Digital vehicle number-plate registration starts in January - Over 4 million existing vehicles to be re-registered

Effective January 1, next year, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) will begin a new registration system for all vehicles under a new digital number-plate regime.

The initiative, which is meant to improve vehicle identification, would start with the registration of new vehicles on January 1, 2026, to be followed with the re-registration of the country’s over four million existing vehicles from April 1, 2026 to December 1, 2027.

The new registration regime introduces advanced security features to improve vehicle identification and ensure effective surveillance.

The Director of Driver Training, Testing and Licensing at the DVLA, Kafui Semevo, explained that the technology and legal preparations needed for the full roll out of the initiative were in the final stages.

He made this known at a media engagement in Accra last Thursday.

Mr Semevo explained that per the timelines for roll out of the initiative, system readiness tests would be completed by November 15, this year, while a pilot starts on December 15.

“By December 2027, we expect to have completed the re-registration of all vehicles in the country,” he said.
 

Security features

The DVLA Director of Driver Training, Testing and Licensing  explained that the new number plates would contain Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips for digital activation and instant verification by enforcement agencies.

“When we activate your plate, you are the only one using that plate. If you are on the road with a fake plate, the police or enforcement agencies can identify you,” he said.

Mr Semevo said the new number plates would be colour-coded for easy identification — white for private vehicles, yellow for commercial, blue for motorcycles and tricycles, and green-marked plates for electric vehicles.

Additionally, he said government, diplomatic community, trailer and equipment vehicles would have distinct identifiers, while dealer plates would display dealer codes and expiry dates.

Enhancing accountability

Again, he said the new registration regime would eliminate unauthorised printing of number plates and ensure accountability by the DVLA. “Currently, people can get number plates printed outside the DVLA, but going forward, printing will be done only in-house and under state supervision,” he said.

He said the exercise would also involve converting existing paper-based records into digital files, a process the DVLA refers to as onboarding.

“Existing vehicle owners who do not have the DVLA smart card have not been onboarded.

We advise that they visit any of our registration centres between now and April 2026 to complete the onboarding before the re-registration begins,” he said.

Appointment

Touching further on the registration process, he said it would be done strictly by appointment, and based on request.

“Customers will send an electronic request, and we (DVLA) will give them an appointment to come with their vehicles for registration,” he said.

He said the authority would also issue temporary plates to allow vehicle owners who were not ready for full registration to use their vehicles legally for a limited period.

Mr Semevo said some provisions in the existing laws would be amended to reflect the new vehicle registration system.

“We will have to amend Section 40 of Act 683, Regulation 10 of L.I. 2180, and Regulation 24 of L.I. 2180,” he said.

“The draft legislation has received Cabinet approval and is now before Parliament for consideration,” he stated.