The new drivers licence and number plate

Even before the shift made by the JTB from the Sept 30th 2013 deadline, I had come under intense pressure from friends and colleagues in the media, as well as motorists. With the new date drawing nearer and with threats by the Corps to go hard on violators, I have chosen in this article, to […]

Even before the shift made by the JTB from the Sept 30th 2013 deadline, I had come under intense pressure from friends and colleagues in the media, as well as motorists. With the new date drawing nearer and with threats by the Corps to go hard on violators, I have chosen in this article, to focus on the procedure for obtaining drivers’ licence and registering a vehicle, hoping it will solve some of the worries of members of the public. I realise that all the ‘thou shalt’s and ‘thou shalt not’s would make for tiring reading, but I implore you to plod on to the end, as the information contained will do you much good.
Since the Drivers’ licence is the most sought after document because of its multiple values, I would love to treat its procedure first. The drivers’ licence procedure has provisions for fresh applicants, renewal, commercial/professional licence and even diplomats. The instruction for processing commercial/professional class of driver’s licence specifies that the applicant must be 26 years and above and must possess a Private Class of Licence. What this new procedure has done is to eliminate the previous procedure where possessing a class E or commercial driver’s licence was so easy that despite the risky and demanding nature of commercial driving, anybody could walk into a licencing office and insist he needs a class E licence without undergoing any specific test or training. This is why applicants are mandated to attend and pass driving lessons in any FRSC Certified Driving School. Prior to the commencement of this programme under what is termed
 the Driving School Standardization Programme, driving schools were mandated to register, get inspected and be certified. The number registered then was 621. Only the 395 such schools that met the minimum requirements have been given approval to train and present fresh applicants for drivers’ licence, including the commercial drivers’ licence.
In cognizance of the demands of this vocation, emphasis was equally placed on the medical state of the applicant. It therefore compels applicants to under-go medical test at any of the government hospitals in the country. The required medical Fitness format (Form CTHOS 001/001) is available at the FRSC Drivers’ Licence Center.
After collecting this form, the Applicant proceeds to any FRSC approved Government Hospital for Medical Fitness Test and if he passes, he collects Certificate of Medical Fitness. However, should he fail, he goes for Medical Fitness Treatment.
The successful applicant proceeds to VIO for Driving Test and makes prescribed payment at any designated Bank. It is after this process that he is now required to register payment at Board of Internal Revenue (BIR) before proceeding to any FRSC Driver’s Licence Centre (DLC) for presentation of Certificate of Medical Fitness, presentation of Driving School Certificate with VIO’s endorsement, presentation of evidence of payment and Physical Capture. After the physical capture, applicant receives Printed Temporary Licence immediately after successful completion of the process (Valid for 60 days). Applicant collects Original Driver’s Licence from BIR after 60 days.
The instruction for processing driver’s licence (private class only) differs in the sense that unlike commercial driver’s licence which specifies the age of 26years,this class specifies that applicant must be 18 years and above. Applicant must attend an FRSC certified Driving school and must have passed. Unlike the old drivers’ licence which was analogue, the new one is ICT driven as it directs applicants to log on to www.nigeriadriverslicence.org to fill the on-line application or visit FRSC Driver’s Licence Center (DLC), or Board of Internal Revenue (BIR) for guidance. Applicants are required to obtain Medical Certificate of Fitness from Government Hospitals before proceeding to VIO for testing. If successful, the applicant makes payment for National Driver’s Licence (NDL) in a designated bank. Thereafter, applicant registers payment at BIR, appears at Driver’s Licence Center (DLC) for physical capture and receives printed temporary Licence
 immediately (valid for 60 days). Applicant collects original Driver’s Licence from BIR after 60 days.
The process for obtaining the new vehicle number plate for both existing and new vehicle requires the following:
1.      Applicant goes online to htt://www.nvisng.org, fills the Motor Vehicle Registration form accordingly, saves form, prints a copy and takes it (the printed application form) to the One-Stop-Shop, State Board Of Internal Revenue (SBIR) office or Driver Licence Centre to apply for vehicle number plate.  PURCHASE OF THE NEW VEHICLE NUMBER PLATES IS ONLY AVAILABLE AT THE ONE STOP SHOPS.
2.      Applicant pays prescribed fee to MLA/BIR depending on the use of the vehicle.
The vehicle plate number is assigned to the applicant.
3.      Authorized persons verify information provided by the applicant:
a.      VIO physically verifies vehicle information and signs off the appropriate section of the printed form on the National Vehicle Identification Scheme (NVIS) application.
b.      FRSC verifies and validates necessary information provided by the applicant. Applicant must provide valid insurance cover for the vehicle that is verifiable at this stage. Only insurance companies on the approved list of National Insurance Commission (NICOM) are accepted.
4.      SBIR prints out Proof of Ownership Certificate (POC) for applicant.
5.      Applicant collects new POC, Vehicle Identification Tag (VIT) and new plate number from SBIR.
Applicants for plate number revalidation are required to submit their old number plates at the One-Stop-Shop before collecting the new Number.
Wheew!! I hope I have been able to untangle quite a large knot on the ‘mystery’ of obtaining the driver’s licence. But, do go to the FRSC website where you will easily be guided on procedures for driver’s licence/number plate acquisition/renewal.