Rising costs: An in-depth look at fee hikes in Vehicle Registration Center (Nefaa) services

Report by Petra Abou Haydar, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian.

The increases in fees approved within the new budget will impact the beneficial services provided by the Vehicle Registration Center (Nefaa). The cost of these services will increase between 5 percent and 12 percent. How will the prices be?

Let us start with driving licenses. If you want to obtain a driving license, you now need to pay two million Lebanese lira instead of LBP 42,000.

However, after completing this process, you still need to undergo an examination. The fee is now set at LBP 300,000 instead of LBP 30,000.

The cost of a driving license was previously LBP 72,000, but now it is two million and 300,000 Lebanese lira. As for the international license, its price has increased from LBP 125,000 to one million and 150,000 Lebanese lira.

If you want to renew your driving license or get a replacement for a lost one, you have to pay LBP 250,000 instead of LBP 42,000.

But what about the Mechanic? The mechanic fees have increased tenfold and vary based on the age of the car and its horsepower.

The fee for replacing license plates has also changed, now costing LBP 750,000 instead of LBP 30,000. 

However, be aware that the fee for installing new plates has not changed in the new budget; it is still set at LBP 15,000 per plate. This fee adjustment is still pending a decision from the Ministries of Finance and Interior and Municipalities.

Now, if you have a "special" number plate, what fees will you incur? These fees have increased 12 times more and vary depending on the classification and category of the number.

If you violate traffic laws, the fine will be multiplied by ten. If you delay registering your car, the fine has become one million Lebanese lira per week instead of LBP 100,000.

All these documents will incur an additional cash stamp fee, which was previously LBP 10,000 and is now LBP 100,000, directly deposited at the Vehicle Registration Center. 

Some documents also require an adhesive stamp, which was supposed to be replaced with an electronic alternative obtained through money transfer companies. 

However, this stamp alternative is currently unavailable at these companies due to its changed value, and a new mechanism for its issuance is being discussed between the Ministry of Finance and these companies.

On the one hand, the numbers show that the new cost is less expensive in parallel to the US dollar. 

For example, a driving license that used to cost around 48 US dollars now costs approximately 25 US dollars. However, it is illogical for employees to pay these fees while their salaries have lost value in parallel to the US dollar, especially government and military personnel.