How to Apply for the New Digital Number Plates from the NTSA

The Interior Cabinet Secretary, Dr Fred Matiangi, on 30th August 2022, launched the much anticipated digital number plates. All motor vehicle, motorbike, and three-wheeler owners in Kenya have 18 months to replace the older plates with the new ones.

The new plates are equipped with enhanced security features to prevent fraud and motor vehicle theft cases. Some of those features are invisible to the naked eye, only law enforcers can access the information from them.

The new plates feature the Kenyan flag, a serial number and a hologram. It has the vehicle’s full information including ownership, colour, year of manufacture, type of vehicle, chassis number, etc. The features will make it very easy for the government to trace all motor vehicles in the country.

Motor vehicle and motorbike owners will part with KSH3000 and KSH1500 respectively to replace the older plates with the new digital number plates. 

There are two ways to apply for the digital number plates; manually and online. The following is a step-by-step guide on how to get the new digital number plate for your vehicle or motorcycle:

How to apply for the digital number plates manually

1. Get an application form from the NTSA.
2. Fill it with the vehicle’s specifications and the type of plates required.
3. Submit the fully-filled form to the NTSA offices
4. Make a KSH3000 payment (motor vehicles) or KSH1500 (motorbikes).
5. You will receive an SMS notification on when and where to pick them up.

How to apply for the digital number plates online

1. Send a text message, “NTSA” to 22847.
2. Log in to your TIMS account on https://tims.ntsa.go.ke.
3. Go to “Apply for reflective number plate”.
4. Select the kind of vehicle that you are applying the digital number plate for.
5. Indicate the number plate type.
6. Submit the name of the person who will pick it up and your preferred location.
7. Pay KSH3000 or KSH1500 depending on whether it is a car or a motorcycle. Preferred plates cost KSH30,000.
8. You will receive a text message when your new digital number plates will be ready.