Change of Ownership at DVLA Ghana: Documents and Fees

To change the ownership of a vehicle at DVLA Ghana, the seller and the buyer go to a DVLA office together, with the vehicle, its documents, a transfer letter signed by the seller, passport pictures and a valid national ID for each of them. DVLA inspects the vehicle, confirms who owns it, then issues an invoice. At the time of writing (October 2026), the DVLA fee schedule lists a private car transfer at GHS 600.55 in the Regular service class.

Who handles change of ownership in Ghana?

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA). On its services page, change of ownership is service A3 in the vehicle registration section. Vehicle registration now falls under the Road Traffic Regulations, 2026 (L.I. 2519), which took effect on 28 May 2026 according to DVLA's report of its 2026 mid-year review.

Why the transfer matters: in January 2026, a DVLA spokesperson explained in a radio interview reported by Citi Newsroom that the police and other agencies rely on DVLA records to identify a vehicle's legal owner. Possessing the car or driving with its number plates does not make you the owner. When you buy a used car, the transfer at DVLA is what puts the title in your name.

What documents do you need for change of ownership at DVLA?

The DVLA services page lists six requirements:

• A signed application letter for transfer of ownership from the present owner (the seller)
• The vehicle to be transferred
• The vehicle documents
• The physical presence of both the present owner and the new owner
• Two recent coloured passport-size pictures of both the vendor and the buyer
• A valid national ID for both the vendor and the buyer

DVLA can also ask for any other document it needs to support the transfer. Other vehicle services on the same page ask for the Ghana Card, so check that both cards are valid before the day. The page does not provide for the buyer to come alone with a photocopy of the seller's ID: plan the visit together.

How does the change of ownership work, step by step?

1. Check the papers before any payment. Compare the name on the vehicle documents with the seller's Ghana Card, and the chassis number on the documents with the one on the car. DVLA has urged buyers to verify ownership documents and registration records before concluding a sale.
2. Write down the sale. A signed receipt or sale agreement with both names, the date, the chassis number and the price. If something goes wrong later, proof of purchase and payment records are what a court looks at.
3. Go to DVLA together. Present the seller's transfer letter to the DVLA official for verification.
4. Present the vehicle. DVLA carries out a physical inspection and authenticates the ownership.
5. Pay the invoice. If the transfer is approved, DVLA issues an invoice for the prescribed fee.
6. Complete the transfer forms. Under the manual process, you complete and sign Form C and the other required forms, including the Vehicle Registration Certificate (VRC), with your pictures attached. Under the online process, DVLA captures the new owner's biometric details.
7. Collect your documents. The manual process ends with endorsed vehicle documents, a VRC and a roadworthy sticker. The online process ends with a Certificate of Title, a VRC and a roadworthy sticker. In both cases DVLA issues the roadworthy sticker whatever the validity of the current one.

How much does change of ownership cost at DVLA Ghana?

DVLA publishes its fees on its payment portal. The service is listed as Transfer And Roadworthy, and the amount depends on the vehicle type and the service class you choose. At the time of writing (October 2026), the schedule, marked as updated in October 2026, shows:

• Private car, up to 2000cc or above 2000cc: GHS 600.55 Regular, GHS 690.55 Premium, GHS 765.55 Premium Mobile, GHS 790.55 Premium Ultra
• Commercial car, up to 2000cc or above 2000cc: GHS 574.55 Regular, GHS 664.55 Premium
• Private motorcycle up to 200cc: GHS 486.55 Regular
• Private motorcycle above 200cc, tricycle or quadricycle: GHS 499.55 Regular

The same schedule has a separate line called Onboarding With Transfer Of Ownership, with its own amounts: ask the official which line applies to your vehicle. The invoice DVLA gives you after approval is the amount you pay, through the payment channel the office indicates. Do not hand cash to someone outside the office who promises a faster transfer.

How long does a DVLA change of ownership take?

DVLA's services page sets out the steps but gives no processing time for change of ownership. Plan for the seller, the buyer and the car to spend the visit at the office together, and ask the official at the start whether your documents will be ready the same day. If you are unsure which office to use, call the DVLA call centre on 030 276 2449 before you go.

Can you do a DVLA change of ownership online?

Not from home. The requirements include the physical presence of both owners and the vehicle itself. What the services page calls an online transfer is the process in which DVLA captures the new owner's biometric details in its system and issues a Certificate of Title, instead of endorsing paper documents.

Will the car keep its registration number?

Possibly not. In September 2026, Adom Online reported a DVLA manager explaining at a national sensitisation programme that, under the Road Traffic (Amendment) Act, 2025 (Act 1153) and L.I. 2519, the registration number stays with the registered owner when a vehicle is sold. The buyer registers the vehicle and receives a new number. The seller can reuse the old number on another vehicle of the same category, and an unused number is withdrawn after five years.

The DVLA services page we read in October 2026 still describes the transfer without this step. The date from which every second-hand sale follows the new rule is not stated on the DVLA site: ask the DVLA official before you budget for new plates.

What if the seller cannot be traced or refuses to sign?

DVLA will not change its records on the buyer's word. In a statement of 7 May 2026, reported by 3News, the Authority said it cannot alter ownership records without legal authority when the registered owner has not signed the transfer documents. It does not settle ownership disputes.

Its advice to a buyer who cannot trace the seller is to take the seller to court for a declaration of ownership or a vesting order. Where the seller cannot be found, the court may allow substituted service, such as a public notice. The court weighs proof of purchase, payment records, possession of the vehicle and the efforts made to find the seller.

DVLA said it will carry out the change once a court order is issued, and warned that suing only DVLA is a weak approach because the real owner can later challenge the order.

The same statement cites the Sale of Goods Act: a seller must have the right to sell, and no one can pass on a better title than they hold. The lesson for buyers is simple: do not pay the full price until the seller has come with you to DVLA.

What should you check before you pay a seller in Ghana?

• The name on the vehicle documents is the seller's, as shown on their Ghana Card
• The chassis number on the documents matches the one on the vehicle
• The roadworthy sticker and the documents carry the same registration number
• The seller agrees, in writing, to come to DVLA for the transfer before the final payment
• A mechanic has looked at the car, using our used car inspection checklist
• You have not sent a deposit to a stranger: our guide on avoiding online scams explains the common tricks

Buying or selling a car in Ghana?

Sellers: have the vehicle documents and your Ghana Card ready, and tell buyers you will go to DVLA with them. Serious buyers ask for that first. Our tips on pricing, photos and safe payment were written for Nigeria but work just as well in Ghana.

When you are ready, post a free ad for your car on AfricaSoco. Every ad is reviewed before it goes live, and buyers contact you directly on WhatsApp or by phone. Buyers can browse cars for sale and ask each seller about the DVLA transfer before arranging a viewing.