The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has clarified reports suggesting that it intends to establish full-scale driver licensing operations in selected foreign countries, saying that media headlines circulating on its extended services abroad were misleading.
According to the DVLA, it has entered into an arrangement with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to collaborate with Ghana’s embassies in selected countries to provide specific services to qualified Ghanaian citizens living abroad.
These services, the DVLA said, include the issuance of International Driver’s Permits and the renewal of Ghanaian driver’s licences.
The pilot phase of the initiative will be rolled out in the United States, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
The Authority explained that under the implementation plan, embassy staff will be trained to verify applicants’ documents and forward them to the DVLA in Ghana for processing.
Once completed, the processed documents will be returned to the respective embassies for collection by applicants.
The DVLA emphasised that the arrangement does not involve posting its domestic staff to work at embassies in the listed countries, contrary to what some media reports suggested.
Management of the Authority reaffirmed its commitment to bringing its services closer to Ghanaians to minimise defaults and promote compliance.
It also reiterated its open-door policy and encouraged the media and the public to seek clarification from its Corporate Affairs Department to avoid inaccurate reporting.
