The upgraded Nigerian driver’s licence is recognised in the U.S. and Europe, the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) said on Thursday.
The Lagos Sector Commander of the FRSC, Mr Chidi Nkwonta, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that three states in the U.S. and seven countries in Europe accepted the licence.
According to him, the licence is recognised in Maryland, Washington DC and California in the U.S. as well as Germany, Turkey, Switzerland, Poland, Spain, Austria and Sweden in Europe.
“Maryland accepts Nigerian driver’s licence provided it verifies that it is genuine; Washington accepts Nigerian driver’s licence, and California too.
“We have seven countries already in Europe that accept our driver’s licence, and we are working on other countries in Europe, “ Nkwonta said.
The commander added that the FRSC was working hard to make sure that the Nigerian driver’s licence was accepted in all states in the U.S.
He said that the data base and identity of the holder of the licence could be accessed in those countries, and that genuineness of the licence could be ascertained.
Nkwonta said that the licence contained a lot of security features that would make it difficult to produce fake copies.
“These countries know the processes of obtaining a driver’s licence in Nigeria and the security features the licence contains; once they confirm its genuineness, they accept it,“ he said.
He, however, told NAN that the holder would only be allowed to use the licence for a period of time in those countries.
The sector commander said that, after the period, the authorities of the countries would issue their own driver’s licence.
He urged applicants to be determined to obtain the genuine driver’s licence.
