SA Driving Licence Restriction Codes: What 01, 02, 03, 04 and B Actually Mean in Real Life (2026)

A restriction code is the small print on your South African driving licence card. Most drivers glance at it once, never think about it again, and assume nothing important hangs on those two characters next to "conditions." That assumption costs people money: sometimes a R1,250 fine, sometimes a rejected insurance claim, sometimes a job they thought they had.

This is the practical, real-world guide to what restriction codes 01, 02, 03, 04 and B actually do in everyday South African life. For the dictionary-style breakdown of what each code means, see our full restriction codes reference page. This blog is about what happens when you break them.

The Restriction Codes at a Glance

Codes 01 and B are the same condition under two different printings. Modern card runs since around 2018 tend to use B; older cards and some provincial DLTCs still print 01. They are interchangeable for legal purposes.

What a Roadblock Officer Actually Does

When you're pulled over at a roadblock, the officer's standard checks are: vehicle licence disc, your driver's licence card, and whether the driver matches the photo. The conditions section is part of that check, not optional theatre.

If you're driving in breach of a condition (manual car on Code 03, no glasses on Code B/01, unadapted vehicle on Code 04), the officer can issue an AARTO infringement notice on the spot under the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences Act. The relevant entry is:

AARTO Code 1701: "Operated a vehicle contrary to the conditions as endorsed by the examiner." Fine: R1,250 | Demerit points: 4

That's per stop. Two roadblocks in a week and you've spent R2,500 and earned 8 demerit points. Hit 15 demerit points and your licence is suspended for three months per excess point under the AARTO demerit system. The system fully applies in Tshwane and Johannesburg, with national rollout phased through 2025–2026.

Some officers will treat the breach as the more serious AARTO Code 1700 (operating a vehicle outside the class your licence authorises), which carries 6 demerit points as a criminal offence rather than an infringement. That's a charge sheet, not a tear-off ticket.

You are not obligated to pay or argue at the roadside. Per Arrive Alive's guide on rights when stopped, you can demand the officer's certificate of appointment and contest the notice through AARTO representations within 32 days.

Story 1: Why Code 03 Is the Most Expensive Letter on Your Licence

The everyday scenario: You took your K53 driving test on an automatic Toyota Corolla because your driving school recommended it ("easier to pass"). You passed, the card came back with Code 03, and a year later your brother lends you his manual VW Polo for the weekend.

What's legally happening: You are driving without a valid licence for that vehicle. Not "almost without" but fully without. The Code 03 restriction is not a polite suggestion that you're more comfortable in autos; it is the legal limit of what your licence authorises.

What can go wrong:

• Roadblock: AARTO 1701, R1,250 + 4 demerit points. Easy to spot because the officer will ask you to demonstrate clutch control if they're suspicious.
• Crash: Even a small bumper bash. The other driver's insurer subrogates against your insurer. Yours opens the file, sees Code 03, sees a manual gearbox in the police report, and repudiates. You personally cover repairs to both vehicles, third-party injury, and any legal costs.
• Job application: Almost every fleet driving role (courier, e-hailing, security response, sales rep, ambulance, fuel tanker) runs on manual vehicles. Code 03 is a hard disqualifier on the application.

Why insurers care so much: Most South African motor policies include a "valid licence for the vehicle" warranty. BusinessTech listed driving without a valid licence among the top 8 reasons SA insurance claims are rejected, and "valid licence" specifically means valid for the vehicle being driven at the time of the incident. A Code 03 holder in a manual is, contractually, an unlicensed driver.

How to remove it: Book a fresh practical test at your nearest DLTC, present a manual vehicle (yours or the school's), pass the standard K53 yard and road test, and the new card is issued without Code 03. There is no theory-only conversion. See our automatic vs manual driving lessons guide for what the manual conversion actually involves.

If you're still in the planning stage of your licence: test on manual. The cost is identical, the lessons are at most R30–R50 more per hour at most schools, and you save yourself a future R1,250 fine plus a possible job rejection plus a possible insurance disaster. This is the single biggest piece of practical advice in this guide.

