The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has announced plans to roll out a fully digital driver’s licence system featuring contactless biometric capture and instant on-the-spot printing, a move designed to end the issuance of temporary licences and modernise the country’s licensing process.
Gatekeepers News reports that Corps Marshal Shehu Mohammed disclosed this on Monday in Abuja during the launch of the 2025 Ember Months Public Enlightenment and Sensitisation Campaign, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
“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.
“With this development, delays and other challenges related to the national driver’s licence will be history,” he added.
Mohammed said the initiative underscores the FRSC’s commitment to leveraging technology to improve service delivery, reduce delays, and enhance operational efficiency across the licensing system.
Clearing Licence Backlogs
The Corps Marshal also revealed that the FRSC has increased its daily licence production capacity to 15,000 and plans to clear all outstanding licences by November 2025, following the recent upgrade of its national printing facility.
Of the 800,000 backlogged licences nationwide, 400,000 have already been printed, while 206,000 remain uncollected. Mohammed urged applicants to visit designated centres to collect their documents.
He explained that the enhanced system is part of broader reforms aimed at addressing delays in issuing licences and number plates, improving data integrity, and ensuring faster processing times.
Background
The new contactless biometric system builds on earlier FRSC modernisation efforts. In February 2025, the corps commissioned a mini driver’s licence printing farm in Lagos, capable of producing 9,000 licences in six hours — a move intended to ease backlogs and decentralise production from Abuja.
The reforms follow the June 8, 2025 approval by the Joint Tax Board (JTB) of new nationwide licence and number plate fees. The updated rates include:
• 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
The last major upward review occurred in 2021, when the three-year motor vehicle licence increased from ₦6,000 to ₦10,000, and the five-year version from ₦10,000 to ₦15,000.
