DVLA says delinquency charges on expired driver's licences rest on existing regulations

Pinned summary · as of 05:49

Motorists who let their driver's licences lapse before renewing can be billed penalty charges, the DVLA said in a clarification reported by Opemsuo 104.7, Citi Newsroom and Pulse Ghana. The agency insists the charges rest on existing regulations and were not invented by its branch offices. It says drivers alone are responsible for keeping their licences valid.

What we know

• The DVLA said the charges come from regulations already in force and are not arbitrary fees created at its service centres. It made the statement after some clients raised concerns about the extra costs of renewing or replacing an expired licence.
• According to the DVLA, the penalty depends on how long the licence went unrenewed: GH₵52 for non-renewal with one sticker, GH₵104 with two stickers, GH₵75 for renewal seven to twelve months after expiry, GH₵111 for more than a year and up to two years, and GH₵148 beyond two years.
• For the penalties, the authority named L.I. 2512, a 2025 amendment to the rules on state fees and charges. For licence renewal and replacement generally, it named L.I. 2519, the 2026 road traffic rules.
• Under Regulation 46(1), the DVLA said, a driver may renew during the final month before expiry by paying the set fee, and the new licence then runs from the day the old one ends.
• The DVLA also cited sub-regulation 6 of Regulation 46, which it says requires renewal every two years and replacement six years after issue.
• In the agency's view, motorists carry the duty of ensuring a licence never runs out, and letting one lapse is something to avoid.
• The DVLA urged drivers to watch their expiry dates and renew within the allowed period so they avoid the extra costs.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

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  Appiah Kusi Adomako, writing for the consumer group CUTS, argued that an expired licence is not an offence by itself and that nothing in law says a licence must never lapse. He said Regulation 46(1) uses the word "may" for early renewal. Only Citi Newsroom reported his position, and the DVLA has not answered it in the facts available.
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  Mr Adomako said the word delinquency is absent from L.I. 2519 and that penalising the same conduct both as an offence there and through the DVLA's charges risks a conflict of laws and double jeopardy. He added that Regulation 46(8) makes failure to renew as prescribed punishable by a fine of five to 25 penalty units, up to 30 days in prison, or both. Citi Newsroom alone carried this legal argument.
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  CUTS asked Parliament to examine how the DVLA applies L.I. 2512 together with L.I. 2519. It wants every charge tied to a published legal basis, a stated approach for people who had good cause to renew late, and a route for challenging a mistaken bill. Only Citi Newsroom reported this call.
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  A licence holder told CUTS that an application made in Kumasi in 2022 led to a temporary licence, two biometric retakes and a May 2026 demand for a delinquency charge before the permanent card could be collected. The person is seeking a refund and an explanation. This is one unverified complaint, reported by Citi Newsroom only.

Why it matters for Ghana

Anyone in Ghana who drives, from private car owners to trotro and taxi operators, faces a bill that grows the longer a licence stays expired. Drivers who work abroad or cannot drive for a period are the people most likely to fall behind on renewal. The disagreement over the legal basis will matter to motorists queuing at DVLA offices in Accra, Kumasi and elsewhere, since it decides whether they must pay before collecting a card.