To transfer a number plate in the UK, you apply to the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) using form V317, either online or by post. The standard fee is £80, and a straightforward online application is normally approved within a few hours.
The same V317 process covers three related actions people often lump together under “transfer”: moving a private registration onto a different vehicle, putting it into retention so you can use it later, or taking it off a car entirely before you sell, scrap, or export it. This guide walks through every version step by step, the exact documents you’ll need, what it costs, how long it takes, and the mistakes that get applications rejected, so you can get it right the first time.
What Does It Mean to “Transfer” a Number Plate?
People use “transfer a number plate” as a catch-all phrase, but the DVLA actually treats it as three separate actions. Knowing which one you need saves time and stops you filling in the wrong form.
- Transfer / Assign: moving a private registration from the DVLA’s record (or from another vehicle) straight onto a car, so it appears on that car’s V5C immediately.
- Retain: taking a registration off a vehicle and holding it on a retention document (V778) instead, so it isn’t attached to any car until you’re ready to use it.
- Remove: taking a private plate off a vehicle you’re about to sell, scrap, or export, so the registration doesn’t leave your ownership with the car.
All three go through the same V317 application. The difference is simply what you tell the DVLA to do with the registration once it’s off the donor vehicle.
Buying a New Private Plate vs Transferring One You Already Own
If you don’t already own a private registration, transferring isn’t the first step, buying one is. The DVLA sells unissued registrations directly through its own online auctions and a “buy it now” style Select Registrations service, both accessible via gov.uk. Plate dealers and brokers also sell registrations they’ve bought and hold on retention.
Either way, once you own the registration, you’re issued a V750 (certificate of entitlement, for numbers bought new from the DVLA) or a V778 (retention document, for numbers bought from a previous keeper or dealer). From that point on, putting the plate on your vehicle is the assignment process covered later in this guide, the same V317 application, just with a V750 or V778 reference instead of a donor vehicle’s V5C.
In short: buying gets you a reference document, and assigning is what puts that reference onto your car.
Who Can Transfer a Number Plate?
You can apply to transfer, retain, or assign a registration number if:
- You’re the registered keeper of both the donor vehicle (the one currently showing the registration) and the recipient vehicle (the one you want it moved to).
- Both vehicles are registered with the DVLA and not scrapped, exported, or reported stolen.
- The registration number hasn’t already been reported as lost, stolen, or subject to a dispute.
- The recipient vehicle isn’t older than the registration would suggest (more on this age rule below).
If you’ve just bought a private plate from a dealer or a previous keeper, you’ll usually receive either a retention document (V778) or a certificate of entitlement (V750), which you then use to assign the plate to your vehicle.
What You’ll Need Before You Start
Have these ready before you open the DVLA application, it’s the single biggest thing that speeds the process up:
- The V5C, the vehicle’s registration certificate, commonly called the logbook, for the donor vehicle (the one the plate is currently on, or was last on).
- The V5C logbook for the recipient vehicle (the one receiving the plate).
- The 11-digit reference number from the V5C (top right of the document), or your retention document (V778) reference if the plate is already retained.
- A debit or credit card to pay the £80 fee.
- A valid MOT certificate for the recipient vehicle, if it’s over three years old.
- Both vehicles taxed, or registered with a valid SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification) if either is off the road.
Note that valid insurance isn’t a DVLA paperwork requirement for the transfer itself, but you’ll need it to legally drive either vehicle in the meantime.
How to Transfer a Number Plate Online (Step-by-Step)
The DVLA’s online service is the fastest route and the one most people should use unless they have a specific reason to post the form.
- Go to the gov.uk vehicle registration service and select the option to transfer or retain a number plate.
- Enter the registration number you want to move, along with the V5C reference (or V778/V750 reference if it’s already retained).
- Enter the registration and V5C reference number for the recipient vehicle.
- Confirm the details the DVLA pulls back against both vehicles match your records.
- Choose whether you want the plate assigned straight to the recipient vehicle, or held on retention instead.
- Pay the £80 fee by debit or credit card.
- Save or print your confirmation. New V5C logbooks for both vehicles are posted out automatically, usually within two to four weeks.
Most online applications that pass the automatic checks are approved the same day, and you can order new physical plates as soon as you get your confirmation, you don’t need to wait for the paper V5C to arrive.
How to Transfer a Number Plate by Post (V317 Form)
You’ll need to use the paper route if either vehicle isn’t showing correctly on the DVLA’s online system, if you’re dealing with a deceased keeper’s estate, or if you simply prefer paper.
- Download and print form V317 from gov.uk, or request one from the DVLA.
- Fill in Section 1 with the donor vehicle’s details and Section 2 with the recipient vehicle’s details.
- Sign and date the declaration, both registered keepers must sign if the vehicles are owned by different people.
