How to Become an Uber Driver in South Africa

Overview

Uber in South Africa carries passengers. The rules are stricter than for delivery work, and there is more paperwork.

The slowest step is the PrDP, the permit you need to drive passengers for money. A driving licence testing centre issues it, not Uber. You need a current licence, a medical certificate and a criminal record check. It can take up to 12 weeks.

You have to be 21 to get a PrDP for passengers. Uber does not list a minimum age of its own, so 21 is the real floor.

The car also needs an operating licence. E-hailing is now regulated public transport. The rules were gazetted on 12 September 2025, with no start date given, so ask your provincial regulator what applies now.

You do not need to own a car to sign up. Uber says so, and points at partners who rent cars to drivers. The car still has to qualify.

Requirements

Documents

Tick these off as you collect them

Application process

Sign up online with an email address and a cell number. Then upload your documents in the Uber Driver app.

Uber's document list is short:

• A driver profile photo.
• Safety screening results. Uber says you can do this at any PostNet or Jetline, or at a registered Huru or MIE partner.
• A valid South African PrDP. A temporary PrDP certificate cannot be uploaded: Uber asks for a Driver Verification Report instead.
• A vehicle inspection report. Scans AI virtual inspection for Go, Go Electric and Mini. DEKRA comprehensive inspection for Black, Comfort, XL and Van.

Uber lists no identity documents at all. Not an ID, not a passport, not a permit. We could not confirm what it asks foreign nationals for.

Start the PrDP first. The government says the permit can take up to 12 weeks. Bolt's own PrDP guide says fingerprint processing takes 5 to 10 working days and the card up to 12 weeks, and puts the total cost at about R768.

Vehicles

Foreign documents

Compare every company on foreign documents

Can foreign nationals apply?

Uber says nothing about this. It lists no identity document at all, for anyone. So we cannot tell you what Uber accepts.

You also need a PrDP to carry passengers, and that is the harder part. The government asks for an identity document, a driving licence card or a South African passport. It does not say what happens with other documents. Bolt says a foreign national brings a passport to the licensing centre.

Ask the licensing centre what it accepts before you pay for screening, a medical or a car.

Do I need my own vehicle?

No, not to sign up. Uber says you can register even without a car that meets its requirements, and it points at partners who rent cars to drivers.

The car you end up driving still has to qualify. Uber sets a maximum age, not a fixed year: 12 years for Go, 8 years for UberX, Van and XL, and 5 years for Comfort and Black. So the oldest year that qualifies moves every January.

Uber's 2026 examples are 2014 for Go, 2019 for UberX, Van and XL, 2022 for Comfort and 2021 for Black. Check the year for your product in the app before you buy or rent anything.

Which products and models run in your city also differs. A roadworthy certificate is not required, and Uber says so outright, but an inspection is.

If you rent, be careful with the deposit. Do not pay before you have seen the car and have the agreement in writing.

Questions people ask

Sources

• Apply for a professional driving permit, South African Government Government South African Government. Read on 6 September 2026 . Says you need a PrDP to drive goods, dangerous goods or passengers for an income, and that it covers any vehicle that needs an operating licence. Minimum ages: 18 for goods, 21 for passengers, 25 for dangerous goods. Goods vehicles are covered above 3,500kg. You apply at a driving licence testing centre, or online in Gauteng, and the permit may take up to 12 weeks.
• Drive with Uber in South Africa Company page Uber. Read on 6 September 2026 . Names five cities: Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Durban. Uber still uses the name Port Elizabeth for Gqeberha. Says you can sign up without a car that meets the vehicle requirements and points at a Vehicle Marketplace of partners. States no minimum age.
• Transport gazettes National Land Transport Amendment Act and e-hailing regulations Government Department of Transport. Published or updated 12 September 2025. Read on 6 September 2026 . Says the amended Act and the e-hailing regulations were gazetted on 12 September 2025 for implementation. E-hailing operators pay a standard operating licence application fee, each vehicle must be branded or carry an e-hailing sign, panic buttons must be fitted, and all apps must be registered with the regulators. An app developer who lets a driver work without an operating licence risks a fine of up to R100,000 or up to two years in jail. The statement gives no commencement date and no transition period.
• Uber official website Company page Uber. Read date not recorded . Placeholder. Replace with the platform's own driver sign-up or requirements page, then record the date you checked it.
• Uber requirements for drivers in South Africa Company page Uber. Read on 6 September 2026 . Lists a valid South African PrDP and safety screening. States no minimum age, no licence code, no identity documents and no city list.
• Uber vehicle requirements in South Africa Company page Uber. Read on 6 September 2026 . States a maximum vehicle age in years per product, with a worked example for 2026. States outright that a roadworthy certificate is not required. Lists accepted body types per product.
• Uber: required documents for drivers Company page Uber. Read on 6 September 2026 . Lists a driver profile photo, safety screening results available at any PostNet or Jetline, and a valid South African PrDP. Says a temporary PrDP certificate cannot be uploaded and needs a Driver Verification Report instead. Names Scans AI for Go, Go Electric and Mini and DEKRA for Black, Comfort, XL and Van. Lists no identity documents and no minimum age.