Source: https://www.simplyregistrations.co.uk/grantee-and-nominee-explained/
Timestamp: 2019-05-21 01:02:57
Document Index: 156832498

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 2', 'art 4', 'art 6', 'art 1', 'art 6', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 6', 'art 1', 'art 2', 'art 1', 'art 2', 'arts 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 2', 'art 6']

Grantee and Nominee Explained - Simply Registrations
August 20, 2010 /356 Comments/in Number Plates News /by James Saperia
DVLA use the terms Grantee, Purchaser and Nominee on the V750 Certificate of Entitlement (pink) and the V778 Retention Document (green). These terms are not used in everyday conversation and often confuse owners of personalised number plates.
In this blog post we will attempt to explain in plain English what the terms actually mean and how they affect you in relation to your personalised registration.
In May 2015 DVLA launched an online service enabling the Grantee or Purchaser to put a private plate on a vehicle without adding a nominee. The online assign a number plate facility is quicker & easier and the system does not require there to be a match between the names on the V778/V750 and the V5C registration document (log book).
At the top left hand-side of the V750 and V778 is the word Grantee or Purchaser. For the purpose of this explanation we will use the term Grantee (which covers both the Grantee and Purchaser). Underneath is a name and address; it could be a company name or the name of an individual. In simple terms the company or person named as the Grantee has the rights to the registration shown on the document.
Only the Grantee can sign the document and the DVLA will only release information to the Grantee.
The purpose of a V750 or V778 is to hold or retain a cherished registration when it is not registered to a vehicle. There are only a few tasks that are associated with these documents:
Assigning or transferring the registration to a vehicle
Adding or changing a Nominee
Renewing or extending the document beyond its expiry date
Changing the address of the Grantee
Applying for a refund of the £80 transfer fee
Just to reiterate only the Grantee can carry out these tasks.
So who or what is a Nominee? The Nominee information appears on the document at the left hand-side underneath the vehicle registration number and the expiry date. You will either have the words ‘NOT APPLICABLE’ showing, or you will be able to see a name or company name.
The Nominee comes into play when it is time to transfer or assign the personalised registration to a vehicle. The easiest way to explain this is to use an example. Benjamin Saperia has the personalised registration BEN 962 held on a DVLA document. Benjamin is the Grantee; his name and address is shown on the document.
Benjamin is moving abroad and plans to live outside of the United Kingdom for the foreseeable future. He sells his registration BEN 962 to Ben Foster. As it stands the registration BEN 962 can only be transferred or assigned to a vehicle showing the registered keeper as Benjamin Saperia. He is the Grantee and the Nominee section states ‘not applicable’. To be able to transfer or assign the registration to Ben Foster’s car, Benjamin must add Ben Foster as the Nominee on the document (unless he uses the DVLA online service to assign BEN 962 to Ben Foster’s car).
By adding the Nominee ‘Ben Foster’ to the document the registration BEN 962 can be assigned to a vehicle registered to either the Grantee; Benjamin Saperia or the Nominee; Ben Foster. When we talk about a vehicle being registered to a person, this is the name of the Registered Keeper on the V5C registration certificate (logbook) for the vehicle.
As soon as BEN 962 is transferred or assigned to Ben Foster’s car, Benjamin Saperia loses all rights to the registration, the retention document is obsolete and BEN 962 is now registered to Ben Foster’s car.
The Grantee name can not be changed on either the V750 Certificate of Entitlement or the V778 Retention Document. Ownership of the document itself can not pass from one person to another. The Grantee remains until the registration is assigned or transferred to a vehicle.
The Nominee has no rights to the registration number until it is transferred (assigned) to their vehicle. What if Benjamin added Ben Foster as a nominee but he then backed out of the deal? Benjamin would be a bit miffed but he has nothing to worry about with regards to ownership of the document. The Grantee has the authority; the nominee has no rights while the registration remains on the retention document/certificate of entitlement.
If the Purchaser or Grantee dies the executor or beneficiary can apply to DVLA to have the document amended.
Hopefully this information has cleared up any confusion. The Grantee has the rights, the Nominee exists to allow the Grantee to assign or transfer the registration to a vehicle in a different name.
For more information please visit the number plates & vehicle registration section at GOV.UK or contact DVLA.
https://www.simplyregistrations.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/JS-Logo.png 0 0 James Saperia https://www.simplyregistrations.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/JS-Logo.png James Saperia2010-08-20 18:42:132018-10-09 21:45:04Grantee and Nominee Explained
Hi Muz, Some of the lease companies have not changed their internal procedures since DVLA launched online transfers in March 2015. A registration can be put on a vehicle online without changing a nominee. The lease company will ask you to follow their instructions as they are handling the assignment on your behalf. I deal with lots of lease companies when assigning plates on behalf of clients and find it incredibly frustrating. In my experience ARVAL are by far the easiest to deal with when it comes to plate transfers.
Hi, I am about to lease a car and want to assign my private registration to it. My registration is on retention and the lease company has instructed me to add them as a nominee and they will sort out the rest. Looking at your article, do I really need to send off my v778 adding the lease company as a nominee or can I do this online without a change to the nominee? The lease company will be the registered keeper of the vehicle.
Hi Adam, The registered keeper of the car inherits all rights to the registration – if that is you, then the plate is yours. Any previous documentation for the plate is now invalid, DVLA will only enter into correspondence with the registered keeper of the vehicle that currently carries the plate. You may want to read how to sell a private number plate.
I have just bought a car with a private plate. I believe the holder of the V750 sold the car (with the plate) to the person i got the car from (still with the plate). I want to purchase my own personal plate, but I’m not sure what would happen to the plate that has been transferred with the car. Would I just surrender the plate and the original owner will be notified, or is there a way I can take ownership of it and just sell it on?
Hi Brendan, The short answer is no, you don’t have to retain your car’s existing plate. The topic is covered near the end of the article about putting a private number plate on a vehicle online.
