Did you know that every vehicle in Ghana has a unique identification, usually found on its number plate? The number plate of every vehicle consists of a combination of letters and numbers that form a unique identity.

This identification is not random but follows a specific format designed by DVLA. Let’s take a look at the meaning of some letters, such as UW, CR, AC, AE, BT, EN, ES,GS, etc. found on vehicle number plates in Ghana

The format of Ghanaian number plates shows the location or region where the vehicle was registered, followed by a four-digit number and a two-digit year code.

For example, a vehicle with the number plate CR 1253 19 represents the following:

CR indicates the region where the vehicle was registered. 1253 is a unique number assigned to the vehicle.19 represents the year of registration (2019).

The two-letter regional code signifies the region in which the vehicle was registered, while the four-digit numeric code is a unique identifier. The digits show the number of vehicles registered in that region. The year code indicates the exact year of registration.



Our main focus is to understand the meaning of the codes assigned to the regions. In Ghana, each region has a unique code based on its name.

For example:

Greater Accra Region usually starts with the letter G.
Central Region usually starts with C.

Eastern Region starts with E, and so on.

Below is a detailed chart of the region codes:

Ashanti Region: AS, AK, AW, AR, AT, etc.

Bono Region: BC, BR, BW, etc.

Bono East Region: BE, BR, BG, etc.

Central Region: CR, CW, CS, etc.

Eastern Region: EN, ER, ES

Greater Accra Region: GS, GW, GB, GC, GE, GG, GH, GL, GM, GN, GT, GS, etc.

Northern Region: NR, NW, NV, etc.

Upper East Region: UE, UW, UD, etc.

Upper West Region: UW, UH, etc

Volta Region: VA, VD, VR

Western Region: WR, WT

Defective Vehicle -DV

DP - Driven from Port

The DV trade licence plates are issued to vehicles that are unregistered but which, for various reasons, have to ply the roads. The use of the Trade Licence Plates is subject to the Road Traffic Act, 2004 (Act 683), Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (L. I. 2180) and policies specified by the DVLA

Both DV and DP are temporary plates meant to assist the users to carry out a temporary activity, regarding the usage of the vehicle