How do I transfer or retain a private number plate?
The difference between transferring a plate straight onto another car and putting it on retention, what makes a plate display illegal, and the traps when buying or selling a car with one on it.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 25 min
- Read
- 5 min
Short answer
There are two processes. Transferring moves a registration directly from one vehicle to another; retaining takes it off a vehicle and holds it on a retention document in your name until you have somewhere to put it. Both go through DVLA, both need the vehicles to be taxed or SORN, available for inspection and generally MOT'd, and there is a fee. If you are selling a car with your plate on it, retain the plate before you sell — not after.
Almost every problem with private plates comes from doing things in the wrong order. A registration is attached to a vehicle, not to a person, and DVLA will only move it while the paperwork is straightforward. The moment a car has been sold, scrapped, exported or written off, the registration goes with it and is very difficult or impossible to recover. So the operative rule is that the plate comes off first and everything else happens afterwards — which is exactly the opposite of how people instinctively sequence a sale.
Step by step
- Decide whether you are transferring or retaining.Transferring moves the registration straight from the donor vehicle to a receiving vehicle you also have available. Retaining lifts it off the donor vehicle and holds it in your name on a retention document, valid for a period and renewable, until you have a car for it.
- Check both vehicles qualify.DVLA sets conditions: the vehicles must be registered with them, must be available for inspection, must generally be taxed or have been SORN continuously, and must usually have a current MOT if one is required. A vehicle that has been off the road untaxed and un-SORN for a long period is the usual sticking point.
- Check the registration is legal for the receiving vehicle.A registration must never make a vehicle appear newer than it is. You cannot put a plate with a later age identifier onto an older car. You can go the other way — an older-looking plate on a newer car is permitted.
- Apply online where you can.DVLA's online services handle both transfer and retention, and they are much faster than the postal route. You need the V5C and the vehicle details, and there is a fee — check the current amount on GOV.UK rather than relying on a figure quoted elsewhere.
- Do it before you sell, not after.This is the one that costs people their plate. Once the vehicle is sold, scrapped or written off, the registration is attached to it and is gone. Retain the plate first, let the car revert to a normal registration, then advertise and sell it.
- Get the original registration back onto the donor car.When a plate is retained or transferred off a vehicle, DVLA issues that vehicle its original registration or a new one, and sends an updated V5C. You must fit physical plates showing the correct registration before the car goes back on the road.
- Buy plates from a registered supplier.Number plate suppliers must be registered with DVLA and must see documents proving your identity and your entitlement to the registration. A supplier who will make up any plate without asking for documents is not operating lawfully, and the plate may not be to the required specification.
- Keep the display legal.Plates must be made to the British Standard, with the correct font, character height, width and spacing, and the correct colours — white front, yellow rear, black characters. Altered spacing to make a plate read as a word, non-standard fonts, tinted covers and 3D or 4D styling that departs from the standard are all MOT failures, can attract a fine, and can result in the registration being withdrawn.
Common mistakes
- Selling or scrapping the car before retaining the plate — The registration belongs to the vehicle. Once the vehicle is gone, so is the plate, and recovering it depends entirely on the goodwill of whoever now has the car.
- Adjusting the spacing so the plate reads as a name — It is a specific offence, it fails the MOT, it can result in a fine, and DVLA has the power to withdraw the registration permanently — losing you both the plate and what you paid for it.
If it doesn't work
Sold the car and forgot to retain the plate
Cause: Sequence error — Fix: You will need the new keeper's cooperation to transfer it off, and they are under no obligation. This is why it comes off first. Ask politely and quickly; the longer it goes the harder it gets.
DVLA rejects the application because the vehicle has been off the road
Cause: The continuous tax or SORN condition — Fix: The vehicle usually needs to have been taxed or SORN without a gap. A vehicle that lapsed may need to be taxed and MOT'd before the transfer can proceed.
Retention document has expired
Cause: The retention period ran out without being renewed — Fix: There is a renewal process and it needs doing before expiry. An expired retention can be very difficult to recover, so diarise the date.
Plate failed the MOT on spacing or font
Cause: Non-standard plates — Fix: Have compliant plates made by a registered supplier. Misrepresenting a registration through spacing is also an offence in its own right and DVLA can withdraw the registration entirely.
Car being written off with your plate on it
Cause: The insurer takes the vehicle and the registration goes with it — Fix: Raise it with the insurer immediately, before settlement. It is usually possible to retain the plate as part of the process, but only if you ask before the vehicle is disposed of.
Buying a car advertised with a private plate
Cause: The seller may intend to keep it — Fix: Establish in writing before you commit whether the plate is included. If it is not, the car will revert to a different registration and the paperwork and the insurance must follow that.
Questions people ask
Can I put a private plate on a car I do not own?
You can be the grantee of a registration and assign it to a vehicle you are the registered keeper of. Assigning a plate to a car owned by a finance company on hire purchase generally requires their written consent, and many lease companies will not permit it at all.
Does a private plate hide the car's age?
It hides the age identifier, which is exactly why DVLA prohibits making a vehicle appear newer. Anyone can still see the date of first registration on the V5C and on the free GOV.UK vehicle enquiry service, so it conceals nothing from a careful buyer.
What happens to my plate if the car is written off?
If you do nothing, it goes with the vehicle. Raise it with the insurer before settlement — retention is often possible as part of the claim, but the window closes once the car has been disposed of.