How to put a private plate on your car

There are four stages to putting a private number on a car: own the right to the number, assign it to the vehicle, get plates made, fit them. People run into trouble when they try to do stage three before stage two — a supplier cannot legally make a plate for a registration that is not yet on the vehicle or backed by a certificate of entitlement in your name. GOV.UK's step-by-step guide is the official version; here is what each step means in practice.

Step 1: make sure you hold the right to the number

Whether you bought the registration at auction, from a dealer or from a private seller, you should end up with one of two documents: a V750 certificate of entitlement for a number that has never been on a vehicle, or a V778 retention document for a number that was taken off a previous vehicle. If you removed the number from your own car online, you may have an online reference number instead of a paper V778. Our guide to V750 and V778 documents explains the difference and what to check on them.

Step 2: check the car can take the number

Not every vehicle qualifies. According to GOV.UK's guidance on assigning a private number, the vehicle must:

• be registered with DVLA in the UK;
• be taxed now, or have a SORN in place, and have been taxed or on SORN continuously for the past five years;
• be of a type that needs an MOT or HGV test certificate;
• be available for inspection if DVLA asks.

Two rules catch people out. You cannot use a private number that makes a vehicle look newer than it is — a “07” registration cannot go on a 2003 car — and a “Q” registration cannot be assigned or replaced. If the car is on a Q plate, or the number's age identifier is later than the vehicle's first registration, the application will be refused.

Step 3: assign the number to the vehicle

Assigning is done with DVLA, not with a plate supplier. You can apply online or by post using form V317, and GOV.UK states it is free either way. To apply online you need:

• the certificate number from your V750 or V778 (or the online reference number);
• the vehicle’s log book (V5C), for its 11-digit document reference number.

If the vehicle does not need an inspection, the number is assigned immediately and you get a confirmation on screen. DVLA then sends a new V5C showing the private registration. From the moment the assignment is confirmed, the old registration no longer belongs to the car — so it is worth having the new plates ready to fit.

Step 4: get the plates made by a registered supplier

Once the number is assigned, GOV.UK says you must get a plate made up from a registered supplier and put the new plates on the vehicle. That is where we come in. In the plate builder you type the registration, choose a finish and a size, and pay; then you upload two documents from the confirmation page:

• Proof of identity — driving licence or passport.
• Proof of entitlement — the V750 or V778 for the private number, or the new V5C once it has arrived.

We check the documents before the plates are manufactured. Because a V750 or V778 in your name is accepted as entitlement, you can order the plates as soon as you hold the certificate — you do not have to wait for the new logbook, although you must not fit them until the number has actually been assigned to the car.

One point on layout: type the registration into the builder with the spacing you want to see on the plate. Road-legal plates must follow the DVLA layout for that registration; if what you enter differs from it, we will check with you before making anything rather than silently changing it. Our spacing rules guide has the measurements.

Step 5: fit the plates and tell your insurer

Fit both plates as soon as the assignment is confirmed — see pads vs screws for the two methods. GOV.UK is explicit that you must tell your insurance company about the new registration number; do it as soon as the assignment is confirmed, because the policy is tied to the registration. It is also sensible to update anything else keyed to the old number: parking permits, toll and congestion-charge accounts, breakdown cover and any fuel or fleet cards.

Buying a car that already has a private plate

The private number belongs to whoever holds the right to it, not to the car. A seller who wants to keep the number should take it off the vehicle with DVLA before the sale, which puts the car back on an age-related registration and gives the seller a V778. If the number is still on the car when it changes hands, the right to it passes with the vehicle. So when you buy, check the registration on the V5C or the new keeper slip: that is the number you are entitled to order plates for, and it is the number that must be on the car the day you drive it away.

Common mistakes, and how to avoid them

• Fitting the plates before assignment. Until DVLA confirms the number is on the vehicle, the car still carries its old registration, and displaying any other number is an offence.
• Leaving the old plates in the boot. They show a registration the car no longer holds; keep them off the vehicle, and destroy them if the old number has been withdrawn.
• Forgetting the insurer. Cover is linked to the registration on the policy. Tell them as soon as the assignment is confirmed.
• Letting a certificate lapse. A number that is not on a vehicle has to be renewed every 10 years, or the right to it is lost.
• Ordering from a supplier that does not check documents. A plate made without the identity and entitlement checks is not a legal plate, whatever it looks like.

What happens to the old registration?

When a private number is assigned, the vehicle's previous registration is usually withdrawn, or DVLA issues a replacement age-related number if the car was on a private number before. The V5C that arrives after assignment shows the registration the car now carries. Keep the old plates off the road: displaying a registration the vehicle no longer holds is an offence.

Common questions