Did you get a new car pre-installed with a Factory tinted glass? Or do you plan on getting a tint permit to manually install that tinted glass for your car? In this article you will find everything you need to know about how tinted permits work in Nigeria.

These days, cars are like second homes to the average owner, with researches backing this statement with analysis that show that the regular car owner spends 223.6 weeks of their life in their vehicle, this falls slightly short of the 234 weeks regular humans spend eating in their lifetime.

In 2019, the last normal year we had, over 92 million cars were produced worldwide with the United States witnessing a registration of 276 million cars that year alone. This statistics show that cars have become not just a medium of transport, but a way of life in modern times.

With this new-found attachment to this tetrapod machine, it becomes pertinent that an acquisition so personal should maintain the necessary privacy to ensure one’s safety.

Whether in stationary or in mobility, a car has to keep its owners life private and one of the best ways this is achieved is the installation of a tinted glass.

What is a tinted glass?

For starters, a tinted glass is one that has been treated with a coating to film to reduce the amount of light passing through it. These glasses come either pre-installed from the manufacturers or can be manually added by a user.

What Are The Advantages Of Tinted Glasses

Although they are also called ‘privacy tinted glass’, as privacy remains the primary reason for any installation, the purposes of tinted glasses transcend this use. Here are some other advantages of tinted glasses.

Aesthetic

The usual bold black coating or film that comes with a tinted glass gives the vehicle a more matured, artistic and sometimes sporty feel. It also enhances the beauty of a car and is one of the few modifications that doesn’t require a complete overhaul of a part.

Carjackers

A thief would usually steal only what they can see and with a tinted glass reducing the visibility of the interior of your car to almost zero, this possibility is drastically reduced.

Luxurious feel

A tinted glass is typically associated with the wealthy, and if that is your preferred class of reference, then an installation will give you that rich feel.

Reduces Sun Heat

Its a fact that sunlight is an healthy offering to the skin as it helps the body develop Vitamin D, but continued exposure to even a fairly hot sun would leave you vulnerable to skin burn or even death. On average in the United States, 38 children under the age of 15 die each year from heatstroke after being left in a vehicle. The tropical climate of Nigeria means the heat could be even worse.

In addition, on an a hot day, the temperature of a car can more than double the room temperature to 172° Fahrenheit, just 1 degree shy of the boiling point of alcohol.

A tinted glass could substantially mitigate this as it is able to deflect 79% of sun heat.

Blocks Harmful sun rays

Also present in sunrays are ultraviolet light, which are harmful to the skin. Their after-effects range from ageism including wrinkling and thickening, to changes in pigmentation or worse, skin cancer. A tinted glass blocks 99% of UV radiation.

Helps Prevent Fading

Car seats, dashboard as well as the paintings in a car will fade more than two times faster under a consistent gaze of the sun. When a tinted glass is installed, it extends the life span of several car parts considerably, which not only maintains its luxuriant look over a lengthy period of time but also saves you the cost of replacement.

Tinted Glass in Nigeria

Plying Nigerian roads in a tinted vehicle requires authorisation from the country’s body in form of licenses called Tinted Permits.

The agency in charge of issuing tinted permits in Nigeria is the Nigerian Police Force, and no matter the state of registration, the legitimacy of the document is effective nationwide. Without the permit, it is a criminal offence to sport modified glasses on a vehicle.

However, tinted permits are issued only to factory fitted tinted cars and not user-modified vehicles.

On What Grounds Can A Tint Permit Be Acquired

Tint permits can only be issued on two especial circumstances: Security and Health reasons.

Security

The regular Joe or Jane cannot nonchalantly purchase a factory fitted Benz and expect a straightforward issuance of a tint permit.

Security threats posed to public figures and politicians rank them as firm candidates to obtain a work permit. However, if you don’t fall into this categories but have pressing security concerns that might endanger your life, there is a strong likelihood you might be offered a permit.

Health

As stated in the benefits of a tinted glass, sunlight pose various health risks to the skin. Some people are vulnerable to infirmities that might be resultants of or aggravated by direct or extensive exposure to sunlight.

In such cases, it becomes pertinent that a tinted permit be coherently issued.

How To Obtain A Tinted Permit In Nigeria

In line with recent technological advancements in several sectors of law enforcement agencies, a tinted permit can be obtained without stress online via the Nigerian Police Force official website.

To register for a permit visit www.npf.gov.ng/tinted/ :

After which you are required to:

• Fill the Application form on the right hand side of the landing page to obtain an Application ID.

• Complete the Application Process by Login in with email provided and the Application ID shown below.

• Complete the Bio-Data form when logged-in and provide the details of the Vehicle you want to obtain a Tinted Permit for.

• Finally, take the Print-out to any Police Command, to capture your biometrics and collection of your Tinted Permit Certificate.

If any difficulty is encountered or any consultation is required, you can contact the Nigeria Police Force via email on ncis@npf.gov.ng. However it is easier and faster to visit the nearest police station in your locality.