The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has denied allegations of imposing unauthorized fees while maintaining that all its charges are legally approved.

This is a response to the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Effia Constituency, Isaac Boamah-Nyarko's claim that the Authority is imposing charges without seeking the constitutionally required parliamentary approval.

Speaking to JoyNews on October 16, Director of Corporate Affairs at the DVLA, Stephen Attuh, explained that the Authority is a “law-abiding institution” that only permits fees duly approved in its operations.

“Let me be emphatic. DVLA is a law-abiding institution. An institution that is a creature of law. And at every point in time, whatever fees or charges that DVLA imposes are those approved by Parliament. At no point has DVLA imposed any fees that have not gone through Parliament,” he said.

He further stated that the mandate to operate under the Fees and Charges (Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations, 2023 (LI 2481), which outlines the legally approved charges for various state agencies has not changed.

“In that LI at page 123, it contains the fees and charges that are approved by Parliament for the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority,” he noted. “If he believes that this was not approved or we are charging something illegal, we can have that roundtable discussion,” he said.

Adding that the Ministry of Finance compiles the fees of state institutions and submits them, through sector ministries, to the Parliamentary Select Committee on Finance for approval including the charges.

The DVLA, however, emphasized that its operations are fully in consonance with parliamentary and legal procedures.

Member of Parliament (MP) for the Effia Constituency,

“The DVLA had gone ahead to charge people for fines, amongst others, without a request to parliament. And that is an affront to the law,” he alleged.

Ahead of DVLA's response, Member of Parliament (MP) for the Effia Constituency, Isaac Boamah-Nyarko, made claims that the Authority was imposing charges without seeking the constitutionally required parliamentary approval.

“The DVLA had gone ahead to charge people for fines, amongst others, without a request to parliament. And that is an affront to the law,” he alleged on JoyNews' AM Show on Thursday.

Meanwhile, DVLA has announced a major shift in its number plate system as it phases out the old method of issuing plate numbers with the year of registration. The new system is expected to take effect in January 2026.

This change was announced by the Authority’s CEO, Julius Neequaye Kotey, during an interview with Channel One’s Umaru Sanda, which was aired on Tuesday, August 19. Mr. Kotey revealed that the new system will identify vehicles by the region in which they are registered rather than the year.

“And now, the concept of putting the year of registration at the end of the car number plate is coming to an end. From next year, we will no longer put the year of registration at the end of the plate.”

Explaining further, he said: “With the new plan, number plates will change. Currently, we have GW 2530. With the new plan, every region will have a regional code. For example, Greater Accra’s code could be GR. At the end of the number, where the year used to be, we will now place an area code. For example: GR 222 AD. That tells you the car was registered in Adenta, a particular district/office. So, instead of just the code, we will also put the region name on top of the plate. For example, Ashanti Region will have ‘Ashanti Region’ written on top, the regional code AS, then the number, and finally the district code — e.g., KM for Kumasi.”

According to him, Ghana currently operates the registration-year plate number system because the older method, which used alphabets, was exhausted when the final letter ‘Z’ was reached, necessitating a switch.

He noted that, globally, Ghana is the only country that issues number plates with the year of registration on them. “No country in the world puts the year at the end of the car. The whole world — there’s no single country, really. When you go to the US, you go to the UK, I’ve been to Germany — there’s no single country. So, it came because they were first using ABC at the end. Then Z came. Then there was nothing left for them to use; ‘Let’s put the 09.’”

Mr. Kotey explained that the removal of the registration year is also intended to curb the misuse of DV and DP plates, encourage proper vehicle registration, and reduce crimes involving unregistered cars. “And now, because of the year, that is why people are not willing to register their cars, and some even rent their cars out for robbery,” he said.

Effective Wednesday, October 15, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) announced plans to suspend all fines issued by its Compliance Team on roads across the country. This was contained in a press statement issued by the Authority on October 14.

The Authority’s decision to temporarily halt the exercise follows public feedback on how the fines were being enforced, as well as further internal consultations.

According to the DVLA, “This suspension relates specifically to the fees and charges that were being enforced by the Compliance Team. It does not suspend the legal requirements for drivers and vehicles to operate on Ghana’s roads.”

Meanwhile, the Authority has urged all drivers and vehicle owners to continue adhering to road safety laws and regulations despite the suspension.

In August, the Authority announced a new vehicle number plate system aimed at tackling smuggling and preventing the registration of vehicles that evade import duties. This move comes in response to the rising cases of car smuggling into West Africa, including Ghana.