Hi James, great blog, thanks for all of your informative answers.
I haven’t been able to find any answers relating to my query, maybe you can help?
I currently lease a car and have a personalised plate for which I will be assigning to. Should I/can I retain the existing plate so that I reassign it once I hand my current leased car back? Will my personalised plate have to be left with the vehicle once it is handed back if I do not retain and reassign the existing plate?
Hi Stephen, Adding a nominee is probably unnecessary, have a read of assigning a private plate online. It’s difficult to make a suggestion without knowing the amounts involved and the distance between buyer and seller. When I used to buy plates privately (before setting up as a dealer) I would go in person and meet the seller. You have the ability to instantly put the plate on your car online, payment could be in cash or by bank transfer. Failing that you could use a solicitor or ask a trusted number plate dealer to act as an agent.
I am looking to buy a personal reg plate from a private seller. I have left a small deposit with the view of paying the final balance once the paperwork has been sorted out.
I understand that the Grantee will name me as a nominee on the retention document, at this stage I still do not have any right to the registration. once I am named a nominee, I can then register this to my vehicle which then gives me full rights, is this correct?
my question is, at what stage should I transfer the full balance to allow me complete confidence that I will own the plate? if I pay the balance named only as a nominee, can the grantee refuse to allow me to transfer the plate to my vehicle?
Hi Em, When a personalised registration is on a vehicle, the registered keeper has the rights to it. It would be wrong for anyone to attempt to sell the registration without the registered keeper’s permission.
Is it possible for me to sell my ex’s number plate? I bought it and put his name as a nominee and its on his car, but due to unforeseen circumstances I desperately need the money.
so i just wondered if it was a possible for me to sell the registration plate without his permission? and do i need the paper work?
Hi Sam, You’re right – a private plate is either held on a certificate, or registered to a car. You will need to apply to retain your plate. Once you receive the V778 Retention Document by post, hand it to the dealer supplying your new car.
Hi i have my current car with my private reg on it. Im buying a new car which is due to be here soon and my dealer is asking for the V750 document so he can register it to the new unregistered vehicle when it arrives. My question is should i still have a V750? because i believe i sent it to the dvla when assigning it to my current vehicle and i dont know if i got it back, do they keep it?
Hi Tom, When the registration is assigned to the vehicle the registered keeper has the rights. However, there are personalised registrations worth £millions currently registered to lease vehicles. Most lease companies have an internal department dedicated to cherished transfers and I am yet to hear of anyone who had their plate stolen by a lease company.
Hi, I currently have a leased vehicle on order to which i plan on apply for personal registration. I have been told that i must add the leasing company to my retention document as the nominee. As the vehicle will be leased, the leasing company of course will be the registered owner of the vehicle. So my question is, as they will be then be the nominee and the registered keeper does this mean i will lose all rights to the registration once it is assigned to the vehicle ? I will of course want to keep my registration once my lease term has completed so how do i stand ? Thanks alot, Tom
Hi Bill, The Grantee is probably the person/company you purchased the registration from.
Many years ago I purchased a Registration number but have since lost all paperwork relating to it. I have written to the DVLA who tell me that I am the named nominee on the retention and will have to contact the grantee for any information. How do I find out who the grantee is ?
Hi Jamie, If the car is supposed to be registered to your mum, then it sounds like the dealership could have made a clerical error. The dealer can write to DVLA asking for their mistake to be corrected, which usually results in a new V5C being issued.
hi James, i had a number on retention with my mum as nominee. she has purchased a new vehicle assigning the number prior to collection. today the v5c has arrived and i am named as the keeper of the car. has the dealer made an error or is this how it should be?#
Hi Emma, My suggestion is to deal with each matter separately. You can assign your new private plate online (it doesn’t matter that the names don’t match). A few days later you will receive a replacement V5C log book from DVLA reflecting the change of registration. You can then send the new V5C back to DVLA to notify the change of surname.
Thank you for posting such an informative post! I am however struggling to find an answer to my question and hope you can help. I got married 4 weeks ago and changed my name on my driving licence which I’ve just received back in the last week. Got home today and my husband Has bought me a private reg in my married name, I haven’t however changed my name on my current V5 yet as to be honest I completely didn’t think. Can I change the name on my V5 at the same time as assigning the new reg or should I change my name first? I don’t want to send V5 and V750 off and then have them returned. Thank you in advance.
Hi Andrea, The term ‘Grantee’ only applies if a private number plate is held on retention. As your plate is registered to a car, it is the registered keeper (as shown on the V5C registration certificate) who has the rights to the plate. If you would like the registered keeper error correcting, you can write to DVLA (enclosing the V5C) pointing out that the dealer made a mistake.
I have recently purchased a new car, however the dealer has registered the car (with my private number) under my mothers name in error. If I complete the new registered keeper details on the V5C and return this to DVLA, does this then make me the Grantee of my registration or am I required to complete another form?
Hi Ben, Have a read of the paragraph ‘Important Update’ in the original blog post. You can apply online to put the plate on your girlfriend’s car without adding a nominee. Just be aware that by putting the plate on the car, your girlfriend (as the registered keeper) inherits all rights to the registration.
My dad bought me a persoanl plate a number of years ago. He put it on his car for a while, but now has a Retention Document (v778). It has approx 3 weeks to go before it expires.
I live down south with my girlfriend, but, the car we have is in her name and I am a named driver on the insurance.
I want to use my personalized reg plate on this vehicle. How am I best to approach this. My dad is the Grantee. Should we reassign the the reg to the vehicle in my girlfriends name, or can I simply put her as the nominee with my Dad still as the Grantee? Its all a bit confusing and the DVLA telephone line appears to be constantly busy.
Just want to make sure all I am doing is legal etc.