- Include both V5C logbooks (or the relevant sections if instructed) and a cheque or postal order for £80, made payable to “DVLA”.
- Post everything to the DVLA address printed on the V317 form itself, the postal address DVLA uses for registration applications can change, so always use the one on the current form rather than an old address you’ve seen elsewhere.
Postal applications take considerably longer than online ones, plan for four to six weeks, and don’t cut it close if you’re trying to time a sale or an event around the new plate.
How Much Does It Cost to Transfer a Number Plate?
The core DVLA fee is £80, whether you’re assigning a plate to a vehicle or putting it into retention. Here’s how the main costs break down:
| Action | DVLA Form | Typical Fee | How Long It Lasts |
| Transfer / assign a plate to a vehicle | V317 (online or post) | £80 | Applies immediately once approved |
| Put a plate into retention | V317 (online or post) | £80 | Up to 10 years, renewable |
| Renew a retention document | V778 renewal (online) | Free if renewed on time | Extends for a further 10 years |
| Buy a brand-new DVLA registration | Online auction / Select Registrations | Varies by plate | Immediate assignment or retention |
These are the DVLA’s own figures at the time of writing, fees are set by government and do change from time to time, so it’s worth double-checking the current amount on gov.uk before you apply.
On top of the DVLA fee, remember you’ll need new physical number plates made and fitted to the recipient vehicle once the transfer goes through, that’s a separate cost from the DVLA application itself.
How Long Does a Number Plate Transfer Take?
- Online applications: usually processed within a few hours, and almost always same-day if there are no mismatches on either vehicle’s record.
- Postal applications: typically four to six weeks, longer around Christmas and other DVLA peak periods.
- New V5C logbooks: posted separately after approval, usually arriving within two to four weeks even when the transfer itself was instant.
If you’re arranging a private sale, a wedding, or another date-sensitive event around a new plate, always apply online and build in a buffer rather than relying on the fastest-case timeline.
How to Put a Number Plate on Retention
Retention is what you use when you want to take a private registration off a car now, but you’re not ready to put it on another vehicle yet, for example, if you’re between cars or the recipient vehicle hasn’t arrived.
- Apply using the same V317 process (online or by post), but select “retain” rather than “assign” as the outcome.
- Pay the £80 fee.
- The DVLA removes the registration from the donor vehicle, which then reverts to its previous registration number (or is issued a new one if none is on record).
- You receive a V778 retention document confirming you hold the registration and can assign it to any eligible vehicle whenever you’re ready.
A retention document is valid for 10 years and can be renewed indefinitely, usually for free if you renew before it expires. If it does lapse, the registration can eventually be released back into general circulation, so it’s worth diarising the renewal date.
How to Assign a Retained Number Plate to a Car
If you already hold a V778 retention document (or a V750 certificate of entitlement for a plate you’ve bought new from the DVLA), assigning it to a vehicle is the more straightforward half of the process.
- Apply online or by post using the V317 process again, this time entering your V778 or V750 reference instead of a donor vehicle’s V5C.
- Enter the recipient vehicle’s registration and V5C reference number.
- Pay the £80 assignment fee.
- Once approved, the DVLA updates the vehicle’s record and posts out a new V5C showing the assigned registration.
Get the new physical plates made and fitted as soon as the assignment is confirmed. The vehicle needs to display the exact registration shown on its current V5C to be driven legally, so don’t leave the old plates on any longer than it takes to get the new ones made.
How to Remove a Private Plate From a Car
If you’re selling, scrapping, or exporting a vehicle that’s currently showing a private registration you want to keep, you need to remove the plate before the sale goes through, not after.
- Apply through the V317 process and choose to retain the registration rather than transfer it.
- Once approved, the vehicle automatically reverts to its previous registration, or the DVLA issues an age-related one if no earlier registration is on file.
- You’ll receive a V778 retention document for the number you’ve taken off.
- Only once this is confirmed should you complete the sale, hand over the V5C, or arrange collection for scrapping.
This step trips people up more than any other in the process: once a vehicle changes hands, the private plate goes with it unless you’ve already retained it. There’s no way to claw it back afterwards.
Common Reasons a DVLA Transfer Gets Rejected
- The recipient vehicle is older than the registration implies, you can’t make a vehicle look newer than it actually is. A plate can go on a vehicle the same age or older than the registration suggests, never younger.
- Outstanding finance on either vehicle that hasn’t been settled or disclosed.
- Mismatched details between the V5C and the DVLA’s own record, often from a keeper change that hasn’t been fully processed yet.
- The donor or recipient vehicle is recorded as scrapped, exported, or has a police marker against it.
- Missing signatures where two different registered keepers are involved and both need to sign the declaration.
Dateless and short-format registrations, the older style with no age identifier, are exempt from this rule and can go on any eligible vehicle, regardless of when it was built.
