We tested the Post Office’s online car licence disc renewal and it actually works

The South African Post Office (Sapo) has ironed out the kinks in its online licence disc renewal service, with the system processing over 6,500 renewals a month on average.

A MyBroadband staff member recently renewed their vehicle’s licence disc through the online platform, and the issues we previously noted with the system appear to have been resolved.

MyBroadband asked Sapo how its online renewal platform had performed since launching in January 2022.

The Post Office said it had processed 46,000 licence disc renewals through the system as of 5 September 2022.

“The renewals initially stabilised at around 6,500 per month and are gradually growing with just over 7,200 renewals in August 2022,” Sapo told MyBroadband.

The Post Office noted that it faced some challenges with the system after it launched, including staff not being used to the new system and applicants uploading expired or uncertified documents.

“The back-office work is done manually; essentially, the applicant uploads the documents that the law requires Sapo to provide — a certified identity document and proof of address not older than 3 months,” Sapo said.

“At the beginning, customers often uploaded expired or uncertified documents.”

The Post Office added that its back-office staff have now gotten used to the system and are completing renewals very quickly.

This was evident with the MyBroadband staff member’s experience, having applied on Tuesday, 30 August 2022, and received their new licence disc on Friday the same week.

It should be noted that the staff member submitted an uncertified copy of their ID, and it was accepted.

MyBroadband tested the system with disappointing results in February.

We encountered an issue relating to the location service that automatically detects the nearest post office that processes vehicle licence applications.

The service was not working for Gauteng, and as this was a compulsory field, we could not proceed with payment until it was resolved.

However, the major issue we encountered was with the delivery service. The renewed licence disc was only delivered five days after the Post Office notified us that it was ready for delivery.

Worse, the package was delivered to the wrong address.

These problems appear to have been straightened out, as our latest test went off without a hitch.

How the Post Office’s online licence disc renewal system works

Renewing your licence disc on the www.sapomvl.co.za works as follows:

1. Sign up for an account. You must provide personal details, including your full name, ID number, and contact information.
2. Confirm your preferred contact method and click sign up. After that, you must enter your email address and create a password. The system will verify your account by sending you a one-time pin.
3. Once signed up, select “Create Quote” and fill in the required information, including your home address and the location at which you want your renewed disc to be delivered (the system pre-populates some of the fields automatically).
4. You must also upload a certified ID copy, not older than three months. However, from our experience, a certified copy is not needed.
5. Select “Add Vehicle” at the bottom of the page. This will require you to enter details pertinent to your vehicle and sign digitally using your mouse or touch screen to confirm that the details are correct.
6. You can then make payment using Masterpass Scan to Pay.

Sapo’s online platform for motor vehicle licence renewals charges only the renewal cost and a R75 delivery fee. Users also have the option to collect the licence from a Post Office branch to avoid paying the R75 delivery fee.

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