The date the new prices took effect
Driver's licence fees changed on 8 Jun 2025. The Joint Tax Board, now the JRB, approved the increase. It applied nationwide, to new licences, renewals and re-issues alike, not just one category of applicant.
If you applied or renewed before that date, you paid the old price. Anyone applying since has paid the new one, regardless of which state they're in.
What the review body gave as its reason
The board pointed to two reasons: new security features built into the card, and higher production costs behind the scenes. Neither is unique to Nigeria. Licence and ID cards generally get more expensive to produce as the security features on them get harder to forge.
Reviews like this tend to follow the same pattern everywhere: a new card design or a new anti-fraud feature arrives, and the cost of producing it gets passed on through the fee.
The old figures against the new ones
Before the review, a 3-year licence cost less than it does now, and the same was true for every other term and class. Today, FRSC charges ₦15,000 for 3 years and ₦21,000 for 5. The motorcycle class A sits lower, at ₦7,000 and ₦11,000 for the same two terms.
This was the second increase in recent years. An earlier review took effect in 2021, and the one before that dates back over a decade, so an increase like this one is infrequent rather than routine. Budgeting for it as a rare event, rather than an annual one, is the more realistic approach.
What else moved in the same review
The same Joint Tax Board review also raised number plate fees, covering standard plates and several other categories. That's a separate cost from the licence itself, tied to your vehicle rather than to you as a driver, so it doesn't change what you pay to hold a licence.
Checking you are not paying an old price
If you're quoted a driver's licence fee that looks lower than the figures here, treat it with suspicion rather than relief. Confirm the current price against FRSC's own FAQ, or a filing service that shows the government fee before you pay, rather than accept a flat quote from someone at a motor park or an old printed leaflet.
Old figures tend to circulate for years after a review, copied from one outdated blog post to the next, so the date on whatever you're reading matters as much as the number itself.
For the full breakdown of current fees by term, see our 3-year vs 5-year comparison. For the full renewal process, see our guide to renewing a driver's licence, and for more on licences and vehicle papers, visit the licences and vehicles hub.