Hi Richard, It can be done in one go if the application is sent by post to DVLA. Assigning the new private plate; send the retention document with the V5C (log book) for his car. Retaining the existing private plate; complete form V317 with an ‘X’ in the ‘NO’ box in section 4. Complete your name and address in the Grantee’s details. Enclose a cheque payable to DVLA for £80. The retention document will be produced with your details as Grantee. As you are Grantee it is not necessary to assign the registration to a vehicle to inherit the rights.
MY brother has a personalised number on his car which he wishes to put on retention AND change the ownership to me.
Secondly he wishes to put another number which he has on retention onto his car.
Can this be done all at once or in stages
FILL OUT V778/1 WITH ME AS NOMINEE he will then receive a random number then he will have to assign the number on retention to his car
The ownership of the number which I am nominee will only become mine when I assign it to a vehicle
Hi Chris, By assigning a private plate to a vehicle you effectively give up your rights to it (if the vehicle is registered to someone else). Only the registered keeper of the vehicle can apply to retain or transfer a private plate from the point it is assigned to a vehicle.
chris probitts says:
Hi, I still find it strange that if I’ve paid for a private plate & put it on a dear ones car that they then become the grantee & potentially could sell the plate without my consent??? That was how it was explained to me from the dvla?
V5 = ownership/grantee of the plate? Surely that doesn’t make sense if you’ve spent thousands on the plate?
Hi Elaine, It will be fine. The quickest and easiest way is to apply online to put your personalised plate on your car.
We have purchased a number and, by our own fault, the V5C states ‘Philip’ as first name whereas the V750 Certificate state ‘Phil’ as a first name – do we need to get one or the other changed to match up or will this pass as ok?
Hi Andy, It’s not necessary to add a nominee. Just ask your wife to sign & date the V778 in sections 1 & 6 before sending it on to the buyer.
I hope you can help, my wife has just sold her number plate which is on retention on a v778 she is named as the grantee and all fees have been paid.
Once payment has been received and cleared do we have to send the certificate to the DVLA with the new owners name as nominee or can she just sign it and send it to him ?
Hope you can help clear this up
Hi, The term ‘Grantee’ only applies while a private plate is held on retention. If a plate is assigned to a vehicle the V5C (log book) is the relevant document (the DVLA certificate/retention document is obsolete at this stage). The registered keeper of the vehicle inherits the rights to the plate. Again it depends how the lease company process retention applications – the V317 form asks who is to be Grantee on the resulting V778 retention document. The Grantee will never revert back to the names on any previous retention documents.
So if I understand can I do the following
From the V750 work with the lease company to add to the car, they are then the grantee right? When I want to retain the number plate work with lease company to fill in the v317 whereby I can then be the grantee?
Is the above correct to get me as the Grantee?
At the moment I am neither the grantee or the nominee on the V750 and the car I will be getting next will be a 16 plate (lease) and the reg is also a 16.
Hi, You obtain the rights to the registration when it is assigned to a vehicle (in your name). If the lease company keep hold of the V5C (log book) they will advise the process to put the plate on a car. If you take possession of the V5C you can assign the plate using the DVLA online service. When you separate the plate from a car in the future you can stipulate who is to be the Grantee.
Quick one, so I bought a reg on V750, however I am not yet the nominee and also I am not the original purchaser on the V750.
I’m not going to put this on a car for a the foreseeable so how does one go about getting the rights to this plate?
I’ll be getting a lease car soon so I can potentially put it on this car
1) Would I need to add them as a nominee
2) If yes once I want to retain it on a document can I change the Grantee to myself?
Hi Barry, Just sign & date in sections 1 & 6. Once you have received full payment in cleared funds simply send the retention document to the buyer.
If I sell my registration number which is on a retention document V778W, how do I then transfer it to the new owner (purchaser)?
Do I have to fill anything in on the document and sign it?
Hi David, Thank you for your kind comment. You don’t have to do anything regarding your existing vehicle tax, it all happens automatically. You can use the vehicle enquiry website to verify if a vehicle is taxed & MOT’d.
Very informative blog James; thank-you!
I have just acquired a personalised registration for my car which is taxed online monthly by direct debit; do I need to renew the tax when the plate is changed or does it roll on automatically? I’m also curious about how I prove the vehicle has a valid MOT test if necessary while travelling abroad, as I understand that no certificate is issued with the new registration which could be an issue..
Hi Ivor, Thank you for your kind comments, it’s nice to know my efforts are appreciated.
Thanks James. I want to transfer the number to a new car where my wife is the registered keeper so I’ll have to go the postal route.
Thanks also for the absolute mine of information on these topics. It’s uniquely comprehensive on this arcane area and very well explained. It’s a pity the DVLA don’t hire you to do this!
Hi Ivor, If you complete a retention application online, the Grantee details will be the same as the name & address of the registered keeper of the vehicle. The online system does not allow a nominee to be specified. Please note; a nominee is only necessary if the registration is to be assigned to a brand-new unregistered vehicle.
Does the DVLA online process for placing a private number on retention allow a nominee to be specified?
Hi Phil, Yes, you can apply to put the private plate on your car online. There is no fee to pay to DVLA if the document is valid and the assignment fee has already been paid.
I think I know but could you just confirm please,
I have a vehicle and the v5 is in my name, my girlfriend has a v778 with her as the grantee and wants to put the reg on my car,
Can I do this online with both documents to hand?
Or do they both need sending,
Is there a fee? Says on the v778 that the assignment fee has already been paid
Hi Will, The procedure is slightly different when putting a cherished number plate on a brand-new unregistered vehicle. You need to apply in advance to DVLA to add a nominee – this should be the same name that you intend to have as the registered keeper on your new car. Complete the ‘add a nominee’ section on the V778 and sign & date in section 6 before posting to: DVLA, Swansea SA99 1DS. In a couple of weeks you will receive a replacement V778 with the nominee added. Then sign & date in section 1 and hand the V778 to the dealer supplying your brand-new car. They will register your car using your cherished number, rather than issuing a standard 16 plate in March.
