Driving Permit for Nigeria
Do you need an IDP in Nigeria? Nigerian regulations restrict driving on a foreign licence alone, and the UK FCDO advises a 1968 IDP for stays past 3 months. Drive side, rules and rental tips.
- Drive on
- Right
- Convention
- 1949 + 1968
- IDP validity
- Up to 12 months
- Processing time
- 24-48 hours
Do you need an IDP to drive in Nigeria?
Nigeria is one of the countries where an International Driving Permit is closer to mandatory than optional. Regulation 82 of the National Road Traffic Regulations 2012 states plainly that a person shall not use a foreign driving licence to drive any vehicle in Nigeria. Regulation 81 supplies the exemption visitors rely on: a person resident outside Nigeria who holds a driving permit issued under the Vienna Convention, in a country party to that Convention, is exempt while that permit is in force. Nigeria is party to both road traffic conventions, having acceded to the 1949 Geneva Convention in February 2011 and the 1968 Vienna Convention in October 2018.
The exemption applies only if you are at least 18 and not otherwise disqualified, and an IDP never replaces your home licence, so carry both. The UK Foreign Office advises that a UK licence covers stays of up to three months, that a 1968 IDP is needed beyond that, and that stays of more than a year require a Nigerian licence. Self-drive hire is less common than in Europe or North America and many visitors are driven instead. Police and Federal Road Safety Corps checkpoints are frequent, so keep your documents within reach.
Nigeria drives on the right: regulation 162 requires drivers to keep right when meeting oncoming traffic and to overtake on the left. Nigeria goes further than most countries by banning right-hand-drive vehicles from import, registration and use altogether. Seat belts are required in front and rear seats, child seats are required for children aged seven and under and must not be fitted in the front row, and making or receiving a call in any form while driving is an offence. The prescribed alcohol limit is 80 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood or urine. Speed limits come from Schedule 8 to the Regulations, with posted signs always taking precedence.
Nigeria recognises the IDP under both the 1949 Geneva and 1968 Vienna Conventions.
Nigeria is a signatory to both the 1949 Geneva and 1968 Vienna Conventions. In practice, an IDP issued by another signatory country is recognised for your permitted visitor stay — in Nigeria, plan on up to 12 months.
What you need to drive in Nigeria
Have these ready before you pick up the keys.
Minimum age 18 - regulation 81 excludes anyone under 18, and anyone disqualified from holding a licence, from the visitor exemption
IDP strongly advised: regulation 82 bars use of a foreign driving licence on its own, and regulation 81 exempts holders of a permit issued under the Vienna Convention
Carry your original national driving licence alongside the IDP - the permit does not replace it
Vehicle must carry valid insurance and roadworthiness certificates, plus a fire extinguisher, inflated spare tyre, first aid box, warning triangles, jack and tools
Nigeria acceded to the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic on 3 February 2011 and to the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic on 18 October 2018, which entered into force for Nigeria on 18 October 2019. Regulation 81 refers to a permit issued under the Vienna Convention, and the UK Foreign Office specifically advises a 1968 IDP, so a 1968-format permit is the better match. Nigeria's international distinguishing sign is WAN.
Regulation 82, headed 'Restriction on the use of foreign driving licence', provides that a person shall not use a foreign driving licence to drive any vehicle in Nigeria. Regulation 81, headed 'Exemption for visitors with foreign driving permits', is what creates the visitor exemption.
Regulation 81's exemption is worded as covering the requirements of the Regulations or any other law 'in respect of vehicles brought into Nigeria', so its scope for a visitor renting a locally registered car is not spelled out in the text. Carrying both your national licence and an IDP is the safe course either way.
Regulation 128 prohibits importing a vehicle with steering fitted on the right-hand side, bars such a vehicle from being registered or driven on any public road, and allows the authority to apply to the High Court for forfeiture and destruction. 'Driving Right-Hand Steering Vehicle' is a ticketed offence carrying 10 penalty points.
Regulation 175 sets the prescribed alcohol limit at 80 milligrams in 100 millilitres of urine or blood, determined by a breath analyzer administered by a member of the Federal Road Safety Corps, or by urine or blood test carried out by a medical officer.
Regulation 119 requires every vehicle to carry a fire extinguisher, inflated spare tyre, first aid box, emergency warning triangles or cones, jack, wheel spanner and tools, plus its insurance and roadworthiness certificates. Private cars and taxis require one 2kg fire extinguisher.
What to know before you turn the key
Nigeria drives on the right — the driver sits on the left, and roundabouts flow anti-clockwise.
Carry your IDP and your original license together — rental desks and police checks will ask for both documents.
Self-drive rental is less commonly offered in Nigeria than in Europe or North America, and many visitors hire a car with a driver instead. Where self-drive is available, expect to be asked for both your home licence and your IDP.
Right-hand-drive vehicles are banned outright: regulation 128 prohibits importing, registering or driving them, and a court may order forfeiture and destruction of the vehicle.
Police and Federal Road Safety Corps checkpoints are common on federal roads. Keep your licence, IDP and vehicle papers within reach.
Traffic offences are ticketed by the Federal Road Safety Corps with a naira fine plus penalty points on the driver record. The schedule to the 2012 Regulations sets, among others, driver's licence violation at N10,000 and 10 points, speed limit violation at N5,000 and 5 points, seat belt violation at N5,000 and 5 points, use of phone while driving at N4,000 and 4 points, driving under alcohol or drug influence at N5,000 and 5 points, and dangerous driving at N50,000 and 10 points. Accumulating more than 14 penalty points within 12 calendar months can trigger suspension of a licence for up to 6 months, while 21 points or two consecutive suspensions withdraws it for a year. Several offences carry imprisonment as an alternative to a fine. For IDP holders specifically, regulation 81(3) allows a court that convicts you of a driving offence in Nigeria to order that you lose the right to drive any vehicle in the country for a specified period, and to endorse the particulars of that order on your permit. Impounded vehicles attract a custody fee of N200 per day, or N100 for motorcycles and tricycles, after an initial 24 hours of grace. These amounts date from the 2012 Regulations and may be revised, so check the current FRSC schedule rather than relying on older figures.
Signs you'll meet on the road
Eight internationally recognised signs — including which side of the road Nigeria keeps.
Common questions about driving in Nigeria
Drive Nigeria, confidently.
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