VID Provisional

Overview

In Zimbabwe the provisional licence, also called the learner driver's licence, is the first step to driving legally. The test is booked and written at a Vehicle Inspectorate Department (VID) station or depot. After it, you take driving lessons and then a road test with the VID.

No official government page was read for this page. The details come from a 2017 legal-education article and a 2023 consumer guide to the Road Traffic (Licensing of Drivers) Regulations, 2023 (Statutory Instrument 119 of 2023). The 2017 article's figures in particular may be out of date, so confirm everything with the VID.

Rules under the 2023 regulations

The consumer guide says the regulations took effect on 23 June 2023 and make these changes:

• A learner's licence is valid for 12 months.

• The minimum age for a learner's licence stays at 16 in most cases, with stricter rules for passenger vehicle licences.

• Learner's licences need a practical test and an oral or written test.

• A certificate of competency is issued after the driving test, valid for 30 days as a temporary licence.

• Licence codes changed to A, A1, B1, B, BE, C1, C, CE, D1, D and DE, and fees are set in US dollars.

The guide lists licence application fees by code, which it gives as $25 for codes A, A1, B1 and B,$30 for BE, C1 and D1, and $40 for C, CE, D and DE. It says codes C, D and D1 require the driver to be 25. These are 2023 figures from a consumer guide, so check the current fees with the VID.

Steps to a licence

The 2017 article describes this order:

1. Get the Highway Code, which sets out the rules of the road, and read it fully.

2. Book a provisional licence test at your nearest VID station or depot.

3. Write the test. In 2017 it cost US$20, paid and receipted at the VID at booking.

4. Take lessons with a registered driving school. The article says the law then required at least 30 lessons, and warns against paying for a provisional licence or a pass, which it calls corruption.

5. When your instructor says you are ready, book the road test at the VID (also US$20 in 2017 per the article) and take it.

6. Collect the licence yourself from the VID depot where you took the test. A paper licence comes first, and the plastic card follows by registered mail.

Common road test errors

The 2017 article warns against: speeding, hitting drums when reversing, crossing the line at traffic lights, rolling back on a hill start, hitting the kerb when parallel parking, running amber or red lights, failing to give way, rolling through a STOP sign, and forgetting indicators or mirrors.

Marking and results

The question count, time allowed and pass mark for the provisional test were not stated in the sources reviewed.

Preparation tips

• Study the Highway Code; the 2017 article calls it the main source of road rules in Zimbabwe.

• Learn only from a registered driving school.

• Check the VID for the current test fee before booking, as the 2023 regulations changed fees.

FAQs