I am currently the Grantee of my cherished number plate on a V778, I have just ordered a new vehicle for March delivery through my wives company and would like to put the plate on this vehicle in the company name.
How do I complete the V778 form to register it new with the cherished plate on ?
Hi Marc, You can apply online to put the number plate on your car. Once complete, the rights to the plate are held by the registered keeper of the vehicle (as shown on the V5C Registration Certificate).
I have just purchased a number plate off ebay. Will i be able to transfer it on to my car and will this make me the owner of the number plate thanks.
Hi William, The cherished transfer team at Alphabet (part of the BMW group) will take care of everything on your behalf. Prior to the end of your contract hire agreement you can ask Alphabet to retain the registration on your behalf. Alphabet deal with DVLA (as they keep possession of the V5C) and charge a fee for doing so. It is not uncommon for people to assign private plates to lease/contract hire vehicles.
Hi James, this is a great site and very informative. I have a question please, I am changing my car and have obtained a retention document for my plate, I am the grantee. On this occasion I am trying the contract hire from BMW for 12 months, this means that they will be the registered keeper for the V5C. I am told that if I want to put my plate on the car I have to put BMW as the nominee, then the car will be on my plate. having read some of your information it sounds that as soon as the nominee in this case BMW have the plates on “their vehicle” I lose all rights. Can you tell me what will happen after the 12 months and I want to change my car, can I get my plate back or do I lose full control of it. I would appreciate your advice please. Many Thanks. Bill
Hi Julie, Just sign & date in sections 1 & 6 and give the V778 retention document to the buyer once you have full payment in cleared funds. The buyer does not have to pay any fees to DVLA and can apply online to put the private plate on his car.
I currently have a plate held on a V778 and have ‘paid the assignment fee’. I have a buyer for my plate so I understand that as the grantee I can just put his name as nominee to enable the sale to take place, but does the buyer then have to pay any other dvla fee to assign the plate to his vehicle?
Hi Andy, It is normal procedure to request a ‘letter of no interest’ in connection with your private plate from your motor insurer. If you apply to DVLA to retain a registration after a vehicle is written off, you need to enclose a copy of the engineers report plus a letter of no interest; both available from your motor insurer.
Fantastic blog,a quick question, if my car is an insurance write off.
Then the insurance pay out for the car as economical write off.
As they now own all parts of the vehicle thats left post accident.
Is there a chance they become owners of the Private reg too?
Hi Alex, You only need to add a nominee if your private plate is going on to a brand new unregistered car. The Grantee will remain and can’t be changed under current legislation. If you assign your plate to your next car using the DVLA online facility the Grantee/Nominee is irrelevant.
Hi James. Probably a simple one bought thought I had best check. I had my cherished plate on my company (leased) car. The car is going back at the end of January and I have paid all the fees to get the cherished plate removed and the original number plate put back on the car, which is all now done.
I have the V778 from the lease company showing them as the Grantee, but nominee says “not applicable” they have signed but not dated all the relevant boxes ready for me to add the cherished plate no to my new car should i want to go ahead with it.
Should i decide to hold off putting on the new car in January, can i add myself as the nominee details in box 2 and send of the form to the DVLA and will this mean I will then become the grantee of the cherished plate number ? Or do I leave as is until i decide to reallocated the cherished plate to a vehicle ?
Hi Mick, Strictly speaking the Grantee can use the online service to put the registration on your car. It is not necessary to add or change a nominee when using the online service. If you retain the plate in future (using the online service) the retention document will be produced in the name and address of the registered keeper of the vehicle it is being removed from.
Mick charlton says:
I have been given a plate and I am neither grantee or nominee, on the retention ,can I put it on my car online now, or do I have to change nominee, also when I remove the plate at sometime in the future does the number automatically come back to me on retention
Thank you for your help. Have a nice Christmas and a happy new year.
Hi Sushma, Strictly speaking only the Grantee can add a nominee. However, since the launch of online number plate transfers in May 2015 it is no longer necessary to have a nominee. You may want to read of the paragraph ‘IMPORTANT UPDATE’ in the article. It explains how it is now possible to assign a private number plate online without adding or changing a nominee. Your son can apply to put a private registration on his car online using the existing retention document; it no longer matters that your name shows as the nominee.
Hi,my husband bought a private reg. i became the nominee on the retention document after my husband passed away.now my name appears on the document not my husbands. i just want to ask can a nominee add another nominee. i want to add my son and give private reg number to him when he buys a car. can i add him now or should i wait.
Hi Anita, The number plates should be fitted as soon as possible. Probably best to delay the assignment until closer to the actual birthday if that is possible?
Anita Czternastek says:
Hi, if I buy a cherished number plate for someone’s birthday in a weeks time and it is assigned to their car is it ok for them to drive on their original plates for one week until their birthday? Thanks in advance
Hi Cindy, It’s not clear from your comment whether the private plate is still registered to the car. If it is still attached to the car, whoever is the registered keeper (as shown on the V5C log book) should apply to retain the private number plate. As part of the process DVLA will allocate an age-related registration to your car. Once the private plate is retained, you can apply to assign the private plate to his car online.
My dad has recently ‘sold’ his car to me. That car had his private number plate on it. He would like his private number plate on his new car and for me to have the original number plate back on my car. Am I now the legal owner of the private number plate and therefore need to be the one to put it on his new vehicle or is he still the legal owner of the plate?
Fantastic, thanks for your help James!
Hi Lynda, As the Purchaser you should sign and date the V750 in sections 1 & 6 where it states: ‘Purchaser (not Nominee) MUST sign in the box below‘. On receipt of full payment in cleared funds simply post the certificate of entitlement to the new owner.
