New Digital Plates for Vehicles — Everything You Need to Know to Avoid Fines!

Monday, January 6, marked the rollout of the third phase of the Motor Vehicle Digital Registration Number Plates, targeting both private and public transport vehicles. This phase involves a two-category system, with different procedures for new vehicles entering the country for the first time and vehicles that are being re-registered.

Categories of Vehicles

1. Imported Vehicles (First-time registration):
   • Vehicles entering the country for the first time, either from Kenya or Tanzania, will undergo registration at Malaba (for those coming from Kenya) and Mutukula (for those coming from Tanzania).
   • Owners or importers of these vehicles will be required to pay 714,300 shillings for the digital registration plate.
   • Motorcycle digital registration plates will cost 50,000 shillings.
   • To register, the vehicle must be in the owner’s name.
2. Replacement of Old Plates:
   • Replacing an old number plate with a new digital one costs 150,000 shillings.

Types of Imported Vehicles and Registration Process

• Direct Imports (DIRECT IM4):
  • This category includes vehicles that clear taxes at entry points like Mombasa (Kenya) or Dar es Salaam (Tanzania).
  • These vehicles can enter the country with a digital registration plate and a logbook.
  • Once taxes are cleared, the importer will log onto the booking system at portal@itms_ug.com to book their digital registration plate.
• Bonded Warehouse Imports (IM7):
  • Vehicles imported and stored in bonded warehouses will clear taxes later.
  • After taxes are cleared and assessments are done on the Uganda Revenue Authority portal (including Ministry of Works assessments), the importer can book a digital registration plate through the portal@itms_ug.com .
  • Upon booking, the importer will receive a confirmation text and can select the time and location for the plate’s fitting.

Contact Information for Assistance

The joint contractor, Joint Stock Company Global Security, is overseeing the exercise. For inquiries, they can be reached at:

• Phone: 0200420000
• Email: Inquiries@mvr.go.ug

Transition Timeline

The Ministry of Works and Transport has provided a two-year period for current vehicle owners to migrate to the new digital number plate system, which is part of the Intelligent Transport Monitoring System (ITMS).

Progress So Far

• The first year of the rollout targeted government vehicles. As of now, 2,143 government vehicles have been fitted with the new plates.
• The system was extended to motorcycles in November last year, and 11,721 motorcycles (both private and public) have been fitted with digital plates, especially those newly imported or assembled.

Public Feedback and Criticism

The new digital numbering system has received some criticism from the public. Key concerns include:

• Readability: The new plates are harder to read or memorize compared to the old system.
• Identification: Government vehicles are more difficult to identify, as they no longer use distinct letters for each ministry or agency.

Under the digital number plate system, the format for private vehicle numbers is UA 001AA, for trailers it’s T UA 001AA, and for motorcycles, it’s UMA 001AA. This differs from the old system, which used the format UAA 001A.

Government Vehicle Numbering

Government vehicles are now identified by the prefix UG, followed by a two-digit number that specifies the ministry and a five-digit vehicle number. For example, UG 32 00042 would identify a vehicle from the Ministry of Health (with 32 representing the Ministry of Health).

For the Ministry of Local Government, vehicles will have the prefix LG, followed by the district number (instead of UG, which represents Central Government).