"Vehicle documents" covers more than one paper, and losing one is a different problem from losing another. This affidavit is for the ones a court, not FRSC, deals with.
Which vehicle papers this covers
This affidavit fits a missing proof of ownership, a purchase receipt, or particulars you can no longer produce for a sale, an insurance claim, or a bank asking to see them.
It is not the right document for an expired vehicle licence, a lost number plate, or a lost driver's licence. Each of those has its own route with FRSC or the relevant state office.
How it differs from a lost licence
A driver's licence is personal to you; vehicle documents belong to the vehicle. Losing one does not automatically mean the other is affected.
If your licence itself is lost, FRSC's own route is the Re-issue of Driver's Licence option on the FRSC portal, not a court affidavit. See replacing a lost driver's licence for that process.
What to state in the affidavit
Identify the vehicle clearly: make, model, plate number, and the chassis or engine number if you have it recorded anywhere.
State exactly which document is missing, roughly when you noticed, and what you believe happened to it. If more than one paper went missing together, such as a receipt and a customs document, name each one rather than describing them as a single bundle.
A commissioner for oaths, a notary public, or a judge of the Federal High Court or a higher court takes the oath and stamps the affidavit. Keep the sealed original, since a bank, insurer or buyer will usually want to see it, not a copy.
What the vehicle office wants next
An affidavit alone rarely closes the matter. Whoever issued the original document, such as a state vehicle registry or the seller's paperwork trail, will usually want its own proof before reissuing anything.
If the vehicle itself was stolen, rather than just its papers, report that to the police first. See how to report a stolen vehicle online.
Selling the vehicle without the original proof of ownership is harder than it should be. Buyers, and their banks if a loan is involved, tend to ask more questions when a document has to be explained rather than simply shown.
What it costs at court
The government charge for swearing a single affidavit is a small stamp duty, set by the court where you swear it.
See affidavit of loss: cost in Nigeria for how that figure and any service fee are usually broken down, separate from whatever the vehicle registry charges for its own reissued document.
Common mistakes
- Confusing this with a lost licence and going to the wrong office first.
- Leaving out the chassis or engine number, which makes the affidavit harder to match to one vehicle.
- Assuming a buyer or bank will accept the affidavit without also seeing whatever replacement the vehicle registry issues.
- Not keeping a photocopy of the sealed affidavit before handing the original over anywhere.
For where affidavits are sworn generally, see our affidavit guides and affidavit of loss: where, how and how much.