Number plates
Private number plate age and transfer rules
Checked on 10 September 2026.GOV.UK, Private (personalised) number plates (as of 10 September 2026)
How does a private number plate transfer work?
You apply to DVLA to take the mark off one vehicle and put it on another, or to hold it on a retention document with no vehicle attached. Taking a number off, or transferring it between cars, costs £80. Assigning a number you already hold is £0. The vehicle receiving the mark must not be made to look newer than it is, and both vehicles must be registered, taxed or on SORN.
A retention document is the useful half of the system. It lets you hold a mark for years with no vehicle attached, which is what people do when they sell a car and want to keep the registration. GOV.UK calls that taking a number off. The document you get is a V778, valid for 10 years.
How much does DVLA charge?
The published agency fees are £80 to keep a number on retention or to transfer it between cars, £0 to assign a number you already hold, and £0 to renew a V750 or V778. Government does not publish what the mark itself costs. That figure is set by DVLA's sale list, by a DVLA auction, or by a dealer or private seller, and it is not a figure this page can print.
| Action | DVLA fee | Form or certificate |
|---|---|---|
| Keep a number on retention | £80 | V317 |
| Assign a held number to a car | £0 | V750 or V778 |
| Transfer a number between cars | £80 | V317 |
| Renew a certificate | £0 | V750 or V778 |
How do I take a number off and put it on another car?
Online, it is two steps. Take the number off the donor vehicle for £80. If DVLA does not need to inspect the vehicle, the removal is immediate and you get a reference. Use that reference to assign the number to the receiving vehicle at £0 extra. By post, form V317 can do the transfer in one application, still at £80. If the vehicle is not in your name you have to apply by post.
Online removal is immediate if DVLA does not need to inspect the vehicle. The new V5C takes 4 to 6 weeks. After an assignment, Online assignment is immediate if DVLA does not need to inspect the vehicle. The new V5C usually takes 4 weeks. Contact DVLA if the log book has not arrived after 4 weeks. If it has not arrived after 6 weeks and you have not notified DVLA, the usual replacement V5C fee is £25.
- Remove the number from the donor vehicle online for the £80 fee, or apply for the direct transfer with form V317.
- Use the online reference to assign the number to the receiving vehicle at no further DVLA fee.
- Fit the correct plates to both vehicles and tell both insurers before either vehicle is driven.
- Keep the receiving vehicle's original plates for possible restoration later.
What is the difference between a V750 and a V778?
A V750 certificate of entitlement is what you get when you buy a private number from DVLA, including at auction. A V778 retention document is what you get when you take a number off a vehicle and keep the right to use it. Either document, or the online reference from a retention, is what you need to assign the number to a vehicle.
Both last 10 years while the number is not on a vehicle. Renewal is £0 and gives another 10 years. You can apply no earlier than 28 days before expiry. Apply earlier and the application may be refused. Miss the date and you permanently lose the right to use the number; DVLA will not accept applications after that date. You get a reminder letter or email if you are not using the number and the right is about to run out. Renew a V750 through the DVLA personalised registration account you used to buy it, or complete the renewal section on the V750 or V778 and post it.
Which registrations does the age rule allow?
You cannot use a private number that makes a vehicle look newer than it is. You also cannot assign a number starting with Q or QNI, or put a private number on a Q registered vehicle. Dateless marks are the ones with no age information at all, which is why they carry the highest prices in the private market. They can go on any vehicle of any age, and they are the only marks that can.
| Vehicle first registered | Marks that can be assigned | Marks that cannot |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Any dateless mark, any prefix or suffix mark, any current mark up to 24 or 74 | 25, 75 and anything issued later |
| 2010 | Dateless, suffix, prefix and current marks up to 10 or 60 | Anything from 11 or 61 onwards |
| 1998 | Dateless, suffix, and prefix marks up to S | Prefix T and later, and every current style mark |
Example
An 07 mark refused for a 2003 car
- Vehicle first registered
- 2003
- Mark applied for
- An 07 current-style registration
- Age rule
- Must not make the vehicle look newer than it is
- 2003 is earlier than 2007, so an 07 identifier would make the car look newer than it is.
- GOV.UK uses that pairing as the published example of a blocked assignment.
- A dateless mark, a suffix mark, or a prefix mark that does not post-date 2003 can still be assigned.
DVLA refuses the 07 assignment. The car can still wear an older or dateless mark. Its real 2003 registration date on the record does not change either way.
What must be true of the vehicle before DVLA will move the mark?
GOV.UK sets the same eligibility list for taking a number off and for assigning one. The vehicle must be registered with DVLA in the UK, able to move under its own power, of a type that needs an MOT or HGV test certificate, and available for inspection. DVLA will contact you if it needs to inspect. The vehicle must have been taxed or had a SORN in place continuously for the past 5 years, and it must be taxed currently or have a SORN in place. If a SORN has been in place for more than 5 years, it must be taxed and have an MOT certificate.
If you have a historic vehicle you will also need a current MOT certificate, even if the vehicle is usually exempt from MOTs. A used vehicle you have just bought has to wait for a V5C in your name before you apply. On a brand new vehicle, give the dealer your V750 or V778 and ask them to apply. If you already have a private number on the vehicle, take it off first or you could lose the right to use it.
How do I buy from DVLA, and how is a dealer different?