Story 2: Why Code B / 01 Is the Restriction Everyone Ignores

The single most common restriction in South Africa is the corrective lenses requirement. The DLTC eye test screens for visual acuity without correction first; if you don't pass without glasses but pass with them, you walk out with Code B (or 01) on your card and a duty to wear lenses every time you drive.

The compliance rate is dismal. Drive in any South African city for half an hour and you'll see drivers behind the wheel who clearly have a Code B endorsement and are not wearing glasses.

What can go wrong:

• Roadblock: Officers do check. Code B + no glasses on your face = AARTO 1701, same R1,250 + 4 demerit points as the manual/automatic breach.
• Insurance: Same valid-licence clause. If your post-crash medical exam shows you needed correction and you weren't wearing it, the insurer can repudiate. The argument that "I had my contacts in" requires proof. Keep your contact lens prescription and purchase records.
• Job impact: Less common than for Code 03, but uniformed services and security companies sometimes flag Code B for follow-up. Aviation and rail operators with internal driver fleets always do.

The contact lens question: Code B requires "corrective lenses", meaning glasses or contacts both qualify. You don't need to swap to glasses to be compliant if you wear contacts. Officers won't try to verify whether you're wearing contacts at the roadside, but if a crash investigation requires it, your optometrist's records will be subpoenaed.

How to remove it: Visit a DLTC and request a fresh eye test without correction. If you pass the visual acuity standard (currently 6/12 or better in each eye, or 6/9 with both eyes together, per the National Road Traffic Act regulations summarised on Wikipedia), the restriction is removed and a new card is issued. Most commonly, this happens after laser eye surgery.

Story 3: When Your Body Changes (Codes 02 and 04)

These two restriction codes sit on a smaller share of South African licences but carry the heaviest practical implications when they apply.

Code 02 requires use of an artificial limb or other physical aid. The aid is specified in the DLTC examiner's notes: typically a prosthetic limb, but sometimes a hearing aid, a back brace, or another assistive device. Drivers with Code 02 must use the specified aid every time they drive.

Code 04 requires the vehicle itself to be adapted. The most common adaptations in South Africa are:

• Hand controls for accelerator and brake (paraplegic and amputee drivers)
• Spinner knob on the steering wheel (one-armed driving)
• Pedal extensions (shorter drivers, often paired with seat modifications)
• Left-foot accelerator pedal (right-leg amputees in countries where original equipment is right-foot)

The catch is that these codes are condition-based, not permanent identity. If your medical situation changes (a successful prosthesis fitting that changes which aid you use, a recovery that no longer requires hand controls, or conversely a deterioration that requires more adaptation), your licence must be re-examined.

What can go wrong:

• Driving an unadapted vehicle on Code 04: AARTO 1701 plus, in many cases, the practical impossibility of safely controlling the vehicle.
• Insurance: Insurers underwrite based on the licence as endorsed. If you crash an unadapted rental car on a Code 04 licence, the claim is at risk even if the adaptation requirement is unrelated to the cause of the crash.
• Vehicle hire: Major rental companies (Avis, Hertz, Europcar, Bidvest) flag Code 04 at booking and will only release adapted vehicles. Don't show up at OR Tambo expecting to drive away in a standard hatchback.

How to handle a change: Visit your nearest DLTC for a reassessment. Take medical documentation supporting the change. The examiner may require a fresh practical test in the new configuration before updating the card.

What This Means for Your Job Application

South Africa's professional driving sector (couriers, fuel tankers, taxis, buses, security response, fleet sales, e-hailing, ambulances, and most uniformed services) runs predominantly on manual transmission vehicles and assumes an unrestricted licence by default.

A typical job advert will read something like: "Valid Code B with PrDP, no restrictions. Code 10 (C1) preferred."

Recruiters in fleet-driving roles are trained to scan for restriction codes specifically. The "no restrictions" line knocks out three categories of applicant in a single phrase:

1. Code 03 holders: can't drive the company manual van.
2. Code 04 holders: can't drive the company's standard, unadapted vehicle.
3. Code 02 holders: depends on the aid; case-by-case.

