No inspection, no certificate
Lagos runs a simple rule for roadworthiness. There is no certificate without a computerised inspection at a LACVIS centre first.
This is not a formality. Your vehicle is actually checked before VIS will issue anything.
What the fee is based on
VIS bases the certificate fee on the vehicle's engine capacity. A bigger engine costs more to certify than a smaller one, the same principle Lagos uses for the vehicle licence itself.
VIS does not publish exact amounts on its FAQ. Ask at a LACVIS centre for the current figure for your vehicle.
The inspection itself is not billed separately. Its cost sits inside the certificate fee you pay.
This is different from how Lagos prices the vehicle licence, which publishes exact figures by engine band. A roadworthiness certificate follows the same basis, engine capacity, without the same published table.
What happens if your vehicle fails
Not every vehicle passes on the first attempt. VIS gives you a window to fix the fault, then come back for a free re-test.
You are not charged again for that re-test. Fix the problem, return, and the second check comes at no extra cost.
Do not treat this window as a reason to delay repairs. A vehicle that keeps failing stays without a valid certificate, and driving without one is its own separate risk.
How long a certificate lasts
For a commercial vehicle, the certificate is valid for six months. This rule reaches further than you might expect: it also applies to a pick-up or a bus registered as private, once the vehicle itself is commercially designed.
VIS's own FAQ does not state a validity period for an ordinary private car. Rather than guess a number here, check the date printed on your own certificate, since that is the figure that actually governs your vehicle.
Lagos also gives no grace period once any vehicle document expires, roadworthiness included. Renew before the date on your certificate, not after it.
Common mistakes
Assuming your car will simply pass because it drives fine is the first mistake. The inspection checks specific safety standards, not general road performance.
Believing a re-test costs extra is the second mistake. VIS's policy gives you a free retest within your fix-it window. Assuming a pick-up or minibus is exempt from the six-month commercial rule because it is registered as private is a third, and an expensive one if papers lapse.
Waiting until the expiry date itself to book a fresh inspection is a fourth mistake. An inspection and any repair it turns up both take time you may not have left.
For more on vehicle papers, see the licences and vehicles hub and our FRSC vehicle licence renewal guide.