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This is probably one for Brits who have made the journey recently. I have an old style licence with no photo. In the past, I have simply popped along to the local AA office and they issued me one there and then. I looked up the regulations on the AA website and it says in SA that you need an IDP to hire a car and it is also advisable for insurance purposes.

Is the new licence with photo accepted or do I need to get IDPs

i used to get a internation drivers licence in the Netherlands for SA.
Nobody ever asked for it so i wont renew it

Does your driving licence have a photo Bert? I think that's part of the problem as mine doesn't.

rayb, I get an international drivers license every year before I go...and yes, I have been stopped and asked for my license. Here we get it from our local travel agent showing my local Qatar license and then they issue the IDP based on that, the number for my local license is also mentioned and a photo is attached with a stamp over to show its real, and I usually present both at the same time when asked...an IDP is valid for one year in South Africa.

Ray, license with photo
Non-smiling btw

I've just gone through this learning process. A UK licence with photo is ok, without and you'll need one of the international permits.

Cheers,

Winny,
The official rules are always with a international license.

Hi Bert,

Really - I didn't know!

But I've been ok in the past, and I emailed our next car hire company and they said it would be ok.

Maybe it's one of those rules that isn't strongly enforced, or maybe they are more relaxed with some nationalities licences than others??

Basicly i think its a translation issue.
We have a dutch drivers license.
But just read that its not needed in most european countries
More than a few neightbouring countries who cant read our language
We pay R130 for it

Better safe than sorry I guess. Thanks for the advice.

I changed to the new phot ID licence with paper sheet. When I visited last Feb, I had 2 hire periods with Avis.
They only asked for the photo card and passport, they did not require the paper sheet.
I had no problems, in fact they were extremely helpful. So much so I'm there agin in May for another week in the Kruger, my second and definately not the last visit.

Have a great time.

I received this answer from Avis in SA.

RENTERS AND ADDITIONAL DRIVERS MUST BE IN POSSESION OF A VALID
UNENDORSED DRIVER'S LICENCE OF COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE, AND AN AVIS
ACCEPTED METHOD OF PAYMENT. LICENCE MUST BE VALID FOR A MIN OF 1 YEAR.
IF DRIVERS LICENCE IS IN NON-ROMAN ALPHABET AND INTERNATIONAL
DRIVERS LICENCE IS REQUIRED.

I have just applied online for a new photo licence. They can even extract my passport photo to use on it. I suspect that Avis automatically assume that a driver's licence has a photo. The UK must be one of the few countries that doesn't currently require one.

I think you can use your UK one rayb, as long as its in English!!!

I have used my Swazi one all over the world, Europe, UK, Aussie, no problems at all....... And mostly at airports Immigration have never heard of Swaziland so have probs there, but never with hiring a car.....

I think you will be OK with your British one, with photo, in English!

I have old style paper UK licence. Never had a problem hiring a car here in SA - or at road blocks while driving (awaiting issue of SA licence, but that is another story!). If a photo is required use passport or ID book. In this part of the world (N4 Nelspruit to Komatipoort) road blocks are frequent, so if there was a problem I would have encountered it!

The main issues are language (police/hire companies must be able to understand it), and identification.

Thanks, that explains my issue, as mine is in Arabic so I do need an IDP