DVLA Rules on Displaying a Transferred Plate
Once your registration is legally on the vehicle’s record, you still have to display it correctly. This catches people out more than any other part of the process, and it’s where most DVLA warnings and MOT failures come from.
- Letters and numbers must be evenly spaced, in the approved font, with no altered characters, unusual bolts, or spacing designed to make the plate read as something else.
- You can’t add stylised fixings, screws, or spacers positioned to change how the registration appears, this is a common way people try to make a plate spell a word or name, and it’s illegal.
- Plates must be made from reflective material to British Standard BS AU 145e, with the supplier’s details printed on the plate.
- The registration must exactly match what’s on the V5C, no extra characters, no swapped fonts, no resizing that changes the spacing.
A non-compliant plate can result in a fine of up to £1,000 and an MOT failure, and repeated or deliberate misuse puts the registration itself at risk. This is the substance behind the “DVLA personalised number plate warning” many people search for, it isn’t a separate process, it’s an enforcement issue tied directly to how the plate is displayed after a transfer.
What Happens to Your Physical Plates After the Transfer?
Completing the DVLA paperwork only changes what’s on record, you still need new physical number plates made and fitted before you can legally drive with the new registration showing, matching the exact format DVLA has approved for your vehicle.
As a registered UK number plate supplier, NRP Nationwide is required to check your proof of entitlement, your V5C, V750, or V778, before producing a plate, and every plate we make is cut to British Standard BS AU 145e. We cover every style once your transfer or assignment is confirmed, from standard 2D number plates to layered 3D gel and 4D acrylic finishes. If you want something with more depth, our 5D, 6D, 7D, 8D and 9D ranges all carry the raised, gloss-resin lettering that’s popular on newly-transferred private plates. We also make dedicated motorbike number plates if the registration is going on a bike rather than a car, along with number plate holders to keep them secure and road-legal.
For more on choosing between plate styles, formats and finishes, have a browse of our blog.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a DVLA number plate transfer take?
Online applications are usually approved within a few hours and often the same day. Postal applications take around four to six weeks. New V5C logbooks arrive separately, typically within two to four weeks of approval.
How much does it cost to transfer a number plate in the UK?
The standard DVLA fee is £80, whether you’re assigning a plate to a vehicle or putting it into retention. This is separate from the cost of having new physical plates made.
Can I transfer a number plate myself, or do I need a dealer?
You can do it yourself directly through gov.uk with no dealer involved, as long as you’re the registered keeper of both vehicles and have the V5C details to hand. Dealers and plate specialists can help if the paperwork is more complicated, such as an estate transfer.
Do I need a valid MOT to transfer a number plate?
The recipient vehicle needs a valid MOT if it’s over three years old, along with valid tax or a SORN, for the transfer to go through cleanly.
Can I put a number plate on retention indefinitely?
A retention document lasts 10 years and can be renewed, usually for free if renewed before it expires. It isn’t indefinite by default, so it’s worth noting the renewal date.
What’s the difference between assigning and retaining a number plate?
Assigning puts the registration straight onto a vehicle’s V5C. Retaining takes it off a vehicle and holds it on a V778 document instead, with no vehicle attached until you assign it later.
Can I transfer a private plate between two vehicles I own?
Yes. You apply through the same V317 process, listing your existing vehicle as the donor and the other vehicle you own as the recipient, as long as the recipient vehicle meets the age rule.
What happens to my old registration after I transfer a private plate?
The vehicle reverts to its previous registration number, or the DVLA issues an age-related one if no earlier registration is on record. It never keeps the private plate once that’s been transferred off.
Can I revert a car back to its original number plate?
Yes, as long as the original registration was retained with the DVLA and hasn’t been released or transferred elsewhere, you can reassign it back to the vehicle at any time.
Do I need new physical number plates after a transfer?
Yes. The DVLA paperwork only updates the vehicle’s official record, you still need new plates made to British Standard BS AU 145e showing the transferred registration before you can drive with it displayed.
What is the DVLA personalised number plate warning about?
It refers to enforcement against plates altered with unusual spacing, fixings, or fonts to change how the registration reads. It isn’t a separate application process, it’s a compliance rule that applies once your transferred plate is fitted, and breaching it can mean a fine of up to £1,000 or an MOT failure.
Do I have to transfer a plate before I can buy one?
No, buying and transferring are two different steps. You buy a registration first, either from the DVLA directly or through a dealer, which gives you a V750 or V778 reference. Assigning that reference to your vehicle is the transfer step, done through the same V317 process.
Final Thoughts
Transferring a number plate is a straightforward DVLA process once you know which of the three actions you actually need, assign, retain, or remove. Apply online where you can, have both V5C logbooks ready, and check the age rule before you commit to a recipient vehicle. Once your paperwork is confirmed, the only thing left is getting the new plates made and fitted correctly.
