Before you start

CERPAC or evidence of lawful residence
Your foreign licence, with an English translation where needed
An FCT address
Biometric capture at an FRSC or DRTS centre

Step-by-step

1
Use the foreign licence only for the first weeks
A valid foreign licence in English is generally accepted for a short period after arrival, commonly stated as up to 90 days. It is not a long-term basis for driving in Nigeria.
In personWho: YouFirst 90 days
2
Check the FRSC foreign driver's licence process
The Federal Road Safety Corps operates a distinct process for foreign nationals converting an existing licence, separate from the ordinary Nigerian learner route. Confirm the current requirements with the FRSC directly — the process and its portal have changed more than once and blog descriptions go stale fast.
OnlineWho: You
3
Otherwise use the standard route through DRTS
Capture at an accredited driving school, a learner's permit, a test with a Vehicle Inspection Officer, then the licence. In the FCT the Directorate of Road Traffic Services administers this. Licences are issued for three or five years.
In personWho: You
4
Register a vehicle with the FCT DRTS
FCT registration produces Abuja plates, proof of ownership, a roadworthiness certificate and annual renewal. Compulsory third-party motor insurance is national; verify a policy is genuine through the industry's insurance database rather than trusting a paper certificate.
In personWho: You
5
Try the light rail before dismissing it
Phase 1 of the Abuja light rail runs from the city centre out toward the airport with a dozen stations and is operational, with electrification works continuing to improve frequency. It is not a full network and it will not replace a car for most people, but for the airport run it is a genuine alternative to a two-hour round trip.
In personWho: You
6
Understand the keke and okada restrictions
Commercial tricycles and motorcycles are restricted on the main city arterials and permitted in parts of the satellite towns, with periodic enforcement waves. Where a ride-hailing bike can legally pick you up depends on which district you are standing in.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Foreign driving licence and English translation if needed
CERPAC or residence evidence
Passport
Proof of FCT address
Passport photographs

Things most newcomers don’t know

Abuja is the one Nigerian city where owning and driving a car is straightforward.

The master plan gave the city wide dual carriageways, generous parking and a grid that mostly works, and cross-town journeys are twenty to thirty minutes rather than the two hours a Lagos bridge crossing can take. The chauffeur culture that dominates Lagos is much weaker here, and plenty of foreign residents drive themselves without a second thought. If your only reference point for Nigerian motoring is Lagos, recalibrate.

Source: community-reported

Verify motor insurance against the industry database, not the paper certificate.

Fake motor insurance certificates are a real problem in Nigeria and a worthless policy is only discovered at the worst possible moment. The Nigerian Insurers Association maintains a database against which a policy can be checked, and insurers will confirm a policy number directly. Buy from a recognised insurer or a broker you can verify, and check the policy exists before you need it.

Source: community-reported

The light rail is real, runs, and is still not a substitute for a car.

Phase 1 of the Abuja light rail covers roughly 45 kilometres with a dozen stations linking the city centre toward the airport, and it operates — after a long suspension it was brought back into service and electrification work has continued since. What it is not is a network reaching the residential districts most people live in. Treat it as an excellent airport link and a limited commuter option, and do not plan a car-free life around it.

Source: community-reported

Road travel outside the FCT is a different risk calculation from driving inside it.

Driving within Abuja is easy. Intercity road travel in parts of northern and central Nigeria carries security considerations that vary by route and by month, and the honest local practice is to fly between cities where flights exist and to take route-specific advice where they do not. This is not a reason to avoid Nigeria; it is a reason not to generalise from a pleasant experience of Abuja's own roads.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Driving on a foreign licence long past the settling-in period.
Assuming a European licence converts automatically without checking the FRSC route.
Buying motor insurance without verifying the policy exists.
Planning a car-free life around a light rail that covers one corridor.
Applying Lagos assumptions about drivers and traffic to a very different city.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.