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 of Transport is payable for a vehicle to vehicle transfer and £105 (£25 of which is the actual registration fee) is payable for placing the mark onto a retention certificate. The certificate is valid for twelve months and can be renewed annually for £25 per year.
- 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 transfered. If you pass on a vehicle to a new keeper, then you loose control of the registration mark.
- You can't use a mark to make a vehicle look newer than it is. e.g 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 annually for a fee of £25 per year. 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 intrested.
- To assign a registration mark on a certificate to a vehicle, you need to take/post your registration document (V5), MOT (if applicable), current tax disc (or tax application) to your nearest Vehicle Registration Office (VRO) - usually in the telephone directory under "Transport, Dept. of". 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. You will be given back your tax disc showing the new mark (your old disc will be retained) and any MOT submitted re-stamped with the new registration. Your V5 will be sent to DVLA, Swansea for the new reg. to be put on and then returned direct to you. The V5 will not show another keeper.
- The legal time in any registration transfer to actually change your numberplates is when you have a current tax disc showing the new mark.
- You can apply for tax at the same time as a transfer by sending us your insurance certificate or cover note, a completed V10 (This can be obtained from a post office and should, technically, be filled in with the existing registration mark) and the appropriate fee (Cheques to the Dept. Of Transport). Present fees are £85.25 for six months and £155 for twelve months.
- 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.
