The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has announced that it will begin issuing 2026 DV number plates from Monday, January 19, 2026 even as it awaits parliamentary approval for the full rollout of the controversial RFID-enabled vehicle number plate system.
According to the Authority, the release of the DV plates forms part of transitional arrangements to ensure uninterrupted vehicle registration while processes toward the new vehicle registration regime are completed.
Addressing a press conference, the Director of Driver Training, Testing and Licensing at the DVLA, Kafui Semevo, said the 2026 DV plates will maintain the existing registration format, as the current law governing vehicle registration remains in force.
“We ask for some grace period. We are releasing the DV plates by Monday and we have continued with the old format of registration so that people who want to register their vehicles can do so,” he explained.
Mr. Semevo stressed that the move ensures the public is not denied the opportunity to register vehicles and legally use the roads while preparations for the new system continue. He added that the plates will be issued exclusively to fleet dealers, and not individual vehicle owners.
The DVLA also urged vehicle owners to participate in the ongoing nationwide onboarding and pre-registration exercise ahead of the introduction of the RFID-based system.
Mr. Semevo warned that from 2027, vehicles that have not been on boarded and pre-registered will not be permitted to operate on Ghana’s roads.
“When we start the new number plate, it will run until the end of 2027, by which time we expect everyone to be fully enrolled into the new system. Beyond 2027, if you have not on boarded and pre-registered your vehicle, you cannot be on the road,” he cautioned.
He noted that there is currently no deadline for onboarding, describing it as a continuous process, and encouraged vehicle owners to visit DVLA offices nationwide to complete the exercise.
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of the DVLA, Julius Neequaye Kotey, revealed that the Authority has received clearance from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to begin issuing driver’s licences in five countries.
He disclosed that the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has approved the initiative, which will see DVLA operations extended to the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands.
“These five countries will witness DVLA’s presence, and we will be issuing licences there,” Mr. Kotey said.
The DVLA says the measures form part of broader efforts to modernise vehicle registration, enhance road safety, and streamline service delivery both locally and internationally.
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