Later Transfers
If you’ve found a private registration you’d like to purchase but you aren’t ready to transfer it straight away, we can help you arrange a later transfer. You can still place an order for the private registration even if you don’t have a vehicle yet. The private registration mark will be removed from general sale immediately so that no one else can buy it. As always, the government insists that their statutory transfer fee, presently £80, is paid at the time of purchase, even if you are delaying the transfer until later.
New registration marks
Initially, the private registration mark will be held on an official government certificate called a V750 Certificate of Entitlement, which is valid for 10 years. If you haven’t assigned it to a vehicle within that time you can renew your rights to the registration mark for a further 10 years. (Once the registration is assigned to a vehicle there is no expiry date to worry about.)
If you have opted for the Done-for-You Transfer service we will start processing your transfer as soon as we receive your vehicle documents. However, if you would like your transfer completed for a specific date, such as a birthday or anniversary, simply let us know and we will delay the transfer.
To read more about our gift options take a look at our Buying as a gift area.
Pre-owned registration marks
As these private registrations are owned by a third party the most secure way to take possession of them is to transfer them to a vehicle straight away. If you don’t have a vehicle, or would like to delay the transfer, this is possible but there are different processes involved which are dependent on whether the private registration is currently held on a government certificate or assigned to a vehicle.
If the private registration mark is currently assigned to a vehicle we can retain it for you so it will be held on a government certificate for 10 years. You can renew the certificate every 10 years until you are ready to use it. Once it has been assigned to a vehicle there is no time limit to worry about and no ongoing cost.
If the private registration is already held on a certificate the process is different. For security the DVLA Retention Scheme prevents the change of ownership of government certificates such as a V750 Certificate of Entitlement or V778 Certificate of Retention. In order to transfer the rights to private registrations already held on a certificate we first need to assign it to a vehicle and then re-retain it onto a new government certificate in your details, as the new owner.
| Price breakdown for this service | |
|---|---|
| Use of Donor vehicle | £60 (inc. VAT) |
| Standard Government Retention Fee | £80 |
| Total cost | £140 (inc. VAT) |
Alternatively, you could have the private registration assigned to the vehicle of a friend or relative* and then retain it again in your details, paying the £80 Government transfer fee.
*Please be very careful because once your new registration is on your friend’s or relative’s vehicle, technically, they own it!
The private registration mark will then be held on a government certificate that is valid for 10 years and can be renewed after this period if necessary and you can keep renewing the registration, keeping it on a certificate until you’re ready. For example, you could purchase the private registration for a young child and renew it until they are old enough to drive -a fabulous idea for a seventeenth birthday present! For more information, please visit the following areas: