Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, you do not have to transfer your new private registration straight away you can purchase it on a Retention Certificate, this certificate is an ownership document which states you have the legal right to the registration. This document is valid for 10 years and when you are ready it is a very straight forward process to then apply the registration from the certificate to the vehicle in question.

When applying a new private plate to your vehicle the current registration plate of the vehicle will be put on hold by the DVLA, it will still be linked to the same vehicle but it will only be re-instated once the new registration is transferred to either another vehicle or back onto a Retention Certificate in future.

If you wish to retain the existing registration when applying your new number, please see the next question in our FAQ section below.

Yes, if you wish to retain the existing registration from the vehicle before applying your new plate purchase then you will just need to let us know this is your intention at the time of purchase.

This is because the two actions must be completed at the same time, the process will retain the current registration on to a new retention certificate, while at the same time the new registration certificate will be used to apply the new private registration to the vehicle.

*Please note however that this requires an additional £80 fee to be paid to the DVLA in order to retain the first registration.

Yes, if you wish to retain the existing registration from the vehicle before applying your new plate purchase then you will just need to let us know this is your intention at the time of purchase.

This is because the two actions must be completed at the same time, the process will retain the current registration on to a new retention certificate, while at the same time the new registration certificate will be used to apply the new private registration to the vehicle.

*Please note however that this requires an additional £80 fee to be paid to the DVLA in order to retain the first registration.

When purchasing your new private registration you will be given the option to either transfer your registration directly to a vehicle (in which case you the customer will need to supply your V5C/Logbook document) or you can also choose to apply the registration to a Retention Certificate, this certificate will be valid for 10 years and can be used within this time to transfer the private registration number onto a vehicle (providing the vehicle meets the age requirements for the registration in question).

Yes, all plates except "dateless" numbers have requirements for the maximum year of the donor vehicle, as easy way to think about this is "you cannot make your vehicle look newer when applying a private plate". For example if your current registration is LA06 DEB then only a registration with a 06 or less can be applied to this vehicle for example LA05 DEB or LA57 DEB can be applied as this will not make the vehicle appear newer.

Here are some of the year ranges for the types of registrations on offer:

New style 2000-2023
Prefix Style 1983-1999
Suffix Style 1963-1982
Dateless Style (Any Vehicle Age)

As a broker we offer both DVLA registrations and currently owned numbers on some occasions our system will identify these privately owned numbers as being listed more than 6 months ago and will allow you to make an enquiry, in this event we will contact the owner to confirm that this number is still available for sale.

Yes private registration plates can be applied to any motorbike or moped, if this is the case please be sure to contact if you also require acrylic plates and ones for these particular vehicles are of a different shape/dimensions.

Yes, you can. All you need to do is purchase the number plate - you won't need any vehicle documents at the time of purchase as these will only be needed for the transfer of the registration, which can be done by the gift recipient later on.

For more information about giving a private plate as a gift, read this guide.

Once a private number plate is applied to a vehicle it is then linked to that vehicle and it will go with the vehicle when it is sold to another party. In order to stop this from happening you will need to either transfer the registration to another vehicle or onto a Retention Certificate prior to sale, you can complete this process either online via the DVLA transfer website or by filling in a V317 form, a fee of £80 will also be payable at the time of the application.

Once you have applied your new private registration to your vehicle, you will also need to inform your insurance company as to the change, this is so that you are still covered in the event of a claim, we recommend doing this prior to changing over the acrylic plates on your vehicle to save you any issues in the unlikely event that you may need to make a claim.

If you are assigning a new number plate to a vehicle, you will need to send your log book (V5C) and the certificate to the DVLA who will be able to assign the number plate to your vehicle. The DVLA will send you a replacement V5C back in the post, showing your new number plate's registration. This means that the transfer is complete and you can contact your insurance to let them know your number plate has changed and change your plates over. The tax and MOT from your previous number plate will be automatically updated for your new number plate by the DVLA.

If you need to tax and/or MOT your vehicle while your number plate transfer is being processed, you can do so if the transfer hasn't yet been completed. However, if the DVLA has processed your new plate before you have sorted your road tax or completed your MOT, the transfer will fail. At Click4reg, we always advise our customers to ensure they tax their vehicle or book in for an MOT before their number plate is due to be processed.

The most simple answer to this is yes, you can. But first it is advisable to speak to the lease or motability company prior to purchasing a private registration plate to confirm that there are no restrictions in assigning a personalised plate to your vehicle. There shouldn't be any issues, but it's always best to check beforehand.

If the lease company allows you to apply a private plate in most cases you will be required to send the retention certificate for them to apply the registration as they will be the ones holding the V5C Logbook. For more information about putting a private plate on a motability car, read our guide.