Guide on How to Register a Car in Nigeria (2024)
Find below the procedures to register your new vehicles in Nigeria easily, the documents & requirements you would need and cost of car plate number.
It is important to register your car in Nigeria so as to enable you have a valid plate number and use your car to ply Nigerian roads. Also note that all cars, whether imported or newly bought, must be registered in Nigeria and it costs some money to register vehicles in Nigeria.
One might ask, why is car registration important? Car registration in Nigeria is important because government officials who regulate traffic can seize or impound vehicles when they notice it has no covering papers. It is therefore important to learn or better still know how to register your car in Nigeria so as not to fall prey to these government agencies in charge of car registration in Nigeria.
Before I delve into the steps on how to register your vehicles, you should be aware that Abuja and Lagos have the most expensive plate numbers in Nigeria.
Documents for Car Registration in Nigeria
The important documents that are required to register a car in Nigeria includes: drivers license, valid ID card (International Passport or national ID card) and proof of address.
Others are custom papers (imported car), chassis number, and engine number, and proceed to State Board of Internal Revenue/Motor Licensing Authority (SBIR/MLA).
Steps on Registration of Cars in Nigeria (2024)
Below are steps, detailing you on how to register your vehicles in Nigeria currently
Step 1: Have a valid drivers license
Before you start, ensure you have a valid drivers license. You can apply for a drivers license at a Federal Road Safety Commission office near you. We covered drivers license registration in one of our post . If you want to renew your FRSC drivers license at the commissions office.
You would be issued with a temporary driver’s license that will be valid for 60 days. After the 60 days, your new driver’s license will be ready for pick up. So, after getting a valid driver’s license, move to the next step
Step 2: Registration/Payment for Vehicle Plate number
At SBIR/MLA office, you will pick up the allocation of plate number form where you will fill in all the necessary details on the form and then submit this form with original copies of all the required document.
You will have to pay for vehicle number plate which is an important process to register your car in Nigeria, after which your car will be physically inspected to check for its road worthiness by the VIO (Vehicle Inspection Officer). After the inspection is done, you would be issued a Road Worthiness Certificate, your Proof of Ownership Certificate (POC), Vehicle Identification Tag (VIT) and your plate number. The cost of having a plate number as of writing this article is N50, 000 depending on the state.
Also note that car insurance is important in registering a car in Nigeria and they come in two forms namely:
- Third Party Auto Insurance Cover and
- Comprehensive Auto Cover.
Third Party Auto Insurance Policy is usually done by an insurance company to protect car owners from losses caused by their cars on other people in the course of driving. That is why it is advisable to do auto insurance with a known insurance company. On the other hand, the comprehensive auto cover is the third party auto insurance and “more.”
Comprehensive Auto Cover comes in when you want to indemnify yourself against car theft and fire.
Step 3: Do FRSC verification process
The following documents will be checked by the FRSC for a brand new car and a fairly used car.
The verified documents for a brand new car are driver’s license, auto insurance policy, attestation letter from my car dealer, car invoice, delivery note from my car dealer, my passport photograph, Motor Vehicle Duty Certificate, and means of proof of address (address on utility bill).
Also, the verified documents for a fairly used (imported or Tokumbo) are Certificate of Entry, Payment Schedule, Engine Number, Receipt of Purchase, Terminal Delivery Order, Vehicle Releasing Invoice, and my passport photograph.
After due verification, the official will forward all documents to a policeman attached to the unit to sign and stamp.
That is it on how to register a car in Nigeria, I hope you find this information helpful and useful. If there is any other process or method I missed, use the comment section to share your opinion. Thanks
