Dr. Fred Matiang’i, the former secretary of the interior cabinet, introduced the new digital license plates on August 30, 2022. He said in his speech that the new license plates had security features to reduce crime and occurrences of motor vehicle theft.

A scannable hologram and a serial number that matches the car’s chassis number are a couple of these elements. Additionally connected to this data is the vehicle’s current owner. There’s also a Kenyan flag and a new, aesthetically pleasing font design.

When a vehicle is registered at the port of entry in Kenya, it is equipped with new license plates. Owners of older license plates, however, will have to apply for new ones as they were given until April 1, 2024 to process the replacements. This covers all cars, both owned by the government and the private sector, as well as vehicles used by diplomats, international organizations, motorcyclists, and tuktuks.

This brings up the important question: How can one apply for a new license plate in Kenya?

How To Apply For the New Generation Number Plate in Kenya?

The eCitizen portal is used to apply the latest generation digital plates.

Applying for new license plates for a car will cost you Ksh 3,050, and for a motorcycle, Ksh 1,550.

Make sure you have a colored copy of your logbook and the front and back images of the current number plate. Everything must be attached as a single PDF file.

The four steps of the application procedure should only take you five minutes to finish. Now let’s get going.

Step 1. Login To Your eCitizen Account

You can use this link to access the eCitizen portal: https://accounts.ecitizen.go.ke/

Enter your details and log in.

You can be certain that you are logged into the correct account since your data will appear at the top of the screen.

Click National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) (New) after scrolling down to the agencies section.

Once you’ve followed the instructions, the NTSA portal should appear as in the picture below.

In order for you to be certain that you are signed into the correct account, your details will also be displayed here.

Scroll down until you see the cars and motorcycles registered in your name.

To view the vehicle or motorcycle, click View.

Click on the Motor Vehicle Services button.

Step 2. Apply For Reflective Plate

Select the Reflective Plate option and click Apply.

Verify the car’s details, then click the Next button.

Step 3. Enter the Vehicle Particulars

First, choose New Generation from the list of reasons for a reflective plate.

Next, attach the PDF file including the logbook and number plates together.

The quickest way to do this is to snap photos of the front and back of your car with the number plates visible, using your phone. and, take a picture of the logbook and attach all three photos to a Word document and save the document as a PDF.

Select the Required Reflective Plate by scrolling  down. Select the back plate exclusively for a motorcycle, but select the front and back plates for a car.

Select the Type of Number Plate both front and back. Oblong means rectangle.

Next, select your preferred notification method. Email and SMS are both safe options.

Enter the information about the authorized person to collect the plate.

If you are a citizen of Kenya, choose National Identification under ID Lookup, or any other preferred choice.

Enter both your first name and your ID number in the designated field.

Next, press the “Search” button. If the data you entered above is correct, the remaining information about you will appear.

Finally, to verify that the information you submitted on the application is accurate, enter your phone number and email address and check the declaration box.

After scrolling down, select “preview.”

Once you are confident that the data you entered is accurate, scroll down and click the “complete” button.

Step 4. Make Payment

Pay the specified amount using your choice of payment.

Don’t pay more or less than what is specified.

To complete the procedure, click complete after finished.

A success message verifying that the payment was successfully processed will appear.

You must now wait seven business days, after which the NTSA will let you know when the number plate is ready for pickup.

Make sure you have both the old plates and your original ID with you when you go to pick up the new license plates.