Code B (glasses) usually doesn't disqualify, but some regulated employers (aviation ground staff, certain security firms, public transport operators) require their own internal medicals where uncorrected vision is reassessed.

If you're planning a career that involves driving:

• Take your K53 test on a manual vehicle from the start.
• If you wear glasses, get a PrDP medical early so you know whether you'll meet the higher commercial vision standard.
• If you have a Code 03 today and want a driving job tomorrow, book the manual conversion test before you apply. It takes 4–8 weeks and removes the disqualifier permanently.

For more on how Code B (the licence category, not the restriction) interacts with commercial work, see our bakkie or taxi with Code 8 guide.

What This Means for Your Insurance Premium and Claims

Restriction codes affect insurance in two ways: at quote time and at claim time.

At quote time: Most South African short-term insurers ask for the licence code and date of issue, not the restriction codes specifically. This means a Code 03 holder typically pays the same monthly premium as an unrestricted Code B holder, until something goes wrong.

At claim time: This is where the restriction codes bite. The standard SA motor policy requires the driver to hold a "valid driving licence for the class of vehicle being driven." When the assessor reviews the claim, they pull:

1. The driver's licence card image
2. The accident report
3. The vehicle specifications (transmission, adaptations, GVM)

If those don't reconcile (Code 03 driver in manual gearbox, Code B driver with no glasses found at the scene, Code 04 driver in unadapted vehicle), the insurer has grounds to repudiate the claim entirely.

Repudiation means:

• Your own car damage: not covered.
• Third-party vehicle damage: not covered. The other party sues you personally.
• Third-party injury or death: not covered. This is the catastrophic exposure, easily R1m–R10m+ in a serious accident.
• Legal defence: not covered.

You can dispute a repudiation through the insurer's internal complaints process and then through the Ombudsman for Short-Term Insurance, but in cases where the licence breach is clearly documented, repudiation usually stands.

Practical takeaway: Treat your restriction codes as a hard limit on what your insurance will pay out for. If you wouldn't drive uninsured, don't drive in breach of a restriction code.

How to Remove Each Restriction Code

For Code 03 specifically, see our step-by-step on automatic vs manual driving, and find a manual-equipped school in your city through our driving school directory.

The Three Mistakes That Cost People Money

After reading thousands of South African driving questions, three patterns come up again and again:

1. "I'll just be careful and not get caught." This works until the day you have a crash. The crash creates a paper trail that makes the breach impossible to hide from your insurer. The R1,250 roadblock fine is the cheap version of this mistake. The R150,000 third-party claim is the expensive version.

2. "My uncle drives manual on a Code 03 all the time." Anecdotal compliance has no legal weight. Officers, insurers and employers all check the card, not your uncle's track record.

3. "The DLTC test fee is too expensive to redo." A fresh K53 test costs R275–R340. A single rejected insurance claim costs anything from R30,000 (small bumper repair) to a lifetime of garnished wages from a third-party injury judgment. The maths is not subtle.

Related Guides

• Driving Licence Restriction Codes Full Reference Page: dictionary-style breakdown of each code with details
• All South African Licence Codes Explained: Code A through EC, what each authorises
• Old vs New Driving Licence Codes: numeric to letter conversion table
• Automatic vs Manual Driving Lessons: why manual is the smarter choice for most learners
• How to Pass Your Learner's Test: get the theory side right before you book lessons
• How to Check if a Driving School is Registered: don't pay an unregistered instructor

Find a Driving School to Convert Your Licence

The fastest, cheapest way to remove Code 03 (by far the most expensive restriction code on a South African licence) is to do a manual conversion test at a school that runs a manual training fleet. Most experienced drivers need only 3–8 lessons before they're test-ready.

Browse driving schools near you →

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Sources used in this guide: AARTO penalty schedule (Foresight Publications), AARTO demerit system (aarto.co.za), Rights when stopped by a traffic officer (Arrive Alive), PrDP requirements (gov.za), Driving licence in South Africa (Wikipedia), 8 reasons SA insurance claims are rejected (BusinessTech).