hi sir, I obtained code C which is code 11 in December 1998, just to confirm am I not eligible to be converted to code 14 ,from what I read the conversion happened if one had the code 11 license prior to March 1998
That’s correct, if you obtained a code C, there is no conversion to take place. before March 1998, then it would have been converted to a new code, with the E- preface at the time.
If you obtained a code
Hi there, can you ride a motor bike above 125cc, on a EC1 license?
Thanks Paul
You may not ride any motor bike with an EC1 licence.
To ride ANY motorbike in SA, you need an A, or A1 licence
Hi I’m bareki I have EC 1 how can I apply to obtain EC1 04.
Hi Bareki,
I understand that the 4 endorsement/restriction on the licence allows the driver to drive buses with a GVM over 16 tons, but I don’t know the process to get this.
I’d enquire at your local traffic department, or driving school. If you find out please, let me know.
An alternative is to just get an EC licence, which would permit you to drive any vehicle with GVM over 16tons.
Hi I have a code 11 is it possible that it can change to a code 14after 5years
SA driver’s licences don’t just get upgraded because you’ve had them for a certain amount of time. The only way to be licenced to drive a greater class of vehicle is to redo your driver’s licence test for those vehicles. You can redo your driver’s licence test at any time if you have a suitable learner’s licence.
Hi in 1998 took my code 8 and at the time I could not tow a caravan, I was informed that I should take my code 10 which at that time would cover me towing as there was no test for towing a caravan. For years I towed with my code 10 C1 I have now discovered I am no longer allowed to do this. I only ever kept my code c1 what can I do to rectify this.
Was you first driver’s licence a standalone card (like our current ones), or was it contained within your ID book? Are you sure you received a code 8 licence and not a B licence? Likewise with your code 10, did you get a code 10, or did you get a C1 licence. The code 8/10 licence system was retired in 1998, but people continue to use the terms, even though they’re not directly comparable.
If you initially had a code B licence, you were correctly informed that you can’t tow a caravan. Someone may have suggested you get a code 10, which would have permitted towing a caravan. But when you went to get a code 10 (which no longer existed), people assumed you meant C1, thus resulting in you still not being able to tow a caravan.
If you had a code 8, or code 10 licence before the system changed in 1998, then it should have been converted to an EB, or EC1 respectively. Both of these would permit you to tow a caravan.
If you’re confident you had a code 8 or code 10 licence initially, and that it was incorrectly transitioned, you can try going to the Traffic Department, asking them to review your driver’s history and find out if there is a way forward for you to be correctly transitioned.
Can I get a clarity that a code 3 is the same as code10?
No. They are not the same thing, it also depends what you mean by code 3.
In modern parlance, code 3 is a learner’s licence for Heavy Motor Vehicles. This will let you get a driver’s licence for a code E/C1 (old code 10) or other heavy motor vehicle licence class.