If you are interested in getting a car down the road but are yet to get the full experience, it is likely that you will need to visit a driving school. But while undertaking your studies, you need to apply for a learner’s driving permit that can accommodate you through the period.
This is basically a restricted license that is given to a person who is learning to drive but has not yet satisfied the prerequisite to obtain a driver’s license. In Uganda, the learner’s driving permit is given a duration of 3 months, if these pass before the applicant has visited the IOV and passed the competence test, then they would have to renew their license.
Read About: Simple steps on how to obtain a Uganda driving license while abroad – the conversion process
How do you apply for a learner’s driving permit?
You will need to download the application form from the UDLS website. Fill the application form and ensure that you visit a registered medical practitioner for a physical examination.
Then, go to the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) Portal to generate the Learners’ assessment form (PRN). When on the URA website, click on eServices. On the eServices page, under Payments, click on Payment Registration. On the Payment registration page, select NTR under the Tax Head section and fill in the Taxpayer Details.
Select your preferred NTR head under the Details of NTR section – this is Learner/Provisional Driving License. At the bottom, select your preferred payment option. When you are done with filling the form, click accept and register. Download and print this assessment form.
With this, go to any bank of your choice and pay the appropriate fees which amount to UGX 60,000 to URA’s account. If you are not sure of this, the bank usually provides the account number. Alternatively, you can pay through MTN Mobile Money and Airtel Money.
After payment, go to UDLS Offices with the bank receipt to prove the payment made, together with the duly filled application form. UDLS should capture your Biometric features and will issue to you the Learners’ driving permit.
The new driving license issuance process
The URA recently released details about the new driving license issuance process that people are required to follow when they are getting driving licenses. The new URA fees for processing and production i.e fees and license production fees will be generated on a single PRN (Payment Registration Number) generated from the URA portal.
Below are the new changes and rates as communicated by URA.
| Item | Description | Key changes |
| PRN generation for driving license | All fees will still be configured on the URA portal, under Non-Tax Revenue (NTR) | The PRNs will now include both non-tax revenue fees (URA) and license production fees for Uganda Security Printing Company (USPC) |
| Valid PRNs previously generated for driving permits but not yet paid. | These are PRNs that had been registered for permit issuance through Face Technology but have not yet been paid and are still valid by 27th Feb 2021. They do not contain the production fee component. | These PRNs were all expired and canceled. Please advise the clients to generate new PRNs from the web portal. The new PRNs will have both NTR and production fees. |
| Valid PRNs previously generated for driving permits and paid, but permits not yet processed. | These are PRNs that had been registered for permit issuance through Face Technology and have been paid but the permit processing at Face Technology was not yet completed. They do not contain the production fee component. | The clients will be required to generate additional PRNs from the URA portal for only the production fees for either Learners or Full permits. |
Read About: How much are the new driving permits?
How much are the driving permits in Uganda?
| TYPE OF LICENSE | 1 YEAR (UGX) | 3 YEAR (UGX) | 5 YEAR (UGX) |
| Learner’s/Provisional Licenses | 60,000 | ||
| New Full Driving License | 135,000 | 230,000 | 330,000 |
| Driving License Renewal | 130,000 | 210,000 | 310,000 |
| Duplicate Driving License | 121,000 | 121,000 | 120,000 |
| Class Extension for each class | 121,000 | 121,000 | 121,000 |
| Foreign Exchange | 230,000 | 230,000 | 330,000 |
| Text Fees for each class | 25,000 | 25,000 | 25,000 |
Drivers of commercial vehicles will receive the Professional Driving Permit (PrDP). These are drivers of passenger vehicles with more than 8 passengers and goods vehicles that carry more than 3500 kg. Those that completed the process at Face Technologies are advised to wait for the notification on when they can pick their license then go to UDLS offices at the main Railway Station on plot 57 Nasser road.