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Relocation BasicsSettling in South Africa After the First 90 Days: The Admin That Comes Next
Settling in South Africa after the first 90 days is mostly recurring admin: renew your vehicle licence every year, hold a TV licence if you own a television, insure your car and your belongings, make a South African will, and file a tax return in filing season if SARS expects one. None of it is hard, but each item has its own deadline, so put them all in one calendar.
The first 90 days are about getting a SIM, a bank account and medical aid. Then the second layer of admin turns up, usually as a reminder SMS, a letter or a fine. This guide covers that layer, in the order we think it is worth tackling.
It picks up where our guide to your first 30 and 90 days in South Africa stops, so we do not repeat the SIM, bank, SARS registration and medical aid steps here.
The yearly calendar at a glance
| Item | How often | Where it bites if you forget |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle licence disc | Every year | Late penalties and arrears after a 21-day grace period |
| Driving licence card | Before the expiry date on the card | A temporary licence at extra cost, or driving on an expired card |
| TV licence | Every year (if you own a TV) | Penalties on late renewals |
| Insurance cover | Annual renewal | Cover that no longer matches what you own |
| Tax return | Every filing season | Penalties for late returns |
| Visa expiry | Your visa's own date | Applications lodged too late |
Vehicle and driving licences
The vehicle licence disc
You register a vehicle once, but its licence has to be renewed every year before it expires. The government's services page says that if you miss it you will owe late licensing penalties and arrears, and that you get a 21-day grace period counted from the expiry date on the current disc. Do not rely on a reminder arriving: diarise the month yourself.
You renew at your registering authority or at a selected post office, or online through the NaTIS platform, which couriers the new disc to you. Take your identity document and proof of residential address, plus the renewal notice (MVL2). If you did not get a notice, the form to complete is the ALV. If you do not hold a South African ID document, ask the licensing office what it accepts in its place. Fees are set locally, so ask the office or check your renewal notice.
If you sell or hand over a car, ask the registering authority how to record the change of ownership, so that fines and renewals do not keep following you. Our guide to importing a car to South Africa covers the first registration.
Your driving licence
If you converted a foreign licence, you now hold a South African licence card. Put its expiry date in your calendar when you receive it. The government's services page says to renew the card four weeks before it expires, and that renewing late means applying for a temporary licence at extra cost. Renewal means an eye test and fingerprints, not a new driving test, and the page says the new card is ready in four to six weeks. The conversion rules are in our guide to converting a foreign driver's licence.
The TV licence nobody mentions
South Africa has an annual TV licence. The government's services page says that if you own a TV set you must have a valid, paid-up licence at all times, and that a first-time licence costs the full annual fee. The most recent official figure we found was R265 a year, from the government news service in January 2025, which also said that renewing late carries a penalty of 10% a month up to 100% a year. Fees and the way the licence is funded can change, so confirm the current figure with the SABC before you pay.
If you stream only and own no television set, do not guess whether you owe anything: ask the SABC how it treats your set-up.
Insurance: three policies worth reviewing
Insurance is usually bought on annual renewal. Three covers are worth a proper look once you have settled:
- Vehicle. If your car is financed, the lender will often insist on comprehensive cover. If it is paid off, you choose. Compare excess amounts as well as premiums, and check what the policy says about tracking devices and where the car is parked overnight.
- Household contents. If you rent, the landlord normally insures the building and you insure what is inside. Our renting guide covers the lease side. Declare high-value items such as laptops, bikes and jewellery separately where the insurer requires it.
- Life, disability and income cover. These are personal decisions that depend on dependants, debt and what your employer provides, so we will not say what to buy. Do ask whether any policy from your home country still pays out while you live here.
The practical habit is to read the renewal notice each year rather than letting it roll over. Premiums are re-priced, and your belongings change. If you add solar or a security system, tell the insurer: our guides on solar and backup power and private security costs show what those upgrades involve.
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A South African will
This is the item most people postpone. South Africa's Wills Act 7 of 1953 sets the formalities a will has to meet to be valid, covering how it is signed and witnessed. The details matter, so have your will drafted or checked by an estate attorney rather than relying on a template. Deceased estates are dealt with through the Master of the High Court's offices, which is where a badly executed will causes trouble.
