Ghana’s Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has announced that vehicle registration numbers will remain with the registered owner after a sale, as stipulated by the Road Traffic (Amendment) Act, 2025 (Act 1153) and the Road Traffic Regulations, 2026 (L.I. 2519). The change means that when a vehicle changes hands, the previous owner keeps the plate, and the purchaser must register the car and receive a fresh registration number.
During a national sensitisation programme on the updated road traffic laws, Lilian Sevor, Manager of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation at the DVLA, explained the new protocol. She said the retained registration number could be reassigned to another vehicle bought by the former owner, provided it falls within the same vehicle category. However, if the number is unused for five years, it will be withdrawn and made available to other owners.
Sevor also revealed that the DVLA will recall existing number plates nationwide as part of a new biennial renewal sticker system. Existing plates will be replaced with new ones during this process. The overhaul aims to give the Authority a more accurate record of vehicles operating in Ghana, improving monitoring and regulation.
With the new system, the DVLA will be able to determine the number of vehicles in the country at any given time, enhancing oversight of vehicle registration.
