As part of the structured rollout of a new vehicle number plate regime scheduled for 2026, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has directed that all vehicles registered in Ghana prior to 2023 must have their records transitioned from the Authority’s manual system onto its digital platform.

Accordingly, affected vehicle owners are required to visit any DVLA office, without delay, to facilitate the migration of their details into the digital system.

The Authority explains that this process is a prerequisite for eligibility to obtain the new number plates, once the requisite Parliamentary approvals for the implementation of the new regime have been concluded.

"Customers whose vehicles fall under this category need to visit any of our offices across the country to ensure that their manual registration files are migrated to the digital platform before we finally roll out the new licence plate system," Director of Corporate Affairs at the DVLA, Stephen Attuh told Graphic Online's Timothy Ngnenbe in an interview in Accra on Wednesday, January 7.

He explained that because vehicles registered before 2023 were manually done, the owners would have to be onboarded on the authority's digital platform as a matter of necessity.

Mr Attuh stressed that vehicles that were not onboarded on the digital platform would not be able to acquire the new licence plate when the parliamentary processes were eventually completed for the initiative to take off.

Last year, the DVLA announced the introduction of new licence plates in 2026, which was expected to begin in January.

The proposed framework is designed to feature embedded Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, enabling enhanced tracking and verification of vehicles.

Meanwhile, on December 24, 2025, the Chief Executive Officer of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), Julius Neequaye Kotey, disclosed that the rollout of the policy had been put on hold, pending Parliamentary endorsement of the new regime.

According to him, the suspension was unavoidable as an amendment to the Road Traffic Regulation, 2012 (L.I. 2180) — which outlines the specifications, design and security features of vehicle number plates in Ghana — remains under consideration by Parliament and is yet to receive approval.