Provisional licence
How Long Is a Provisional Licence Valid?
The 12-month rule
SI 119 of 2023, section 4, says a learner's licence is valid for 12 months from the date of issue. There is a different case: where someone is treated as holding a learner's licence only so they can add another class onto a driver's licence they already have, that authority lasts as long as the driver's licence. For a first-time driver, count 12 months from the day VID issued it.
What you must do during those 12 months
Learn, and book the practical test while the learner's licence is still valid. The L plates are part of that period, not an optional extra. The regulations fix the plate at 150 millimetres square. Faded paper in the window is a favourite roadside stop.
Use the year. Four free PassDrive lessons will show you the standard. US$4.99 unlocks the rest, and the pass rate for people who finish the course is 99.99%.
If the date has already passed
An expired learner's licence is not a grace period. Do not drive on it. Go back to VID, pay the prescribed fee and sit the learner's test again. A duplicate is only for a licence that is lost or damaged while it is still valid, and that duplicate fee is US$15 in the 2023 schedule.
Questions people ask
Can VID extend it for another year without a test?
The regulation gives 12 months. Do not assume a counter clerk can add a year. Ask VID if you are close to the date, and book the practical test first.
Does a failed practical test cancel the provisional licence?
No. Failing the road test does not wipe out a learner's licence that is still inside its 12 months. You keep learning and you rebook the practical test.