As of January 1, 2026, vehicle number plates in Ghana will no longer display the year of registration, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has announced.
Instead, plates will be redesigned to highlight the region of registration, alongside a unique four-digit number and a zonal code.
The Chief Executive Officer of DVLA, Julius Neequaye Kotey, explained that the new approach is aimed at modernising the system and addressing abuse of temporary plates.
DVLA to introduce new number plates
For instance, a car registered in Greater Accra will have the region’s name displayed at the top of the plate.
If it falls within the Adenta zone, the code AD will appear after the vehicle’s four-digit number.
This replaces the current practice of showing the registration year, such as “25” for 2025.
Kotey also disclosed changes to the use of DV (Defective Vehicle) plates, which were originally meant for dealers to move unregistered vehicles for repairs or test drives.
According to him, many private owners misuse DV plates as a way to avoid registering their vehicles, keeping them on the road indefinitely.
To curb this, the DVLA will roll out redesigned DV plates along with new TMP (temporary) plates.
A fresh sticker system will also be introduced for vehicles not yet cleared for road use, ensuring proper tracking and identification.
On September 5, 2025, the DVLA boss shared images of the new plate designs on social media, noting that the reforms are part of broader efforts to tighten regulation and build public confidence in Ghana’s vehicle registration system.
See the samples below:
SSD/AE