Hope you can help, I’m confused! I bought a registration, my name is down as Purchaser and my husbands name as nominee. We’ve never assigned this to a vehicle and have just sold it on Ebay. Please could you advise if we have to fill in any parts of the V750 or do we just post it straight off to the new owners who will then sort it? Thanks in advance for any advise you can offer!
Hi Keith, If the plate is already assigned to the car, whoever is the registered keeper of the vehicle (as shown on the V5C log book) has the rights to both the car and the personalised plate. Please be aware when you perform a change of keeper on a vehicle it needs to be re-taxed, also adding an additional keeper to the vehicle could make it less desirable to a future purchaser.
Hello James. My wife and I will be sharing a new car and have had my personalised plate assigned to it. This means the car is in my name not my wife’s. How do I transfer the plate ownership to her, so that she can be the named owner of plate and vehicle? Thanks.
Hi, If you complete the application to put the plate on your car online, you don’t need to add a nominee. If completed online the new plates can go on straight away, the replacement V5C (log book) usually arrives a couple of days later.
Hi, I have received the green V778 form from my brother who recently bought a new car and is happu for me to use the cherished plate on my car. Must I post the V778 with my details (nominee) & signed by grantee form or can this be done online by adding a nominee. Also will new documentation be sent out from dvla and how long does it take untill I can add new plates?
Hi Adam, If you assign the plate to your car online the nominee is completely irrelevant – you don’t need a match between the registered keeper and the purchaser if assigning online. This blog post has more information about how to assign a private number plate online. If you submit the application by post you can write the nominee details in section 2 at the same time you apply to assign the plate to your car – you don’t have to become the nominee first, it can all be done at the same time. Make sure section 6 is signed on the V750 if you apply by post. The fee of £25 to add a nominee no longer applies, it was scrapped in March 2015.
Hi, ive just bought a plate off ebay and have received a v750 with the private sellers name on as purchaser he has signed section 1 to assign the plate but do i need to become nominee first before it can be assigned to my car ?
Hi Simon, Most lease companies have their own procedures when it comes to personalised registrations. They will most likely make you nominee when the registration is eventually retained.
Hi Rachel, Whoever is the registered keeper of the car (as shown on the log book) has the rights to the private plate. It might be wise to check with your solicitor to make sure the private plate is not part of the divorce settlement.
i lease my cars. if i put the lease company down as the nominee how would i go about getting the registration back as i presume once its assigned to a leased vehicle it becomes the property of the lease company? do they have to nominate me as the nominee to return it?
Rachel apps says:
Hi there need sum help
I have recently divorced and have a private plate on my car which my ex husband bought me so he is the purchaser and I am the nominee as I have just purchased a new car can I sell my old car with the plate on it as I no longer want it or does my ex husband have the rights to it
Many thanks hope this makes sense
Hi Alan, No fee is due when you next renew your retention document. You can apply to renew 28 days before the expiry date; the renewed document will have an expiry date of 8.11.2025.
Alan Lainton says:
Hello I wonder if you could help!!
I have just received replacement v778 retention document back from dvla ( after losing the original ) I know the 10 year rule began in March this year but this states that the number must be assigned by the 8.11 2015 Do I need to pay the fee on this date? Thanks Alan.
Hi Mike, If anything happened to you the vehicle and the cherished number would be treated as part of your estate. I presume you need to make provisions in your will to ensure the registration stays with your son; probably best to speak to a solicitor for expert advice on this subject.
Mike Gilly says:
My son has a cherished number on retention but is now living abroad. He wishes for me to use the number on a vehicle registered to me but to retain ownership of the number should anything happen to me. Is there a way of doing this.
Hi Jim, If the lease company policy is to not release the V5C (log book) to you, they will have a procedure in place for customers who want to assign and retain private plates. Contact the lease company, advise them what you want to do and they will take care of it on your behalf. There is usually an admin fee to pay to the lease company each time you assign or retain a private plate. Please note; there is no longer a £25 fee payable to DVLA to add a nominee – it is now free of charge.
jim bainbridge says:
I have a private number, for which I am the grantee, on retention.
My wife has leased a vehicle which I/we would like to put the number onto.
She will never own that vehicle but will be the registered keeper.
How can we do this without ever having the V5 – the lease company retains it?
If she were the grantee, she could simply add the lease company as the nominee and they would put the number on. We have done this with a number she is the grantee on.
But if I add her as a nominee, how can she then put the lease company as a nominee?
Is it possible to add her as a nominee -> have her apply to transfer the number onto the vehicle, despite not holding the V5 -> would/does this trigger a NEW V5 showing the new private number which would go to the lease company? -> then after 3 years SHE applies to put the number onto a NEW retention cert in HER name? Would she become the grantee on that new cert?
Hi Connor, A recent blog post; How to assign a private number plate online tells you everything you need to know.
Hi there,your help would be appreciated
i have recently purchased a reg from eBay for my girlfriends birthday. the v778 i received in the post has not been assigned to a car, but is in the previous owners name she has signed both sections and the assignment fee has been paid and i am wondering how will i transfer this onto my girlfriends car?
Hi Phil, The person/company shown as the Grantee (on a V778 retention document) or the Purchaser (on a V750 certificate of entitlement) has to be the same as the registered keeper of the vehicle to allow the private plate to go on the vehicle. If the names don’t match, you have the option of adding a nominee purely to create a ‘match’ between the names on the documents. If you apply to put a private plate on a vehicle using the online platform it is not necessary for the names on the documents to match. For example; if Alan Brown shows as the Grantee on a retention document and Sarah Smith is the registered keeper of the vehicle, the online system won’t prevent the application being processed just because the names are different. If the application is submitted by post to DVLA, the nominee ‘Sarah Smith’ would need to be written in section 2 of the retention document. Prior to 9th March 2015 a fee of £25 was payable to DVLA to add a nominee. The £25 nominee fee was scrapped in March 2015 so DVLA no longer needs to protect the revenue earned by requiring a nominee.
