What are the basic regulations surrounding transfers?
The regulations regarding the transfer of registration marks from a doner vehicle to another (recipient) vehicle or to a retention certificate (V778) are:
- The doner must be either currently MOT'ed and taxed; taxed and MOT expired; MOT expired and tax expired less than six months.
- A fee of £80 to the Department for Transport is payable for a vehicle to vehicle transfer or if transferring the mark onto a retention certificate. The certificate is valid for 10 years.
- A doner vehicle must be subject to MOT testing at some time during its life.
- Registration marks legally are owned by the Secretary of State for Transport - it is the right to display the mark on a vehicle which is granted or transferred. If you pass on a vehicle to a new keeper, then you lose control of the registration mark.
- You can't use a mark to make a vehicle look newer than it is. Eg you can't assign a P registration to an M registration car. You are allowed to use an older registration.
- You can't put a cherished number onto a Q registered vehicle.
- Northern Ireland use the letters I and Z and so, when using the make my mark plate section, you can't have an I, Q or Z in the letters.
- Registration marks which have never been used on vehicles before, are issued in the form of certificates of entitlement (V750). Like V778's, they are renewable for 10 years free of charge. So if you find the registration you've always wanted, you can keep it on a certificate until you have a suitable car. Marks on certificates are ideal to give as surprise presents since the actual vehicle documents aren't needed until after the event, so you can give the certificate and a pair of plates, attractively wrapped. Click on the make your own plates button if you're interested.
- To assign a registration mark on a certificate to a vehicle, you need to take snd the certificate along with your V5 (LOGBOOK) to the DVLA at Swansea as per details to be found on the rear of the Retention Certificate. The assignment fee will already have been paid at the time of purchasing the mark, or placing it in a retention, so there will be no more costs to pay. A new V5 will be sent to you bearing the new registration mark.
- The legal time in any registration transfer to actually change your number plates is when you have a V5 (LOGBOOK) showing the new mark.
- You can apply to put the vehicle into your name at the same time as the transfer by filling in the appropriate part of the V5. If you only have the small green part of the V5 (V5/2) you can use this to do a cherished transfer accompanied by a completed V62 form.
- In general the documents needed for a cherished transfer are : - V5, MOT (if applicable), V317 (Transfer form). We request these by letter and then submit them to the DVLA (formerly the DVLC) on your behalf.
- When you take a cherished registration off your vehicle, you will be given back a registration mark suitable for the year of the car. Usually, nowadays, you will be given back the original mark. This simplifies DVLA records and, also, is better for drivers who have had their windows etched with the original reg. mark.
- A cherished number can be put onto a brand new vehicle. This involves either sending the appropriate entitlement certificate to the car dealer or by us requesting the application for first registration (V55) from the car dealer. The usual Dept. Of Transport fees are payable since you are choosing a special reg, not just taking one from the car dealer's association.
