The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has announced a major change to vehicle registration, with registration numbers to remain attached to the registered owner rather than the vehicle under Ghana’s new road traffic laws.
The change is contained in the Road Traffic (Amendment) Act, 2025 (Act 1153) and the Road Traffic Regulations, 2026 (L.I. 2519).
Under the new system, when a vehicle is sold, its registration number will remain with the previous owner and will not be transferred to the buyer.
The new owner will instead be required to register the vehicle with the DVLA and obtain a new registration number.
Speaking at a national sensitisation programme on the new road traffic laws, DVLA Manager for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Lilian Sevor, explained that the previous owner could retain the registration number for another vehicle, provided the replacement vehicle falls within the same category.
She said a retained registration number would, however, be withdrawn and made available for reassignment if the owner failed to use it within five years.
Ms Sevor also announced plans by the DVLA to recall existing vehicle number plates nationwide as part of the implementation of a new system for issuing biennial renewal stickers.
She said the current number plates would be replaced with new ones during the exercise.
According to her, the new registration system is intended to help the DVLA maintain a more accurate and up-to-date database of vehicles operating in the country.
She said the system would also enable the Authority to establish the number of vehicles registered and in use in Ghana at any given time, while strengthening monitoring and regulation of vehicle registration.
The DVLA said the reforms form part of broader efforts to improve vehicle identification, registration and regulatory compliance under the new road traffic laws.
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