You say that in May 2015 DVLA launched an online service allowing the Grantee or Purchaser to put a private plate on a vehicle without adding a nominee.
What do you mean by “without adding a nominee”?
Hi Nick, Just sign & date in sections 1 & 6 where it states ‘Grantee (not nominee) must sign in the box below’. Send the V778 to the buyer when you receive full payment in cleared funds.
Hi any info would be great.
I’ve just sold my personalised reg on eBay.
Which sections of the v778 do I fill in and complete?
Poppy knight says:
That’s brilliant I will do that in the morning.
Thank you so much for your help that’s brilliant
Hi Poppy, You don’t have to change the registered keeper of your car. If you are ready to put the plates on your car the fastest and easiest way to go about this is to use the new DVLA online service: https://www.personalisedvehicleregistration.service.gov.uk/assign/before-you-start Just follow the instructions on screen and hopefully your application will be instantly accepted. There are a small number of applications that can’t be processed online and need to be sent to DVLA by post.
I have purchased a private reg for my new car.
The ‘purchaser’ is in my name on the private reg certificate but as my dad bought me the car the registration document is in his name on the v5 so he is the registered keeper. Does this mean I need to become the registered keeper on the car before I can put my private plates on that I purchased
I’m really confused with this
Hi Patrick, The £50 fee is an administration charge from the dealer (not DVLA). The rules changed on 9th March 2015, there is no longer a fee to pay to DVLA to add a nominee – new DVLA private number plate fees. More changes to the system are planned by DVLA; in the near future you will be able to assign a registration to a vehicle without a match between the Purchaser/Grantee and the registered keeper of a vehicle – the nominee will become obsolete. You may have to pay the £50 fee being charged by the dealer, the alternative is to wait until the new system goes live.
Hi James, I purchased a plate for my partner nov 2014 via a dealer, they are the buyer my partner the nominee, I want to change it to myself as the nominee, but the dealer said it is £50 to change the nominee name, I was going to change the V5 to my partners name, but new tax rules would mean my tax becomes invalid & she would have to tax the car…
Why they charge £50, I am unsure, they would not give me a reason, Regards
Hi Param, The only valid document for your personalised registration is the V5C (logbook) – all previous documents are now obsolete. If you are the registered keeper for your car YOU have the rights the the registration. You should apply to take the registration off the car (the retention scheme) and then pass the V778 retention document to the person who buys the plate from you when you have received full payment.
Havent been able to find an answer anywhere so was hoping you could help.
I currently have a registration plate assigned to my car, for which i was the ‘nominee’ when i bought it. I now wish to sell the plate, but
1) How do I go about this as I am the nominee and not the original purchaser/grantee?
2) Do I even have the right to sell it?
3) or do I have to track down the original purchaser to change the name of the nominee to the person who wants to buy it from me?
Hi Rob, As nominee you should assign the private plate to a vehicle registered to you. At that point the V750 certificate of entitlement is obsolete and the only document in existence for the private plate is the V5C registration certificate (logbook) for the car. As the rules stand, as long as you continue to hold the existing V750 you are taking a risk.
Sorry if you have already answered this type of question but I still feel alittle confused.
I have bought a private plate off ebay (private seller)
The certificate of entitlement came through with the private seller as the purchaser and the nominee as my name. Now from what I have read the nominee holds very little rights for this reg.
What happenes if i want to sell the plate in a couple of years or if the purchaser decided to back out of the agreement and change my details or anything like that.
Is there any way of changing the purchase? I have legally bought this reg so surley I should have full right?
Hi Mel, Just sign and date the V778 in sections 1 & 6 and give the document to the purchaser. The purchaser can choose to add a nominee when they apply to assign the cherished number to their car – there is no longer a £25 fee to pay. You are right, the retention document becomes obsolete as soon as the application to assign the cherished number to a vehicle is processed by DVLA.
We have just sold my partner’s cherished number plate through Ebay. If we add the purchaser’s name in section 2 on the V778 and my partner signs at section 6 is that all we need to do? I was worrying about how to change the grantee name and address but I am right in thinking that the retention document and the grantee expire when the numberplate is then added to the purchaser’s car?
Hi Stephen, You are correct, section 2 requires the same details as the registered keeper of the vehicle. In section 4 put an X in ‘NO’. Put your name, address and signature for Grantee’s details. The replacement V5C (logbook) will show your wife’s details (same as existing) but the Retention Document will be produced in your name and address. When you receive the retention document, hand it to the dealer supplying your new car and tell them you want it to be registered using your private plate rather than a standard ’15’ plate.
Hi James. I have the certificate of entitlement for my plate, expired two years ago, but assigned it to my wife’s car. This is now being traded in part ex for a new car in my name, not yet built. I want to retain the registration but form v317 is very confusing. Section 2 requires my wife’s name and signature I assume as she is the registered keeper of the vehicle. But what about section 4? Do I put yes or no regarding grantee. I assume yes as I own it. So mark yes, fill in name and address and sign, but me not my wife? Very confusing requiring two different people to sign things. Bet it doesn’t matter who pays the £80! Need help, thanks. Dvlc too busy to answer phone.
Hi Terry, Yes, if your son is the registered keeper of the car, the rights to the registration pass to him. There is no longer a fee of £25 payable to DVLA to add a nominee; private number plate fees explained.
I’m currently the Grantee on a registration which I don’t use but wish to keep. If I named my son as Nominee would he be able to use the plates on his car and, effectively, keep the registration in the family?
Hi George, A power of attorney allows the grantee to appoint someone else to sign the retention document on their behalf. DVLA will not change the grantee on the actual document just because a power of attorney has been issued.
