The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has sounded a final warning to vehicle owners still using 2025 DV plates, forged 2026 DV plates, or expired and fake DP stickers, announcing that from Monday, May 4, 2026, offenders will face arrest and prosecution.
At a press conference at the authority’s Headquarters in Accra yesterday, the Director of Vehicle Inspection and Registration, Kwasi Bona Otuo-Serebour, disclosed that despite several extensions and public notices, non-compliance remains alarmingly widespread.
“Enforcement measures will be escalated effective May 4, 2026. Our compliance team, in collaboration with the MTTD, will proceed to arrest and prosecute individuals found operating vehicles with 2025 DV plates, forged 2026 DV plates, or expired and fake DP stickers,” Mr Otuo-Serebour declared.
The Authority initially granted a temporary extension in December 2025 for the use of 2025 plates into January 2026 due to operational challenges. The 2026 DV plates were officially released in February 2026, followed by another public notice on March 19, 2026, announcing a nationwide joint enforcement exercise with the Ghana Police Service.
Targeted operations at Spintex, GIMPA, UPSA, and a special exercise at Tema Harbour on April 17, 2026, led to the seizure of 40 vehicles. Data from March 24 to April 16, 2026, reveals that out of 707 vehicles inspected across Head Office–Adentan, Tema, and Nsawam, only about 31.7 per cent were compliant.
The Head Office–Adentan zone recorded 338 checks with 148 expired 2025 plates. Nsawam recorded the highest number of expired DP stickers, with 34 cases. A total of 165 vehicles were found using forged 2026 DV plates.
Mr Otuo-Serebour stressed that sub-regulation 11 of Regulation 23 of the Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (LI 2180) expressly prohibits the use of a vehicle bearing a forged trade licence. He urged all vehicle owners to regularise their documentation immediately, describing compliance as “not only a legal obligation but also essential to maintaining order, safety and integrity within our road transport system.”
By Kingsley Asiedu
