A new two-year goal to replace all car number plates in Ghana between January 1, 2027, and December 31, 2028 has been declared by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA).
Meanwhile, the DVLA intends to begin testing the new digital number plate system on August 1, 2026, which is just two weeks away.
However, on September 1, 2026, all unregistered vehicles will be registered, starting with government vehicles.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the DVLA, Julius Neequaye Kotey, stated at a media conference in Accra on Friday, July 10, 2026, that January 1, 2027, remained the effective date for re-registration of automobiles in Ghana until December 31, 2028.
He clarified that the deadline for finishing system modifications for the exercise’s pilot phase was July 31, 2026.
During the press briefing, the passing of the supporting legislation by Parliament was not mentioned.
However, in order to strengthen Ghana’s vehicle identification system, Mr. Kotey reaffirmed the DVLA’s commitment to implementing the new number plates and vehicle re-registration regulations.
After that, he urged all parties involved—including driver unions—to back the project.
He explained that the new system integrated the vehicle registration database with other organisations, including the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) toll system, the National Insurance Commission (NIC) motor insurance, the police, and the judiciary, in addition to helping to prevent revenue leaks in the registration process.
According to Mr. Kotey, it was depressing for state law enforcement organisations like the Ghana Police Service and the Economic and Organised Crime Organization (EOCO) to write to the DVLA requesting information on vehicles implicated in criminal activity, but the authority was unable to promptly supply it.
“Sometimes this information on vehicles are required to grant people bail, but because we do not have it readily available, they end up spending some days in police custody, and this must change,” he said.
The DVLA declared in October 2025 that a new digital number-plate system would be implemented for all vehicles starting on January 1, 2026.
According to the authority, the project, which aims to enhance vehicle identification, would begin with the registration of new cars on January 1, 2026, and then re-register Ghana’s more than four million current vehicles between April 1, 2026, and December 1, 2027.
Additionally, according to the DVLA, the new license plates will have Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips for digital activation and immediate verification by law enforcement.
However, the DVLA CEO stated at a news conference on December 24, 2025, that the policy’s execution had been halted while Parliament approved the revised procedure.
He explained that the suspension of the program was required since Parliament was still debating and had not yet accepted a proposed revision to the Road Traffic Regulation, 2012 (L.I. 2180), which outlined the format and contents of vehicle number plates in the nation.
The DVLA said on January 7 of this year that owners of all vehicles registered in Ghana prior to 2023 must make sure that their information has been transferred from the authority’s manual system to the authority’s digital platform as part of the planned rollout of new vehicle license plates.
Director of Driver, Training, Testing, and Licensing Kafui Semenyo explained at last Friday’s press conference that onboarding cars to the new digital platform would be an unmistakable sign that all taxes had been paid and that the car had been correctly registered with the government.
In the event of theft, he said, the installation would also demonstrate legal possession of the car title and provide the police with real-time machine information.
He emphasised, “If you do not onboard your vehicle, you cannot obtain your certificate or title and vehicle registration card; you cannot register your vehicle when the mandated new vehicle registration and re-registration exercise commences; and you will violate road traffic law and get sanctioned.”
Source: newsthemegh.com