The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has put vehicle users on notice that arrests and prosecutions over fake, forged or expired trade plates will begin from May 4, 2026, marking an escalation of enforcement that has been building since the authority first issued a compliance warning in March.
In a statement released on Friday, the DVLA said the move forms part of its efforts to strengthen regulatory compliance, protect the integrity of vehicle registration data and safeguard public safety on Ghana’s roads.
The authority noted that a public notice issued on March 19, 2026, had warned against the continued use of expired 2025 Defective Vehicle (DV) plates, forged 2026 DV plates and expired Drive from Port (DP) stickers, with an initial enforcement phase beginning on March 24, 2026. The DVLA said its Compliance Team, working alongside the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service, has since carried out targeted operations across multiple locations, removing non-compliant plates and stickers from vehicles found in violation.
Despite those operations, the DVLA said a significant number of vehicle users continue to ignore the regulations, making a harder enforcement stance necessary.
The legal basis for prosecution rests on Regulation 23(II) of the Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (L.I. 2180), which makes it unlawful to possess or use forged or fake trade licences, including DV plates and DP stickers. Under the same provision, manufacturing, distributing or driving a vehicle displaying forged or duplicate plates also constitutes a criminal offence.
The enforcement push comes against a backdrop of sustained fraud within Ghana’s vehicle registration chain. The DVLA has said the state loses approximately 20 million cedis annually through the illegal trade in counterfeit number plates, with the fraudulent activity threatening national security, undermining law enforcement and depriving the state of revenue.
The scale of the problem was thrown into sharp relief on Friday when the DVLA impounded 40 vehicles at Tema Harbour following an intelligence-led operation that uncovered the use of fraudulent DP stickers as well as genuine stickers affixed to vehicles with mismatched records. The authority said it is working with National Security to investigate the matter and identify those responsible for the irregularities.
The DVLA urged all vehicle users to ensure full compliance with the regulations before the May 4 deadline and to support efforts to build a transparent, accountable and efficient vehicle administration system.
