Driving Licence Classes in Tanzania: A to H, Upgrades, Renewal and Fees

Every driving licence class in Tanzania

The Road Traffic Act lets the regulations set the vehicle classes. The class definitions below are those TRA applies on the mainland, as recorded in the 2017 Tripartite Transport and Transit Facilitation Programme review of Tanzania's licensing system.

The same source notes that C-class vehicles may tow a trailer of up to 750kg. It also says that, because of the 3-year prerequisites, a class C applicant is in practice at least 24 years old, and C1–C3 and E applicants at least 21.

Class D: what most commercial drivers need

Many people searching "class D driving license Tanzania" are surprised to learn that D is not the motorcycle or bus class. It covers light commercial vehicles: pickups, delivery vans and light trucks, plus everything a B licence covers. D also matters because it is the stepping stone. You need to have held D for three years before you can upgrade to the passenger classes C1, C2 and C3 or the heavy class E. If you drive for a living, or think you might, apply for D rather than B.

Class E: heavy goods vehicles

Class E covers heavy commercial vehicles, meaning lorries, tippers, tankers and articulated trucks: every type of vehicle except motorcycles and public service vehicles. You must have held class D for at least three years first. The Road Traffic Act also bars anyone under 21, or with less than three years' driving experience, from getting a licence for a bus or heavy commercial vehicle.

Zanzibar uses different letters

Zanzibar licences use their own scheme. M is the moped class, D and D1 are buses, C1 and C are goods vehicles below and above 3.5 tonnes, E is tractors, F is industrial equipment and L is the learner licence. A Zanzibar "C1" is therefore not a mainland C1. Mainland Tanzania's licence classes also do not match Kenya's or Europe's: a European C1 is a light truck, but a Tanzanian C1 is a minibus. Do not assume a letter means the same thing across borders.

Minimum ages

Section 30(4) of the Road Traffic Act (Cap. 168 R.E. 2023) says a driving licence may not be issued:

• to anyone under 16;
• to anyone under 18, except for a moped;
• for a bus or heavy commercial vehicle unless the person is over 21 and has at least three years' driving experience.

The provisional (learner) licence: class H

Every new driver starts with a learner licence. Under the Road Traffic Act:

• For anything other than a motorcycle, you must be of the required age and have arranged lessons with a driving school or a certified instructor.
• The learner licence lets you drive under the personal supervision of your instructor. Motorcycles may be ridden solo.
• It is valid for three months and can be renewed three months at a time. After 15 months, it cannot be renewed again unless you have taken at least one driving test.
• You can sit the driving test one month after the learner licence was first issued.

You apply through TRA's computerised driving licence system in the taxpayer portal (IDRAS). Choose "Provisional" as the application type, print the payment notice and pay the bill against its control number. The "Print Provisional DL" button becomes available once the payment has gone through.

Getting your full licence

1. Hold a provisional licence and train at a registered driving school. TRA's system records driving schools and the certificates they issue.
2. Submit a "New" application in the TRA portal. TRA's guide says a new licence application can only follow a provisional one.
3. Pay the competence test bill and sit the test. The police examining officer issues a certificate of competence once satisfied that you can drive that class of vehicle and that you know the Act, the Highway Code and road signs.
4. Pay the licence bill against its control number. TRA then issues the card.

How to upgrade to another class

Adding a class works the same way as a first licence, but for the new class only:

• Check that you meet the prerequisite for the class you want. For example, C1–C3 and E require class D held for three years, and C requires C1 or E for three years.
• Get a certificate of competence for the new class from the police. To do this you present your existing licence and pass the test in a vehicle of that class.
• For passenger (public service) classes, the 2017 review records that TRA also required a PCV (bus training) certificate from NIT or VETA. Check the current requirement with TRA or your training school before you book.
• Apply in the TRA portal and pay the licence bill so the new class is added to your card.

Driving licence renewal in Tanzania

A Tanzanian driving licence is valid for five years from the date of issue and can be renewed for further five-year periods (Road Traffic Act, s.30(2)). Cards used to be issued for three years. A 2019 amendment to the Act brought in the five-year term.

1. Log in to the TRA taxpayer portal and choose "Renewal" in the driving licence module.
2. Enter the required details and send the application.
3. Print the payment notice and pay the licence fee against the control number.
4. Collect the renewed card.

Do not let it lapse. TRA's system guide says that if your certificate has expired, you must take a competence test again before the renewal bill is issued. The Act goes further. A licence that has not been renewed within five years of its last issue or renewal lapses and cannot be renewed. Put the expiry date in your calendar and renew before it.

Licences lost or damaged are replaced through a "Duplicate" application in the same portal. Foreign and Zanzibar licence holders use "Conversion". A valid international driving permit or a foreign licence issued under the 1949 Geneva or 1968 Vienna conventions is recognised in Tanzania, but it stops being valid if you stay beyond six months.

Driving licence costs in Tanzania

These are the fees TRA publishes in Taxes and Duties at a Glance 2025/26. TRA does not publish a fee for a duplicate card there, so we do not quote one. The portal shows the amount on the payment notice. Driving school fees are set by each school and vary a lot with the class, so ask several schools for quotes. For a total that includes school fees, see our driving licence cost calculator.

"Road licence" is a different thing. People sometimes search for "road licence Tanzania" when they mean a charge on the vehicle, not the driver. TRA charges a motor vehicle licence fee when a vehicle is first registered (TZS 200,000 to 300,000 depending on engine size), alongside the TZS 250,000 registration tax. If you are bringing in a car, the car import cost guide and the vehicle import duty calculator cover those costs.

For employers with drivers

If your business runs vehicles, check the class as well as the expiry date. A delivery driver on a B licence is not licensed for a light truck, and a pickup driver on D cannot legally drive the staff bus. Keep a copy of each driver's licence card on their staff file, together with the class and expiry date, and check them every year. If you use Tawala HR, you can store licence documents and expiry dates on the employee record, so renewals come up before a licence lapses rather than after a traffic stop.

Sources: Road Traffic Act, Cap. 168 R.E. 2023 (published on tra.go.tz), ss. 24–30 (classification by regulations, learner licences, driving test, certificate of competence, 5-year validity, lapse, minimum ages, foreign licences); TRA, Computerized Driving License System user guide (application types: provisional, new, conversion, renewal, duplicate); TRA, Taxes and Duties at a Glance 2025/26 (licence, test and provisional fees; vehicle licence fee and registration tax); Tripartite Transport and Transit Facilitation Programme, Tanzania final report (1 February 2017), section 1.1.5 (class definitions, prerequisites, Zanzibar classes). Checked 24 October 2026.