On March 1st, 1998, motorists in South Africa were introduces to the new format driving license which will replace the currently printed or affixed to pages in ID books. The new license is termed Credit Card Format (CCF) as it resembles in shape and size of a conventional bank credit card.

From this date, all drivers obtaining their licenses for the first time will be issued with the CCF license. Existing license holders will be obliged to replace their current ID book licenses with the new CCF license. In the case of private motorists, the period is five years. In the case of professional drivers the period is two years.