Hello James, Great bit of information which makes understanding private registrations abit simplier. Ive recently purchased a plate from regtransfer with them being the grantee which i have no problem with. They where selling the plate on behalf of a private individual they had the owner of the plate fill in a power of attorney which gave them rights to become the grantee. I am in the middle of buying another plate from a private person, if i was to get him to fill in and sign a power of attorney with my name on it and send that to the DVLA asking to change of the grantee to me, would this be possibile? Many Thanks
Hi Jim, Yes, the registered keeper of the car can subsequently retain the plate. There is a section on the V317 application form which asks for the name and address of the person/company you want to become the Grantee.
So once the plate is assigned to Ben Foster’s car, Ben is able to retain that plate and becomes the Grantee on the resulting V778? Have I got that right?
Hi Raymond, You won’t have any problems providing there is a match between the first name and surname.
The nominee name on my V750 shows my wife’s full name including her middle name.
On her V5C document it does not show her middle name. Will this be a problem transferring the number plate to her car?
Hi Jamie, As nominee you do not have any legal right to the registration. Reg Transfers are a long-established dealer with whom I have dealt for 10+ years without any problems. Personally, I would have no worries about holding a certificate with Reg Transfers as Grantee. Over the next 12 months DVLA intend to change the way the existing certificate of entitlement/retention document system works. The plan is to make it easier for the rights to pass between buyer and seller, possibly in the same way you can notify DVLA of a change of keeper for a vehicle. We don’t have any further details at present but it could affect your situation if you intend to keep the registration on certificate for a few years.
Jamie Blewett says:
I am trying to buy a registration via RegTransfers that I wish to keep on registration as I don’t yet have a car.
They have said that if I purchase the registration (£2099.99) they can add my name as a nominee to the certificate and then complete the transfer at a later date if/when I choose to assign it.
Would this mean that if I pay the full price of the registration, but am only named as a nominee and not the purchaser that I technically have no legal right to the registration?
My concern is that I am interested in the registration as a medium/long term investment so I may never assign it to a car.
Would this cause complications if I decide to sell it in a few years but am still only the nominee not the grantee?
Thank you for your help and advice that’s cleared it up for me 🙂
Hi Rebecca, Just sign & date in sections 1 & 6. As from Monday 9th March 2015 there is no fee payable to DVLA to add a nominee so no-one needs to pay.
I have my retention document for my private plate and am selling it on eBay what sections do I need to fill out before sending this document to the buyer?is it just section 2 & 6 and do I need to be the one who sends the £25 cheque to add nominee or can the buyer do this?
Hi Joel, It makes sense to wait a week as the fee to retain a plate is being reduced to £80 from Monday 9th March 2015. Once you have agreed a sale and received full payment just sign & date the retention document in sections 1 & 6 and give it to the buyer.This article explains how to retain a private number plate.
I am looking at selling my plate at the moment, and have been advised by the DVLA to complete the V317 form in order to retain my plate for sale. The form says I am required to complete section 2 and 4.
Once retained, how do I actually sell the plate to someone (i.e. what is the process/costs, and what sections of the V317 need completing? Are there other forms that need completing?). I am a little unclear of the process I should take after I actually agree a sale.
Hi Carter, Normally you receive the V5C before the MOT certificate, if it doesn’t arrive in the next week or so you may have to contact DVLA to request a duplicate. It is highly likely your plate transfer has completed, the best way to check is via the vehicle enquiry service. If the transfer is complete you should fit new plates as soon as possible and notify your motor insurer, tracker provider, recovery agent etc. of your new registration.
I sent my aplication for my personalised registration two weeks ago to dvla and they have sent back my MOT certificate with the new registration on it but they never sent me the v5c back. Does that mean i can fix the new registration on to my car or do i have to wait for the v5c? if yes can i drive the car with the current registration on it or do i have to put the personalised reg on right away?
Hi Neil, When a private registration is assigned/transferred to a vehicle, the V5C registration certificate (logbook) is the only valid document in relation to the plate. The person/company shown as the registered keeper on the V5C has the rights to the plate. Any previous DVLA documents (V778 retention document/V750 certificate of entitlement) are obsolete at this point, when assigning the registration to a vehicle you are effectively giving up your rights. The best way to deal with your situation could be to register your father’s car in your name so you retain the rights.
Hi, i have read the comments but am still confused!
I own a private reg plate and want to retain ownership of the plate for the future, but I want to be able to loan it to my fathers car so he can use it for a few years. I had thought the nominee status meant that the nominee was being allowed to use the reg plate but didn’t own its title – the grantee still retained ownership?
I paid a lot of money for the plate and so want to retain ownership (not charge my father for it!), loan it to his car for a few years and then when he stops driving I can simply pull it back for my own use?
Is this possible?……
Hi Kadhim, You won’t have any problems as long as the car is registered in the same name as the nominee. As soon as the plate is assigned to your car the V750 is void/obsolete. From that point on the registered keeper of the vehicle (as shown on the V5C Registration Certificate) has the rights to the private plate.
Thanks for that James. Nicely written. I wonder if you can reassure me please? Just bought a private plate via a website and received the V750. My concern is that the purchaser is the company/website I bought the number from and I’m the nominee. They have signed section 2 but not 6. When it comes to assigning the registration to my (yet to be delivered) car, would I be able to transfer the plate with no problems or will I need them to sign section 6? The other thing is will I ever get to be the grantee or will they somehow hold some ownership of the plate in the future?
Hi Shaun, It’s a really simple one to deal with if you are letting the buyer of your car keep the plate as part of the deal. Just fill in the V5C as normal to notify DVLA of the new keeper. You shouldn’t have a V750 if the plate is registered to the TT, could it be the blue receipt section that you have?
shaun harker says:
I will be selling my TT next week complete with my personal registration plate that has been on the vehicle from new.
I am wondering if is there is any paperwork that I have to fill in and have in place prior to the sale of the vehicle or it it a simple case of me handing over the V750 along with the V5C at the time of the sale.
Shaun Harker.
