Get your first driving licence
National Transport and Safety Authority · sources read 30 Sep 2026
Get a provisional licence on the NTSA portal (KSh 650), learn at a licensed driving school, book and pass the NTSA driving test (KSh 650), then apply for your interim licence (KSh 750) and smart driving licence (KSh 3,050).
- Fee
- KSh 650Provisional driving licenceKSh 650Driving test bookingKSh 750Interim licenceKSh 3,050Smart driving licence (after the test)
- How long
- Full licence within six months of the interim licence
- Where
- Online on the NTSA service portal (eCitizen login), plus lessons and the test through a licensed driving school
What you need
- Provisional driving licence application (Form 6), filled in on the NTSA portal
- A filled medical certificate (Form 4), sent with the driving test application
Steps
- Log in to the NTSA service portal with your eCitizen account, apply for a provisional driving licence and pay KSh 650.
- Enrol in a licensed driving school. All your lessons must be with a licensed driving instructor.
- After you pass the school's internal test, the school applies to NTSA for your driving test (KSh 650), with your medical certificate.
- Sit the NTSA test: theory, highway code and traffic signs, road safety, and a practical drive of at least 2 km. Pass and you get a certificate of competence.
- Apply for an interim driving licence. NTSA then issues your full driving licence within six months.
Watch out
- The provisional licence lasts only three months. You can renew it once for another three months, for a fee.
- With a provisional licence you may only drive with a driving instructor present.
- The school books your NTSA test only if you pass its internal exam first.
Who can apply
- Anyone who wants to learn to drive a category of vehicle starts with a provisional driving licence.
Official sources (3)
- The Traffic (Driving Schools, Driving Instructors and Driving Licences) Rules, 2020 (L.N. 28 of 2020) new.kenyalaw.org · read 30 Sep 2026
- NTSA Citizen Service Delivery Charter (2026) ntsa.go.ke · read 30 Sep 2026
- NTSA service portal serviceportal.ntsa.go.ke · read 30 Sep 2026