The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has commissioned a new Ultra driver licensing and vehicle registration centre at Amrahia in the Adentan Municipality, as part of efforts to expand access to its services and improve customer experience.
The facility is the second Ultra centre established by the Authority in the Adentan Municipality and forms part of a broader expansion programme under which the DVLA has opened new offices and service centres across the country.
The Chief Executive Officer of the DVLA, Julius Neequaye Kotey, said the expansion was intended to bring services closer to residents while reducing congestion at existing offices.
He said the Authority was pursuing the expansion alongside a broader digital transformation agenda designed to make licensing and vehicle registration processes more efficient, secure and transparent.
The DVLA has, in recent months, commissioned a number of new offices across the country as part of efforts to decentralise its operations. The Authority says it now has more than 50 service centres across all 16 regions.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, Mr Kotey said the latest facility formed part of the Authority’s efforts to ensure that Ghanaians have easier access to DVLA services.
“This is the 26th office we have commissioned in one and a half years since we came into power, so that when everybody wakes up, they have a DVLA office close to them,” he said.
He disclosed that the DVLA aims to commence instant printing of expired driver’s licences by the end of October 2026.
Under the new arrangement, motorists whose licences have expired and are due for renewal will be able to have their renewed licences printed at any DVLA office, eliminating the need for the cards to be produced through a centralised system.
He, however, clarified that the instant printing arrangement would be limited to renewals.
Applicants seeking driver’s licences for the first time will continue to go through the existing three-month licensing process, which includes the required testing and certification before a licence can be issued.
Mr Kotey also touched on the Authority’s enforcement of delinquency charges, saying the measure was not simply intended to raise revenue but formed part of efforts to promote compliance, protect lives and reduce road accidents.
According to him, ensuring that motorists renew their licences and comply with the relevant requirements is important to road safety.
The CEO further charged officers at the Amrahia centre to help the Authority eliminate the activities of intermediaries, popularly known as “goro boys”, from its operations.
He warned that employees who allow such activities to thrive at the centre would be held responsible.
Mr Kotey urged staff to deal directly with applicants and ensure that all transactions were conducted through the approved processes.
He also cautioned members of the public against persons who promise to secure driver’s licences using only passport photographs.
He explained that the DVLA’s driver licensing process follows strict ISO standards and requires biometric capture and other mandatory procedures, making it impossible for a legitimate driver’s licence to be obtained solely on the basis of a passport photograph.
He therefore urged prospective drivers to go through the approved process rather than risk falling victim to fraudsters and unauthorised intermediaries.
“We don’t use passport pictures for licenses because we take biometric details. So, anybody who requests your passport picture and says that when you give me two passport pictures, I will be able to get you a license will give you a fake license,” he noted.
He also highlighted the DVLA’s wider technology-driven reforms, including the pilot rollout of new RFID-enabled vehicle number plates beginning in October.
The CEO said the new number plate system was intended to strengthen vehicle identification, improve security and help combat number plate cloning and other forms of registration fraud.
The Member of Parliament for Adentan, Mohammed Adamu Ramadan, who attended the ceremony, commended the DVLA for establishing the facility.
He expressed gratitude to the Authority for opening a second Ultra centre in the constituency, saying the development would make DVLA services more accessible to residents.
He said the facility would save residents the inconvenience and cost of travelling longer distances to access licensing and vehicle registration services.
The Amrahia centre is expected to serve residents in Amrahia and surrounding communities while contributing to the DVLA’s objective of bringing government services closer to the public.