DVLA Begins Issuing '26' Number Plates Suffix Amid Delay in New Licensing Regime
- The DVLA has begun issuing 2026 number plates as legal delays stall the planned new registration system
- The rollout will continue under the old regime after Parliament failed to amend L.I. 2180 before recess
- The authority said new RFID-enabled plates will be introduced once the necessary legal framework is passed
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has begun the issuance of the '26' vehicle number plate suffix.
The rollout of the 2026 number plate, which takes effect on Friday, January 2, 2026, follows a delay in the implementation of the new vehicle registration regime.
Source: UGC
According to the Director of Corporate Affairs at DVLA, Stephen Attuh, the authority was forced to maintain the old registration regime due to its inability to complete the needed legal amendments to roll out the new system.
“The specific regulations in the LI-2180, which we require to be able to amend before we can introduce the plate, which was not successfully done before Parliament went on recess. And so being a law-guiding institution, that regime must actually be in place before we can roll out the new license plate," he was quoted to have said in a Citinewsroom report.
“In the absence of that, we are compelled to go along with the current registration system or regime that we have,” he said.
Speaking to Citi FM on Friday, January 2, 2026, Stephen Attuh said the old vehicle registration system will remain until the legal issues with the new regime are resolved.
“So, we’ve moved from the suffix 25, which is for the year 2025, to the suffix 26, which is beginning today. So instead of the original plan of taking away the suffix, unfortunately, because we couldn’t go through, that would be allowed to happen until we get the amendment done, then we can roll on to the new system and platform, and issue those plates,” Attuh added.
He further assured Ghanaians that the DVLA will implement the new number plate system as soon as Parliament passes the necessary amendments.
DVLA plans to introduce RFID-enabled number plates
The current leadership of the DVLA, led by Julius Neequaye Kotey, had put measures in place to phase out the year-based number plate system.
The proposed new system was designed to be RFID-enabled, a feature that would allow authorities to digitally scan them for vehicle tracking, speed monitoring, and law enforcement.
However, to roll out this new system, it required an amendment to the Road Traffic Regulations (L.I. 2180) by the Parliament of Ghana.
Source: Facebook
DVLA suspends rollout of new number plates
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority had suspended the rollout of new licence plates due to legislative delays.
The authority explained that the delays are linked to some shortcomings that occurred in Parliament wth the Road Traffic Regulation, 2012.
This suspension came after the Vehicle Embossment Association of Ghana sued the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority over the new registration system.
Proofreading by Samuel Gitonga, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
