Tanzania Driving Licence Fees

Tanzania driving licence — fees by class

Tanzania driving licences are issued by the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) after a driving test administered by the Tanzania Police Force (Traffic Department). A licence is valid for 5 years and can be renewed for further 5-year periods. TRA's published fees are the same for every class; what changes the total is whether you are applying for the first time, renewing, or renewing after the licence has expired.

Licence classes

• A — motorcycles, with or without a sidecar, above 125cc.
• A1 — motorcycles without a sidecar, under 125cc.
• A2 — motor tricycles and quadricycles (for example bajaji).
• A3 — mopeds not exceeding 50cc.
• B — private vehicles: all motor vehicles except motorcycles, commercial, heavy-duty and public service vehicles.
• C — public service vehicles with 30 or more passenger seats. Requires C1 or E held for 3 years.
• C1 — public service vehicles with 15 to 29 passenger seats (for example daladala and coaster-size buses). Requires D held for 3 years.
• C2 — public service vehicles with 4 to 14 passenger seats. Requires D held for 3 years.
• C3 — public service vehicles seating 4 or fewer including the driver (taxis). Requires D held for 3 years.
• D — light commercial vehicles: all vehicles except motorcycles, heavy-duty and public service vehicles.
• E — heavy commercial vehicles: all vehicles except motorcycles and public service vehicles. Requires D held for 3 years.
• F — track-laying vehicles steered by their tracks.
• G — farm or mine vehicles.
• H — provisional (learner) licence.

Minimum ages (Road Traffic Act, s.30(4)): no licence under 16; no licence under 18 except for a moped; a bus or heavy commercial vehicle licence only for someone over 21 with at least three years' driving experience. Full guide: Driving Licence Classes in Tanzania.

Where the cost comes from

• Provisional (learner) licence: TZS 10,000.
• Driving test: TZS 3,000.
• Driving licence: TZS 70,000, renewable every 5 years.
• Duplicate card: TRA does not publish this fee; the portal shows it on the payment notice.
• Driving school: set by each school and varies by class, so it is not built into the calculator. Enter your school's quote to include it.

Process

1. Apply for a Provisional licence in TRA's driving licence system (taxpayer portal) and pay against the control number. It is valid for 3 months and renewable 3 months at a time.
2. Train with a registered driving school or certified instructor.
3. After at least one month, submit a New application, pay the test bill and sit the police driving test to get a certificate of competence.
4. Pay the licence bill against its control number; TRA then issues the card.

For renewal, choose Renewal in the portal and pay the licence fee. If the licence has already expired, TRA requires a new competence test before the renewal bill is issued, and a licence not renewed within five years of its last issue or renewal lapses. Lost or damaged cards are replaced through a Duplicate application.

Class D and class E driving licences in Tanzania

Class D is the licence most working drivers need, and it is often misunderstood: it is not a motorcycle or bus class. It covers light commercial vehicles such as pickups, delivery vans and light trucks, as well as the private vehicles a class B licence covers. D is also the stepping stone to the professional classes. You must hold it for three years before you can move up to C1, C2 or C3 (public service vehicles) or E (heavy commercial vehicles). If you drive for a living, or might, apply for D rather than B.

Class E covers heavy commercial vehicles, such as lorries, tippers, tankers and articulated trucks: every type of vehicle except motorcycles and public service vehicles. You need class D held for at least three years first, and the Road Traffic Act bars a heavy commercial vehicle licence for anyone under 21 or with less than three years' driving experience. Class C, for buses with 30 or more passenger seats, in turn requires C1 or E held for three years.

What you will pay: three common cases

• First licence, any class: provisional TZS 10,000 + test TZS 3,000 + licence TZS 70,000 = TZS 83,000, plus your driving school's fee.
• Renewal before expiry: TZS 70,000 for another five years.
• Renewal after the licence has expired: a new competence test (TZS 3,000) plus the licence (TZS 70,000) = TZS 73,000. This only works while the licence can still be renewed: one not renewed within five years of its last issue or renewal lapses.

Driving licence renewal in Tanzania, step by step

1. Log in to the TRA taxpayer portal and choose Renewal in the driving licence module.
2. Enter the required details and submit the application.
3. Print the payment notice and pay the TZS 70,000 licence fee against its control number.
4. Collect the renewed card.

Licences used to be issued for three years; a 2019 amendment to the Road Traffic Act brought in the five-year term. A valid foreign licence or international driving permit is recognised in Tanzania but stops being valid once you have stayed more than six months. Foreign and Zanzibar licence holders apply through a Conversion application.

Driving licence vs road licence

People who search for "road licence" usually mean a charge on the vehicle, not the driver. When a vehicle is first registered, TRA charges a motor vehicle licence fee of TZS 200,000 to 300,000 depending on engine size, alongside the TZS 250,000 registration tax. Those costs are built into the vehicle import duty calculator.

Sources: TRA, Taxes and Duties at a Glance 2025/26 (licence, test and provisional fees); Road Traffic Act, Cap. 168 R.E. 2023, ss. 26–30 (learner licence, test, 5-year validity, lapse, minimum ages); TRA, Computerized Driving License System guide (application types); Tripartite Transport and Transit Facilitation Programme, Tanzania final report (2017), s.1.1.5 (class definitions and prerequisites). Checked 24 October 2026.

Take this further

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