It’s illegal in Kenya to drive a vehicle without a valid driving licence. If found guilty it can attract a fine of up to Ksh 1,000.
Therefore, you should ensure you renew your driver’s licence immediately upon expiry.
Today, driving licence renewal in Kenya is done via the eCitizen portal which is a one-stop shop for all Government services.
How To Renew Your Driving Licence Online
Renewing your driving licence online is a 5 step process that will take you not more than 5 minutes to complete.
Step 1. Log In To Your eCitizen Account
The eCitizen portal can be accessed via this link https://accounts.ecitizen.go.ke/
Click the sign in button on the top right to login.
Upon a successful log in, your details will be displayed above the website, you can therefore be sure you’re logged in to your account.
Scroll down and click on the Apply for a Driving License icon.
You will then be redirected to the NTSA dashboard.
You will see your driving licence details and the status, in this case it’s expired and we need to renew it.
Click the Renew button below.
Step 2. Provide Driving Licence Information
Under Type of Renewal select the type of driving licence that you have, if it’s the Red Book like in this case select it.
- If you're renewing the smart driving licence this option will not be available as the system already picks that you have a smart DL.
- The rest of the steps are however similar with only one extra step where you will be required to enter a collection center for your Smart DL.
Proceed to enter your place of birth and Blood Group if known.
Scroll down and provide more information i.e. your country of residence, county of residence, and physical address.
Step 3. Attach Your Passport Photo
On this tab attach your passport photo, it should be in JPG or JPEG format.
NOTE!
- This option is not available for smart driving license users. Jump to this section on the next steps on how to renew a smart driving license.
For the Red Book DL users once you’re done attaching your photo check the box below to confirm that you have provided all the information required and click on Renew.
Step 4. Make Payment
There are several options available for payment, select the option you want and a drop-down menu with the instructions to pay will be displayed.
It costs KSH650 to renew your driving licence in Kenya for one year.
Once paid click the complete button.
Step 5. Download The Renewed Driving Licence
At this point your driving license is renewed click the download button on the top right to download it.
The renewed driving licence should look like the image above.
Print and keep it with you in your car or save it on your phone so that you can present it to a traffic police officer if you’re asked for it.
How To Renew Smart Driving License
Once you have provided the general information you will be redirected to the payment section as shown below.
There are several options available for payment, select the option you want and a drop-down menu with the instructions to pay will be displayed.
Unlike the Red Book driving license, the Smart driving license renewal is limited to a period of 3 years.
It will cost you Ksh 3,050 to renew the Smart driving license in Kenya valid for 3 years.
Once paid click the complete button.
You will be directed to this page from where you can download your receipt.
At this point, your driving license is renewed but you will need to visit a Huduma Center near you for them to capture your biometrics and take a passport photo.
- When going to the Huduma Center carry with you the payment receipt and your original ID.
- Once that's done you'll need to wait for 3 to 4 weeks then NTSA will communicate with you to go collect your smart driving license at the collection center that you earlier selected.
Kevin Muya is an award-winning entrepreneur and the visionary Founder and CEO of Scepture Empire Limited. With a passion for e-commerce and digital marketing, Kevin has revolutionized online marketplaces in Kenya through innovative ideas that transform buyer-seller interactions.