Procedure When Applying for a PRDP (Professional Driving Permit)

An applicant needs to be the holder of a valid driver’s licence when applying for a PRDP. The following conditions apply when obtaining a professional driving permit, i.e. you must:

• Have a valid driving licence for the type of vehicle in question
• Have been certified as medically fit by a doctor
• Have been certified by an approved training body (Category D PrDP only)
• Have within a period of 5 years prior to the date of application, not been convicted of or paid an admission of guilt on:
  • Driving under the influence of alcohol
  • Reckless driving
  • A violent offence (Category "p" and "d" only)
• Have never had your driver’s license suspended

The operator or owner of the motor vehicle for which a professional driving permit is required, may not let another person drive the vehicle on a public road, unless they have a professional driving permit for the appropriate category.

Categories and Age Restrictions for PRDP's

An applicant needs to fill in a PD1 form (yellow application form) and the MC form. The applicant is to go to the doctor for a medical check-up. The doctor will fill in the medical certificate, which the doctor needs to sign and stamp.

The applicant needs to undertake an eye test before the PrDP is authorised or provide an eye test certificate from an optometrist not older than 3 months.

Additional Requirements

1. The applicant returns to the test centre to have his/her fingerprints taken on the LEU/LCU to verify if they have any previous convictions. The applicant needs a valid identity document, a copy of their ID, 2 passport-sized photographs, and the prescribed fee for the application of the PrDP, which is currently R150. The applicant then goes to the bank to pay R110 for the previous conviction verification. The results take between 7-10 working days to return. If the application is all in order, the applicant then pays the prescribed fee for the issue of the PrDP, which is currently R150.00. Also, important to note is that applicants need to provide proof of residence.

Acceptable Documents for Proof of Residence

Any utility account, for example:

• Electricity account
• Water account
• Sewage account
• Refuse removal account

In the case where the utility account is not in the name of the owner, the person in whose name the utility account is issued must make an affidavit declaring that the owner resides at the address and the affidavit must be accompanied by the utility account of such a person.

Other acceptable documents are:

• A bank statement
• A recent lease or rental agreement
• Municipal rates and taxes invoice
• Telephone or cellular account
• Valid TV licence
• Recent long-term or short-term insurance policy document issued by an insurance company
• A statement of account issued by a retail store

In the case of a person who resides at an informal settlement or rural area:

• A letter with an official date stamp from the ward councillor confirming the postal and residential address
• A letter from the local tribal authority confirming the postal and residential address

The above documents must be either an original document or a certified copy thereof and must not be older than 3 months.

Information reproduced from www.gov.za

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