How long plate retention

Do not tell the DVLA that you have sold the vehicle until the personalised plates are on retention. If you say that you have sold the car beforehand, the private number plates will be lost. You may want your cherished plates changed from your old to your new vehicle. This is just because we need the document reference number! Keep in mind that sometimes providers charge a fee for this. If you have any queries regarding the retention of your cherished number and assigning it to your new car, you can ask in store or contact us on This is a relatively simple process and can be done through the DVLA website.

A retention certificate for a number plate is an official DVLA form confirming that you are the legal owner of that plate. It allows you to keep or purchase a number plate without assigning it to a vehicle. Current DVLA guidelines state that a number plate can stay on retention for a maximum of 10 years before needing to be renewed. If you want to keep or purchase a number plate without assigning it to a vehicle, you can put it on retention.

If you want to sell a private number plate or reserve it for future use, you can do so via the DVLA. As long as certain conditions are met, you can pay to obtain a V retention document.

How does it work if I want to give a personalised number plate as a gift? When it comes to purchasing a new number plate for your car, you can buy a private number plate from a private company or individual. Once the plate has been successfully bought, you will have one of the following:. Either one of these will prove that your number plate is owned by you. When it comes to assigning a number plate to a car, the vehicle must be registered to you.

Then you can begin the process of transferring the number plate to your vehicle — either online or via post. If you go into a company and purchase a personalised number plate in the flesh, most will transfer the number to your vehicle for you — free of charge.

However, if you purchase a plate online, or want to keep or assign the number plate yourself, ask the company for a V or V certificate so you can complete the process at home. But how do you go about putting a private plate on a new car? Today, if you wish to assign, or transfer a reg plate from one car to another, the easiest and quickest way is online via the Gov. Whether your car is registered to another vehicle or held on a Certificate of Entitlement V or Retention Document V , it can take as little as five minutes.

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