On December 15, 2025, the Ghana Vehicles and Driver’s License Authority (DVLA) officially announced on the “Assassin’s Morning Show” that it would launch a new generation of vehicle license plates with embedded radio frequency identification (RFID) technology in 2026. This reform aims to optimize vehicle tracking, improve crime detection efficiency, and strengthen the enforcement of license plate regulations through technological empowerment, marking a new stage of digitalization and intelligence for Ghana’s vehicle management system.
Strengthening Regulatory Effectiveness Through Technological Innovation
The new generation of license plates represents a significant transformation in design and production. Unlike the previous model that relied on third-party manufacturers, the design, manufacturing, printing, and issuance of the new license plates will be entirely completed internally by the DVLA. After registering at the service center, vehicle owners can receive their printed license plates within 48 hours, completely eliminating the possibility of illegal printing outside the designated area. In terms of design, the new license plates integrate multiple security and identification elements: they not only feature the words “Republic of Ghana” and the national flag, but also include an embedded map of Ghana. Furthermore, they use randomly generated alphanumeric combinations to prevent predictability of the license plate sequence, and specific prefixes identify the registration location, such as “GR” for the Greater Accra region and “AD” for other registration areas.
The differentiated application of color coding rules is another highlight of the new license plates. Yellow plates are for commercial vehicles and motorcycles, white plates are exclusively for private cars, and three-wheeled vehicles, four-wheeled mopeds, and trailers use special license plates. Notably, trailers will be subject to an independent registration system for the first time. Even if the tractor unit changes, the trailer itself will remain clearly identifiable. This adjustment lays the foundation for establishing an accurate national vehicle database. In response to public concerns about the removal of the registration year label, Stephen Atul, Director of Corporate Affairs at DVLA, explained that the actual age of a vehicle should be based on its production date. Labeling the registration year could mislead car buyers. Relevant vehicle data (including age, origin, and ownership) will be stored uniformly in the DVLA database, readily accessible to law enforcement and regulatory agencies.
The integration of RFID technology transforms license plates into “smart terminals,” providing strong support for regulatory enforcement. This technology enables rapid verification of vehicle ownership, accurate tracking of stolen and involved vehicles, and automated enforcement of traffic violations, significantly improving efficiency and accuracy. To optimize the service experience, DVLA is upgrading its digital registration platform, allowing vehicle owners to complete part of the registration process online and schedule in-person appointments, effectively alleviating congestion at service halls. Furthermore, vehicle owners who registered before 2023 will need to visit a service hall to have their vehicle information entered into a biometric digital system. Upon completion, they will receive a smart card storing complete vehicle information, facilitating subsequent transactions, annual inspections, and license renewals.
Regarding public concerns about implementation guarantees, Atul clarified that the requirement for a biennial review is incorporated into the Road Traffic Regulations of 2012 (Legal Document №2180), possessing a solid legal basis and having been a statutory requirement for vehicle management in Ghana for over a decade. Vehicle registration fees have been standardized nationwide and approved by Parliament. Furthermore, with the opening of 10 new service centers between April and December 2025, the DVLA’s service capacity has been significantly enhanced, sufficient to support the full implementation of the new license plates.
This license plate reform represents a systemic upgrade in Ghana’s vehicle management sector, not only strengthening regulatory effectiveness through technological innovation but also improving service quality through process optimization. The DVLA calls on the media to assist in disseminating relevant policies and looks forward to the active cooperation of vehicle owners to ensure the smooth and orderly progress of this nationwide reform, injecting new momentum into building a safer and more efficient road traffic environment in Ghana.
Why Are More and More Countries Using RFID License Plates?
RFID license plates, with their technological advantages, provide efficient solutions for various countries in vehicle management, traffic operation, and security maintenance. They also align with the needs of intelligent transportation and the emerging automotive industry, leading to their widespread adoption in more and more countries. Specific reasons include:
Strengthening Vehicle Supervision and Closing Management Loopholes: RFID chips can store core information such as vehicle license plate numbers, engine serial numbers, and annual inspection status, and are difficult to tamper with. This prevents vehicles without proper documentation or that have not paid taxes from being on the road, reducing tax revenue loss. Furthermore, it overcomes the shortcomings of traditional license plates, which are easily altered and obscured. Even if a vehicle’s exterior is modified, the RFID reader can still sense information in real time, helping the police quickly track stolen vehicles and reducing the incidence of theft and robbery.
Improving Traffic Efficiency and Adapting to Intelligent Transportation Construction: In scenarios such as highways and parking lots, RFID license plates can achieve automatic identification and toll collection without stopping, avoiding queues and congestion, and significantly improving traffic efficiency. Reading devices along roads can also collect vehicle traffic data. Relevant departments can analyze this data to understand traffic flow patterns, peak hours, and other patterns, thereby scientifically planning routes, optimizing traffic light timings, and alleviating urban traffic pressure.
Optimizing enforcement processes and reducing enforcement difficulty: Traditional traffic enforcement is easily affected by factors such as lighting, weather, and license plate obstruction, while RFID technology supports contactless long-distance reading, unaffected by external environmental interference. When vehicles commit violations such as running red lights or driving against traffic, RFID devices at intersections can be linked with monitoring systems to quickly capture chip information and associate it with vehicle owner information, forming a complete closed loop for tracing violations and improving the efficiency of vehicle-related case enforcement.
Aligning with industry trends and adapting to emerging transportation needs: With the development of the new energy vehicle industry and the advancement of smart city construction, RFID license plates have become an important technological carrier. It can provide new energy vehicles with unique identification and data management, helping to monitor vehicle operating status and regulate industry development. At the same time, RFID technology can be integrated with technologies such as the Internet of Things and big data, laying the foundation for advanced intelligent transportation applications such as vehicle-road collaboration and intelligent scheduling, aligning with the global trend of intelligent transportation development.