### Road Traffic (Registration and Licensing of Vehicles) Regulations 《道路交通(車輛登記及領牌)規例》

12. Transfer of special registration marks
(1) Subject to subregulation (2), where the ownership in a motor vehicle to which there is assigned a special registration mark is transferred, the Commissioner shall cancel the allocation of the special registration mark and reallocate it under regulation 9(1).
(2) Without prejudice to regulation 16, a special registration mark may be transferred from one motor vehicle to another if, and only if, the vehicles are at the time of the transfer, or were immediately prior to that time, in the same ownership.

12A. Commissioner to invite applications for personalized registration marks
(1) The Commissioner may from time to time, by notice published in the Gazette, invite applications for the allocation of personalized registration marks upon sale by auction.
(2) The Commissioner—
(a) shall determine the period within which an application has to reach him; and
(b) may specify the number of applications to be considered under regulation 12C (specified number

12B. Manner in which application for personalized registration mark is to be made
(1) A person who wishes to be allocated a personalized registration mark under regulation 12I may, upon invitation made under regulation 12A(1), apply to the Commissioner to make that registration mark (proposed personalized registration mark

### Road Traffic (Registration and Licensing of Vehicles) Regulations 《道路交通(車輛登記及領牌)規例》

12D. Payment of deposit upon notice by Commissioner
(1) The Commissioner shall require, by notice in writing, the applicant of each application for the allocation of a proposed personalized registration mark which, after being considered under regulation 12C, shall be determined under regulation 12F to pay to the Commissioner a deposit of $5,000 within the period specified in the notice.
(2) An applicant who fails to pay a deposit required under subregulation (1) shall be deemed to have withdrawn his application.
(25 of 2005 s. 10)

12E. Combination requirements for personalized registration marks
(1) Subject to subregulations (2) and (3), a personalized registration mark shall consist of—
(a) not more than 8 letters (which shall not include the letters “I”, “O” and “Q”);
(b) not more than 8 numerals; or
(c) any combination of letters (which shall not include the letters “I”, “O” and “Q”) and numerals the total of which shall not exceed 8.
(2) Each blank space indicated on an application form under regulation 12B(3)(b) shall, for the purpose of counting the number of letters, numerals, or both, under subregulation (1)(a), (b) or (c), be taken as one letter or numeral.
(3) More than one blank space is allowed in a personalized registration mark, but there shall be not more than one blank space between any 2 letters or numerals, or between a letter and a numeral, in the personalized registration mark.
(4) Any blank space in a proposed personalized registration mark shall be disregarded for the purpose of deciding—
(a) whether it is a registration mark referred to in regulation 12C(2)(b), (c) or (d) (in which case any blank space in such registration mark shall also be disregarded for the purpose of making the comparison); and
(b) whether it falls within the description in regulation 12C(2)(e), (f), (g), (h), (i), (j), (k) or (l).
(25 of 2005 s. 10)

### Road Traffic (Registration and Licensing of Vehicles) Regulations 《道路交通(車輛登記及領牌)規例》

12F. Determination of application for personalized registration mark
(1) On receipt of a deposit under regulation 12D(1), the Commissioner shall, in his discretion, determine whether to accept or refuse the application concerned.
(2) Without prejudice to the generality of the Commissioner’s discretion under subregulation (1), the Commissioner shall refuse an application if, in his opinion, the proposed personalized registration mark—
(a) is likely to be offensive to a reasonable person, or has a connotation offensive to good taste or decency;
(b) refers to any triad title or nomenclature or otherwise has a triad connotation;
(c) is likely to cause a reasonable person to believe that the motor vehicle on which the registration mark is displayed belongs to or the person using the vehicle represents any of the following—
(i) the Hong Kong Garrison or any office set up by the Central People’s Government in Hong Kong;
(ii) the Government;
(iii) any public body;
(iv) any country or the government of any country; or
(v) an international organization in which the Government participates in any capacity;
(d) may cause danger to the safety of any user of the road; or
(e) is confusing for the purposes of law enforcement.
(3) If the Commissioner determines that an application shall be refused, he shall—
(a) notify the applicant in writing of the refusal and the reasons therefor; and
(b) refund to the applicant the deposit paid by him under regulation 12D(1).
(4) On determining that an application shall be accepted, the Commissioner shall, subject to subregulation (5), notify the applicant in writing that—
(a) the application is accepted; and
(b) subject to regulation 12G, the proposed personalized registration mark is approved as personalized registration mark to be offered for sale by auction on a day to be fixed by the Commissioner in his discretion.
(5) Subregulation (4) shall not apply if the proposed personalized registration mark is a cancelled personalized registration mark (taking into account only the sequence of arrangement of the letters and numerals) and that cancelled personalized registration mark has been allocated under regulation 12Q(7), in which case the Commissioner shall—
(a) subject to subregulation (6), notify the applicant concerned in writing of the allocation; and
(b) subject to regulation 12Q(6), refund to the applicant the deposit paid by him under regulation 12D(1).
(6) The Commissioner is not required to notify the applicant concerned under subregulation (5)(a) if he is the person to whom the cancelled personalized registration mark is allocated under regulation 12Q(7).
(25 of 2005 s. 10)

### Road Traffic (Registration and Licensing of Vehicles) Regulations 《道路交通(車輛登記及領牌)規例》

12G. Review of determination to accept application for personalized registration mark
(1) The Commissioner may, at any time before a proposed personalized registration mark approved as referred to in regulation 12F(4) is sold by auction, review the determination under that regulation if he is satisfied that there is good cause for doing so.
(2) The Commissioner may, on reviewing a determination under subregulation (1), confirm or reverse the determination.
(3) If the Commissioner reverses a determination under subregulation (2), he shall—
(a) notify the applicant concerned in writing of the reversal and the reasons therefor; and
(b) refund to the applicant the deposit paid by him under regulation 12D(1).
(25 of 2005 s. 10)

12H. Sale by auction of personalized registration marks
(1) The sale by auction under regulation 12I(1) of a proposed personalized registration mark shall, subject to subregulation (2), be conducted under the direction of the Commissioner.
(2) The Commissioner may engage such persons as he thinks fit for the conduct of the sale by auction under regulation 12I(1) of a proposed personalized registration mark.
(3) The sale by auction under regulation 12I(1) of a proposed personalized registration mark shall be subject to a reserve price of $5,000, and the persons attending the sale by auction shall be notified accordingly.
(25 of 2005 s. 10)