CUTS International has called on Parliament to investigate the legal foundation and administration of escalating delinquency charges imposed by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority on motorists who seek to renew or replace expired driver’s licences.
The public policy research and advocacy organisation is also urging the DVLA to suspend the charges until it provides clear information on the statutory authority supporting the fees, the process through which they were approved and the method used to determine the amounts motorists are required to pay.
Under the DVLA’s 2026 Summary of Licensing and Other Activity Rates, motorists who renew their driver’s licences before the expiry date are required to pay GH¢127. However, the amount increases considerably once a licence has expired.
A licence that has been expired for between one day and six months attracts a charge of GH¢204.25, while an expiry period of seven to twelve months attracts GH¢279.25. The charge rises further to GH¢315.25 for licences expired for up to two years, GH¢352.25 for those expired for up to four years and GH¢404.25 where the licence has been expired for more than four years.
According to CUTS International, comparable escalating charges also apply when motorists seek to replace expired licences.
The organisation argues that the charges could be considered unfair and insufficiently transparent unless the DVLA can identify the precise legal provision and officially approved fee schedule that authorise the amounts.
Appiah Kusi Adomako, Director of the West Africa Regional Centre of CUTS International, said the Authority should provide the public with the legal and administrative documentation underpinning the charges.
“The DVLA must show Ghanaians the law, the approved fee schedule and the formula behind every cedi it collects as a delinquency charge,” he said.
Mr Adomako further argued that the exercise of public authority must be grounded in clearly established law and maintained that the DVLA should discontinue the charges and refund affected motorists if it cannot demonstrate a valid legal basis for collecting them.
“Public power must rest on law. If the Authority cannot point to a clear legal basis for each charge, it must stop collecting the money and refund affected licence holders,” he added.
CUTS International has based part of its argument on Regulation 46 of the Road Traffic Regulations, 2026, Legislative Instrument 2519, which provides for the renewal of driver’s licences after their expiry.
The organisation noted that Regulation 46(2) provides that where a licence is renewed after its expiry, the renewed licence takes effect from the original expiry date unless the DVLA, for good cause shown, permits the renewal to take effect from the date on which the renewal is completed.
CUTS also referred to Regulation 46(8), which states that failure to renew a driver’s licence in accordance with the prescribed requirements constitutes an offence punishable upon summary conviction by a fine ranging from five to twenty five penalty units, imprisonment for a period of up to thirty days or both.
The organisation said these provisions raise questions about whether a separate automatic delinquency charge can lawfully be imposed at DVLA offices simply because a licence holder presents an expired licence for renewal.
According to CUTS, the mere fact that a driver’s licence has expired does not establish that the licence holder continued to operate a vehicle after the licence became invalid.
The organisation pointed out that an individual may possess a Ghanaian driver’s licence without owning a vehicle or driving regularly. Such a person could also be unable to drive for an extended period because of illness, education, employment abroad or other personal circumstances.
CUTS used the example of a Ghanaian who spends five years outside the country for employment or education and whose Ghanaian driver’s licence expires during that period. Under the existing schedule, the organisation argued, that individual could face the highest delinquency charge despite having potentially spent the entire period outside Ghana and therefore not having driven on Ghanaian roads.
Mr Adomako said the DVLA should make a clear distinction between the expiry of a driver’s licence and the separate act of operating a vehicle without a valid licence.
“CUTS is not encouraging anyone to drive with an expired licence. Driving without a valid licence must attract lawful enforcement,” he said.
“Our concern is different: the DVLA should not presume that every person with an expired licence continued to drive, then impose an automatic escalating charge without first establishing the legal and factual basis,” he added.
The think tank has also questioned the terminology used by the DVLA, arguing that describing late renewal as delinquency could imply wrongdoing before the circumstances surrounding the individual’s failure to renew the licence have been established.
CUTS is therefore advocating the adoption of more neutral terminology, such as renewal after expiry, together with clearly defined conditions under which motorists may qualify for waivers or exemptions.
The organisation has additionally raised concerns about what it considers the possibility of motorists being subjected to two forms of punishment for the same underlying conduct.
According to CUTS, questions could arise in circumstances where a driver has already been prosecuted and fined by a court for operating a vehicle with an expired licence and is subsequently required to pay an additional escalating charge when seeking to renew the licence.
The organisation is consequently calling on the DVLA and the Ghana Police Service to clarify their respective enforcement responsibilities, particularly regarding which institution investigates and prosecutes individuals who drive without valid licences and under what circumstances the DVLA has authority to impose administrative charges.
CUTS has also criticised the GH¢181 fee charged for amending information contained in a licence holder’s electronic records.
The organisation argues that motorists should not be discouraged from updating basic personal information, such as telephone numbers and residential addresses, because maintaining accurate records would ultimately improve the quality and reliability of the DVLA’s database.
Mr Adomako said fees imposed by the Authority should encourage compliance rather than create obstacles for citizens seeking to keep their information accurate.
“The DVLA should design fees to support compliance, not discourage it,” he said.
“When a citizen wants to correct an address or telephone number, the Authority gains better data. Charging GH¢181 for a basic update risks leaving the database outdated and weakens the public interest the database is meant to serve,” he added.
CUTS International has therefore urged Parliament to undertake an urgent examination of the DVLA’s escalating licence renewal and replacement charges, including their legality, approval process, administration and enforcement.
The organisation believes such an inquiry would help establish whether the charges are properly authorised, ensure greater transparency in the collection of licensing fees and clarify the respective responsibilities of the DVLA and other state institutions in enforcing Ghana’s road traffic laws.
