The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has announced a major upgrade to Nigeria’s driver’s licence system, unveiling plans to fully digitalise the process and eliminate the use of temporary licences. This marks a significant step toward modernising road safety administration and easing the burden of obtaining valid driving documents across the country.
FRSC Corps Marshal, Malam Shehu Mohammed, revealed this during a press briefing held in Abuja on Monday to flag off the 2025 ember months public awareness campaign.
According to Mohammed, the corps is ready to roll out a contactless biometric capture system that allows for on-the-spot printing of permanent driver’s licences. The innovation is expected to eliminate the long-standing issue of delays and the overreliance on temporary permits.
“We are about to commence the contactless biometric capture with on-spot printing of the licence. This will eliminate temporary licences, thereby signalling the beginning of a digitalised one-stop shop for processing driver’s licences,” Mohammed said.
He added that the new approach is part of FRSC’s commitment to improving service delivery through technology, and to make the process faster, easier, and more secure for all Nigerians.
To support the transition, the FRSC has boosted its capacity to produce up to 15,000 driver’s licences daily following a major upgrade of its printing facilities. This move is expected to clear the national backlog of pending applications by November 2025.
Out of the estimated 800,000 delayed licences across the country, Mohammed noted that 400,000 have already been printed, while 206,000 remain uncollected by applicants. He urged Nigerians who have applied to visit the appropriate centres to collect their licences.
“With this development, it is expected that delays and other challenges related to the national driver’s licence will be history,” he stated.
The Corps Marshal explained that the enhanced system will improve data integrity, reduce processing times, and ensure more efficient and transparent service delivery.
This digital initiative builds on the FRSC’s earlier efforts to decentralise and modernise its operations. In February 2025, the agency launched a mini licence printing centre in Lagos, which can produce 9,000 licences in six hours. The centre was established to reduce the pressure on the Abuja headquarters and speed up processing for applicants in the South-West.
The Lagos facility is also being used as a model to replicate similar centres across the country.
Meanwhile, the cost of obtaining a driver’s licence in Nigeria has gone up following a recent price adjustment approved by the Joint Tax Board (JTB). The new charges took effect from Sunday, June 8, 2025, and apply nationwide.
The updated rates are:
Motor Vehicle Driver’s Licence (3 years): ₦15,000
Motor Vehicle Driver’s Licence (5 years): ₦21,000
Tricycle Driver’s Licence (3 years): ₦7,000
Tricycle Driver’s Licence (5 years): ₦11,000
This follows previous increases made in 2021, where the cost for a three-year licence rose from ₦6,000 to ₦10,000, and the five-year licence from ₦10,000 to ₦15,000.
While the new digital system is expected to improve service delivery, some Nigerians have expressed concern over rising costs, especially in light of the country’s economic challenges.
Once fully implemented, the new contactless biometric system will:
Eliminate temporary licences completely
Allow applicants to capture data and receive their licences on the spot
Reduce long queues and waiting times
Ensure faster and more reliable verification of driver information
Improve safety and compliance through more accurate data
The FRSC is expected to begin the rollout of this initiative soon, with full national implementation projected over the coming months.
Citizens are advised to stay informed through official FRSC channels and to promptly collect their licences once notified.