You can buy a private registration from DVLA or from a private dealer or person. New numbers are sold through DVLA Personalised Registrations. DVLA holds 9 auctions a year; they are held online and run for 7 days. After you pay, you get a V750 proving you have the right to put the number on a vehicle. This page does not print auction estimates or dealer asking prices, because those are not a published government figure.
Most dealers will transfer the number to your vehicle for you. If you want to keep or assign the number yourself, ask the dealer if you can have the V750 or V778. If you sell a number yourself, assign it to the buyer's vehicle rather than posting a photograph of the certificate. GOV.UK warns that someone other than the buyer might use a scan to put the private number on another vehicle.
What does a private plate not change?
- It does not change the vehicle's registration date, its tax band or anything else on the record.
- It does not hide the vehicle from anybody official. The record follows the vehicle identification number, not the mark.
- It does not transfer with the car when you sell it, unless you specifically agree that it does and complete the paperwork.
- It does not survive misrepresentation. Spacing a mark so it reads as a word can lose you the registration outright.
- It does not let you drive on the old plates. Fit the new pair and tell the insurer before the vehicle moves.
- It does not survive a sale or scrap if you have not yet received the V778 and the new V5C.
Common questions
- Can a private plate make my car look newer?
- No. A registration can never be put on a vehicle that would make it appear newer than it is. A 2015 car can wear a mark from 2005 or a dateless one, but never a 24 or a 74, and DVLA refuses the assignment rather than catching it later. GOV.UK gives the example of an 07 registration on a 2003 registered vehicle. Dateless marks carry no age information, which is why they can go on a vehicle of any age. The vehicle's real first registration date on the record does not change when the plate does.
- What does a transfer cost?
- DVLA charges £80 to take a mark off a vehicle or to transfer it between cars. Assigning a number you already hold on a V750 or V778 is £0. Renewing the certificate is £0. Those are the published agency fees. They are separate from whatever you paid the seller or an auction for the mark itself. Government does not publish retail plate prices, dealer margins or auction hammer prices. A registered supplier then charges its own price to make the physical plates.
- What happens to my old registration?
- The vehicle's original registration number is usually reassigned to it automatically when you take a private number off, and GOV.UK says that happens straight away. Keep the original physical plates. They go back on before you drive, unless you have a new pair made showing the restored mark. When you assign a private number to a different car, keep that car's original plates too: they will be reassigned when the private number comes off later. Do not sell or scrap the vehicle until the new V5C has arrived, or you can lose the right to use the private number.
- Does the vehicle have to be taxed and available for inspection?
- Yes. A transfer or retention requires the vehicle to be registered with DVLA in the UK, able to move under its own power, of a type that needs an MOT or HGV test certificate, taxed or with a SORN in force, and available for inspection if DVLA asks. It must also have been taxed or on SORN continuously for the past 5 years. If a SORN has been in place for more than 5 years, the vehicle must be taxed and have an MOT certificate. A historic vehicle needs a current MOT for this process even if it is usually MOT exempt.
- What is the difference between a V750 and a V778?
- A V750 is a certificate of entitlement. You get one when you buy a private number from DVLA, including at a DVLA auction. A V778 is a retention document. You get one when you take a private number off a vehicle and want to keep the right to use it later. Either document proves you can assign the number. Both last 10 years if the number is not on a vehicle, both renew at no DVLA fee, and you must not apply more than 28 days before expiry. Missing the deadline means losing the right to use the number. DVLA will not accept a late application.
- How do I buy a mark from DVLA rather than a dealer?
- GOV.UK says you can buy a private registration from DVLA or from a private dealer or person. New numbers are sold through DVLA Personalised Registrations. DVLA also holds 9 auctions a year; they are held online and run for 7 days. After you pay, you get a V750. Most dealers will transfer the number to your vehicle for you. If you want to keep or assign it yourself, ask the dealer for the V750 or V778. Do not share a scan or photograph of either document when you sell, because someone other than the buyer might use it to put the number on another vehicle.
- Can I drive before the new plates are fitted?
- No. GOV.UK says you must put the new number plates on the vehicle before you drive it, and you must tell your insurance company the new registration. Update automatic payment accounts too: Congestion Charge, Low Emission Zone, Ultra Low Emission Zone, Dart Charge and clean air zone charges are the examples GOV.UK names. You may get a penalty charge if you enter one of those zones on the old mark. If the vehicle has Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation scheme certification, tell them as well. Online assignment can be immediate, so have the plates ready.
- When do I use form V317?
- Post, when you cannot use the online service, or when you want the removal and the assignment handled as one postal transfer. Send V317 with the V5C, or the green new keeper slip plus a V62, and the £80 fee. If the vehicle is not in your name you have to apply by post. The online route is take the number off for £80, then assign it with the reference you get, at £0 extra. Replacement V5Cs follow by post: 4 to 6 weeks after a retention, and usually 4 weeks after an assignment.
Sources
- Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, Take a private number off a vehicle (as of 10 September 2026)
- Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, Assign a private number to a vehicle (as of 10 September 2026)
- Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, Apply to keep a vehicle registration number and put it on another vehicle (form V317) (as of 10 September 2026)
- Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, Renew or replace your private number (as of 10 September 2026)
- Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, Getting number plates made up (as of 10 September 2026)
- Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, Rules for number plates (as of 10 September 2026)
- GOV.UK, Buy a private number (as of 10 September 2026)
- GOV.UK, Private (personalised) number plates (as of 10 September 2026)