Motor vehicle licensing

Motor vehicle licensing was brought under the Service in 2021, ending a decade in which registration sat with one agency, plate production with another and roadworthiness with a third. A vehicle owner now deals with one authority, one record and one payment reference, whether the transaction is a first registration in Kano Municipal or a renewal handled from a phone in Bichi.

A vehicle carries five separate obligations and it is worth keeping them distinct. Registration is a one-off event that brings the vehicle onto the State register and produces a proof of ownership certificate. The number plate is a physical item produced under the National Uniform Licensing Scheme. The vehicle licence is an annual road tax. The roadworthiness certificate records that the vehicle passed a physical inspection. A hackney permit is required in addition where the vehicle carries passengers for hire.

Third-party motor insurance is compulsory under federal law but is not a State charge: you buy it from an insurer and produce the certificate before a licence is issued. Nothing beyond the five obligations above and the insurance certificate may lawfully be demanded of you at a licensing station or at a checkpoint.