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Retaining a registration mark and how to apply

A registration number can be removed from the vehicle to which it’s assigned and held on a retention document for 12 months pending assignment to another vehicle. The retention period can be extended annually provided it’s not allowed to lapse.

Who can apply

Only the registered keeper of a vehicle is entitled to apply to retain its registration number. The registered keeper also has the option of nominating a person to whose vehicle they may wish to assign the number.

The requirements for the donor vehicle

The donor vehicle (the vehicle giving up the registration number) must be currently taxed, subject to annual MOT and heavy goods vehicle (HGV) testing and available for inspection.

However, to help an individual whose vehicle, for unexpected reasons is unable to be re-taxed, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) will still consider applications where the tax disc expired no more than 12 months previously.

Note: To qualify for this concession, there must be no break between the natural expiry date of the tax disc and the commencement of SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification).

This concession doesn't apply if you have submitted your tax disc for a refund or if the donor vehicle isn't old enough to be tested, ie less than three years old for cars, motorcycles etc or less than one year for HGVs.

In both the above circumstances, all other requirements of the number retention facility must be met in order for applications to be considered.

How to apply

You’ll need to complete a V778/1 ‘application to retain a vehicle registration number’. It has a tear-off sheet containing notes for guidance in question and answer form. You should read these very carefully and retain them for future reference. The completed application and associated documents should be sent to your nearest DVLA local office.

What you need to take or send to the DVLA local office

You’ll need:

  • the completed V778/1 ‘application to retain a vehicle registration number’
  • the most recently issued registration certificate (V5C) for the vehicle or new keeper supplement (V5C/2) and completed V62 ‘application for a vehicle registration certificate V5C'
  • a test certificate for the vehicle if it requires one (although the vehicle may not be old enough to need one, it must belong to a class of vehicle that normally requires MOT or HGV testing)
  • the current fee of £105 - this represents the £25 retention fee and £80 assignment fee

Note: If you don’t have a V5C or V5C/2 or if the V5C/2 has been stamped by the DVLA local office, you’ll need to apply for a registration certificate by completing a V62 ‘application for a vehicle registration certificate’ and £25 fee.

If the V5C/2 has been stamped following a previous transfer or retention application you may not be able to apply until a new V5C has been issued to you.

If you need to tax the vehicle at the same time, you’ll need to complete a V10 ‘vehicle licence application’ or the V11 reminder and provide the certificate of insurance or valid cover note that’s relevant to the vehicle being taxed, and the appropriate payment of vehicle tax.

Please ensure that you have your tax disc details (expiry date and serial number) and vehicle identification (VIN) or chassis number to hand if you intend to visit the DVLA local office.

Note: Northern Ireland vehicles simultaneously being registered in Great Britain (GB) and taking part in retention applications will be subject to ID checking.

Form V778/1, V10 and V62 are available for download or you can get them at your nearest DVLA local office.

Leaflet INF46 ‘Registration Numbers and You’ also offers further advice on the scheme and is available for download.

What happens next

The DVLA local office may wish to inspect the vehicle. If everything is in order, the vehicle will be allocated a replacement age-related registration number* and, if appropriate, a replacement tax disc will be issued and the MOT certificate will be amended to show the replacement registration number. You’ll then be instructed to replace the number plates on the vehicle and return any old tax disc for cancellation.

*If the vehicle was first registered before 1963 and requires an age related replacement number that doesn’t contain a year identifier, it may not reflect the exact date the vehicle was first registered.

The papers will be sent to DVLA, Swansea for the records to be updated. You’ll normally receive a retention document (V778) showing you as the grantee (valid for 12 months) and a V5C Registration Certificate for the vehicle under its replacement registration number within four weeks of your confirmation letter from the local office. However, if a V62 was used to support your application it could take up to eight weeks. The retention document must be kept very secure because you’ll need it when you come to assign the number at a later date. The notes on the retention document tell you how to go about assigning the number to a vehicle. It also explains how to extend entitlement and add or change nominee details. The current fee for these services is £25.

Once the expiry date has lapsed, entitlement is lost. Although DVLA is not obliged to, it does issue expiry reminders, but the responsibility to apply to extend in time rests with the grantee.

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