Driving licences are issued by the DVLA under the Road Traffic Act 2004 (Act 683) and LI 2180. A Ghanaian licence is valid for 5 years.
The minimum age to hold a licence for a private vehicle is 18.
The honest bit first
The DVLA has a well-documented problem with intermediaries, and the reason is structural: the process has several in-person steps, the offices are busy, and a lot of applicants would rather pay someone than queue.
Everything below can be done by you, in your own name, through the official channel. If someone offers you a licence without a test, what they are selling is a record that will not survive scrutiny — and increasingly, does not survive the biometric check either.
Getting a licence from scratch
- Register with an accredited driving school. Not optional in practice, and the school’s certificate is part of the file.
- Apply online through the DVLA portal and get an application number.
- Attend for biometric capture — photograph, fingerprints, signature — with your Ghana Card.
- Take the theory test, on road signs, regulations and basic vehicle knowledge.
- Take the practical test with a DVLA examiner.
- Collect the licence, or receive it where the office delivers.
A learner’s permit covers the period in between and requires you to drive accompanied by a qualified licence holder, with L plates.
What to bring throughout:
- Ghana Card — get one first
- Driving school registration and certificate
- Your application number and payment receipt
- Reading glasses, if you need them for the eye test
Converting a foreign licence
A visitor may drive on a foreign licence or an International Driving Permit for a limited period — treat 12 months as the outside limit, and convert well before it.
Conversion generally requires:
- The original foreign licence, valid
- A letter or verification from the issuing authority, which is the step that takes the time — start it before you leave that country
- Your passport and residence permit
- Your Ghana Card, if you hold one
Whether a road test is waived depends on the country and on the DVLA’s current practice. Assume it is not, and be pleased if it is.
Renewing
Renew before expiry. An expired licence is not a licence, and the police checkpoints on Accra’s arterial roads are not sympathetic on this point.
Renewal is an online application, a biometric capture if your record needs refreshing, and payment. Bring the old licence.
Classes of licence
The class on your licence is what you may legally drive: motorcycles, private cars, commercial vehicles, and heavy goods vehicles are separate entitlements with separate tests. Riding an okada on a private-car licence is not covered, whatever the rider who taught you says.
Commercial classes carry additional requirements, and a commercial driver is also subject to the vehicle’s commercial roadworthy regime.
What the police will ask for
At a checkpoint, have all three:
- Your driving licence
- The vehicle’s roadworthy certificate
- Valid insurance
Missing one of the three is where a routine stop becomes a long conversation.