If you already hold a will from your home country, do not assume it covers South African assets cleanly. Some people keep a separate South African will for local assets, and an attorney can check that two wills do not clash. This is a legal question for a qualified professional, and the answer depends on where you are domiciled and what you own.
Tax: filing season and what to track
SARS says the tax year (its "year of assessment") runs from 1 March to 28 February, and that every year it announces a Tax Season in which you submit your annual return. For 2026, SARS set auto-assessments for 1 to 12 July, 13 July to 23 October for non-provisional individuals, and 13 July 2026 to 22 January 2027 for provisional taxpayers. The non-provisional window has closed, so if you were expected to file and have not, speak to SARS or a tax practitioner now. Next year's dates will be announced by SARS, so read them there rather than in a news article, including this one.
Whether you must file at all depends on your income and your residency status, which our guide to South Africa tax for expats explains. Three habits make the first return far less painful:
- Keep your IRP5 (the employee tax certificate your employer issues), medical aid certificate and any retirement fund certificates in one folder as they arrive.
- Note any foreign income and any foreign tax paid, and keep the records. How foreign income is treated depends on your tax residency, so ask a tax practitioner.
- If you are a provisional taxpayer, diary the payment dates. SARS says the first payment falls by 31 August (or the last business day before it) and the second on the last business day of February, with an optional third payment after year end.
The tax tail of a move abroad is a different topic, covered in financial emigration versus tax emigration.
Keep your visa on the calendar
Visa deadlines do not move because you got busy. Home Affairs' checklists ask for extension applications to be submitted in person at least 60 days before the visa expires, and for visas issued for less than 30 days, no later than seven working days before expiry. Write the expiry date and a date 90 days earlier into the same calendar as everything above. Our visa processing times guide explains why leaving a margin is sensible.
A month-four admin checklist
- Vehicle licence expiry, driving licence expiry and visa expiry in one calendar, with reminders.
- TV licence checked against the SABC's current rules.
- Car and household contents quotes compared at the next renewal.
- A South African will booked with an estate attorney.
- A tax folder started, and the next filing season date checked on SARS's website.
Frequently asked questions
What admin do I need to sort out after my first 90 days in South Africa?
Once the first-arrival basics are done (SIM, bank account, tax registration, medical aid), the next layer is recurring admin: renewing your vehicle licence each year, holding a TV licence if you own a television, insuring your car and household goods, making a South African will, and filing a tax return each filing season if SARS expects one. Putting each deadline in a calendar in month four is the simplest fix.
Do I have to pay for a TV licence in South Africa?
The government's services page says that if you own a TV set you must have a valid, paid-up television licence at all times. The most recent official figure we found was R265 a year, from the government news service in January 2025. Rules and fees can change, so confirm the current position with the SABC before you pay.
Do I need a South African will if I already have one overseas?
Not necessarily, but it is worth having your existing will checked by a South African estate attorney. South Africa's Wills Act sets formalities for a will to be valid, and a will made abroad may not deal with South African assets the way you expect. Some people keep a separate will for South African assets, and an estate attorney can tell you whether that suits you.
When is the tax return deadline for individuals in South Africa?
Dates change each year. For the 2026 filing season, SARS set 13 July to 23 October 2026 for non-provisional individuals, and provisional taxpayers have until 22 January 2027. Check the SARS website each year for the new dates. The tax year runs from 1 March to 28 February.
Sources, checked 5 November 2026
- Filing season (South African Revenue Service): the 2026 filing dates for individuals.
- Personal income tax (South African Revenue Service): the tax year, returns and the IRP5.
- Provisional tax (South African Revenue Service): the payment dates.
- Renew motor vehicle licence (South African Government): annual renewal, the 21-day grace period, where to renew and the documents.
- Renew driving licence (South African Government): renewing four weeks before expiry and what it involves.
- Apply for a television licence (South African Government): who must hold a TV licence.
- Pay your TV licence, 5 January 2025 (SAnews, South African Government News Agency): the R265 annual fee and late-renewal penalty.
- Wills Act 7 of 1953 (Department of Justice): the formalities for a valid will.
- Master of the High Court (Department of Justice): the office that deals with deceased estates.
- Types of visas (Department of Home Affairs): the 60-day extension rule.
General information only, not legal/immigration/tax/medical advice: confirm current rules and consult a qualified professional.