The Cherished Transfer Scheme enables a registration number to be moved directly from one vehicle to another. Only the registered keeper of a vehicle is entitled to apply to transfer its number. Application is made on form V317 and the fee for a transfer is £80 (at time of publication). Regplate will assist you with the entire process !

The DOT Retention Scheme enables a number to be held apart from the vehicle it has been assigned to (perhaps while you are in-between vehicles or awaitng the sale of the number) for a 12 month period. Only the registered keeper of a vehicle is entitled to apply for a right of retention.

REMEMBER:  Under the current rules the retention right is granted to the applicant (the grantee) alone and it is non-transferable - the nominee has no rights to the number.

Only the grantee can apply to have the retained registration number assigned, and it can only be assigned to a vehicle which is registered to the grantee, or to the nominee shown on the retention document.

Once you have assigned the retained number to your, or your nominee's, vehicle you have fully exercised your rights under the terms of the retention facility. After assignment, entitlement to the number comes through being the keeper of the vehicle which has received it. Only the keeper is entitled to apply for further retention or transfer of the number.

If the vehicle which is receiving the retained number is already registered, its existing number will become void unless an application to retain or transfer that number is made at the same time.

The V317 and V778/1 forms contain notes for guidance and are available from DVLC and your nearest VRO (but see section 1). For the address and telephone number look in your 'phone book under "Transport, Department of".

Before you apply, check your V5 registration Document to make sure that the number is transferable. If it is not, it will say so on the V5. If the registration document states that the registration number is non-transferable, then it cannot be retained either. However, the vehicle may still be eligible to receive a cherished mark (this does not apply if the vehicle has a "Q" mark).

You should also check to make sure that the conditions for the transfer and retention schemes can be compiled with. These conditions are as follows :-

Vehicles must be available for inspection.
The inspection helps to verify entitlement to the registration number being transferred / retained. Both the donor (the vehicle giving up the number) and the recipient (the vehicle receiving the number) may be called for inspection.

Vehicles must be subject to MOT / HGV test.
Non-testable vehicles such as agricultural tractors and milk floats, for example, are outside the scope of the schemes. Only testable vehicles can participate in transfers and retentions and valid test certificates must be sent with applications.

Vehicles must be currently licensed, or in the process of being licensed.
The application will still be considered, however, where the last licence (tax disc) expired within six months of the date of application. If the licence has been voluntarily surrendered for refund, the six-month concession does not normally apply.

There is restriction on transfers involving motorcycles -
If you are satisfied that you have met all the conditions, you can send your application to your nearest VRO - but see section 1. If everything is in order and the application is approved, a replacement registration number which is appropriate to its age will be assigned. If the vehicle was registered before 1963 it will be assigned a number which does not contain a year identifier and which you will not be able to transfer or put on retention.

Replacement tax disc(s) will be issued, and the MOT certificates(s) - where applicable - will be endorsed to show that the vehicle's number has changed.

Finally, registration document(s) showing the changed registration number will be sent out from DVLC to the keeper(s). In the case of a retention application, a V778 Retention Document, valid for 12 months, will also be sent to the grantee.
 
It is importamt that you do not dispose of the vehicle until the application has been fully completed and you have received the amended registration document(s). If you dispose of the vehicle too soon, you may lose entitlement to the cherished mark.
 
Rules for motorcycles and  mopeds...

Motorcycles and mopeds can take part in the transfer and retention schemes, but there is a restriction. Numbers may be transferred between two-wheeled motor vehicles. They can also be transferred from two-wheeled vehicles to cars, HGVs etc. However, numbers from cars, HGVs etc cannot be transferred onto two-wheeled vehicles. The reasons for this restriction are linked to the control of abuse of the schemes.
 
How must you present your registration ?

It stands to reason that registration numbers must be correctly displayed in accordance with the regulations; many dealers and number plate manufacturers will tell a merry tale of mis-spacing and skullduggery. More information on spacing can be found in leaflet V796 Display of Registration Marks; alternatively, you can ring Regplate and one of our bimbos will explain this in words of one syllable.

If you have an old style log book / V5 registration document but the vehicle no longer exists. Can you claim the registration number?

No, you may not. Once a vehicle has ceased to exist, entitlement to its number also ceases. Possession of a log book or registration document  alone does not give entitlement to a registration number. If a vehicle has been scrapped, you are required by law to notify the Secretary of State and return the registration document to DVLC.