Hi Imran, It depends what you’ve agreed with the purchaser as to whether you are covering the cost of adding the nominee. I generally suggest signing in sections 1 & 6 and letting the person buying the registration from you take care of everything else. The nominee can be added at the same time the registration is assigned to a vehicle.
I have a V750 only not on car. If I sell my plate do I have to fill out Assigning this vehicle reg (section 1) and add a nominee (section 2) together then send off? Or add nominee first then send it off then wait for a new form and assign the vehicle to the new nominees car?
Hi John, When you are ready to sell your vehicle you should apply to retain your private plate. As part of the process DVLA will issue a replacement registration – usually the original plate. Read more about replacement registration numbers.
I wanted to ask if i assign my private plate to a vehicle what happens to the current registration? (I read somewhere that it may get void)
Do i need to put it on retention?
I am asking this because when it comes to selling the vehicle somwhere down the line i dont want to give the private plate up to the new owner of the vehicle.
Hi CK, Yes T19 KPP can be used on your wife’s car. If there isn’t a match between the name of the registered keeper on your wife’s car and either the purchaser/grantee or the nominee then you simply enclose £25 and complete the add a nominee section. At the same time you should apply to transfer (not retain) T19 CKS from your wife’s car to your car (complete form V317 & enclose £80 fee).
My wife has private number plate T19 CKS on her car, my car has generic number plate YH14 VVK; my wife bought a new private number plate for her car T19 KPP and used my name as nominee as the original plan was to replace YH14 VVK with T19 KPP and then swap her’s and mine private plates i.e. T19 CKS and T19 KPP.
Can she directly use T19 KPP to her car even I am a nominee?
Can she transfer T19CKS to my car to replace YH14VVK without retaining it?
Please help guys – its complicated.
Hi Ashley, As the rules stand you can’t change the name of the purchaser on the V750. The only way round it is to first assign the registration to a vehicle and then apply to retain it in your name.
I currently have a vehicle registration on a V750. I am the NOMINEE. and the purchaser is a company that sells registrations. They have signed section 1 – assigning to a vehicle, but I no longer want to assign to a vehicle, but to get rid of the registration all together. I have the registration added to my DVLA account and i can change the purchaser address, but that doesnt allow me to change the name. Any ideas?
Hi Gareth, You need to apply to DVLA to assign the private plate to your vehicle, full details here: https://www.gov.uk/personalised-vehicle-registration-numbers/assigning-a-personalised-number-to-a-vehicle
Hello my dad made me the nominee on the retention document along with the 25pound fee.. i live at a different address to him. He received the document back with my name now in the nominee section. Will we receive more documents and when can i put it on my vehicle, thanks.
Hi Michele, Sorry to hear of your brother’s passing. In this situation I think you should notify DVLA of the bereavement and enclose the retention application at the same time. I don’t think the death certificate and grant of probate is required as the private plate is still registered to the vehicle.
My brother passed away very recently. He has a lease vehicle is the registered keeper and has a private plate on the vehicle. The vehicle is going back to the company and we want to take the plate off as it is a significant asset. It is unlikely that we will need to go to probate but I notice that the DVLA require this in order to complete the transaction. Is there any room for negotiation with them ?
Hi Matthew, Complete section 1 of the V778, section 2 with the business name as it shows on the V5C for the car you have just bought and the Grantee should sign in sections 1 & 6. Remember to enclose the V778, the V5C and a cheque for £25 payable to ‘DVLA Swansea’ and post to; DVLA Swansea SA99 1DS.
Thank you for your article, quick question just to double check:
My wife has a private registration currently on retention and we have just bought a car and it is registered in my business name. Can you clarify which bits of the V778 form I need to fill in to get the plate transferred!
Hi Darren, From a DVLA perspective the registered keeper of the vehicle has the rights to the private plate; DVLA won’t discuss it with anyone else. Your best hope is to negotiate with the person who bought your old car.
hi please can some1 help! my wife bought me a private plate which she put on my car as a birthday gift. i have since stupidly sold the car with the plate still on it and the dvla are dicking me about while i try to get it back! can my wife fone up as the owner and demand the plate be given back? or does any1 else have any suggestions??! any help would be appreciated!
Hi Lee, Just sign & date in sections 1 & 6 and let the person buying it from you do the rest. It is usually accepted that the person buying the registration covers all future DVLA fees unless you had a prior agreement.
Lee Appleby says:
Hello, apologies for the question, I see it has been answered before in many different ways but I just need to be sure of what I have to do and if I need to pay anything!
I have a private plate on retention and just sold it. I have V750 with my name on as purchaser. Do I need to fill any of the sections in with the new owners details like car reg and tax expiry date? or just sign in section 1&6 and post the form onto him and he adds his name and details as nominee and he pays the £25? How does he out his address on? Or do I need to do that and pay the £25 then send to the DVLA then When I get the revised v750 back send it to the new owner? I’m confused on how he then gets the plate into his name? Or is that up to him to figure out? What exactly do I need to fill out on the V750?
Hi Hass, The V778 Retention Document must be signed by the Grantee. If the Grantee is an individual it has to be their signature, if the Grantee is a company or an organisation a suitably qualified person should sign and state their position underneath their signature.
First I would like to thank you for this helpful article and answering the queries from people.
Now the main query, I have just bought a private reg and the seller has added me as a nominee and sent v778 over to me. I want to assign to a registered vehicle on my name. So I filled existing registration details and I will enclose the V5C document. I would like to know if I can sign the document for the transfer to the car, given that the grantee has given permission.
Hi Simonne, There has to be a match between the name of the registered keeper of the car and either the Grantee or the Nominee on the V778. If the name of the registered keeper of the car does not currently appear on the V778 then yes you have to add a nominee and pay £25 to DVLA (this can be done at the same time you apply to assign the registration). It is not necessary to amend the address for the V778 as it will be obsolete as soon as the plate is assigned to the purchaser’s vehicle. As the Grantee, remember to sign & date the V778 in sections 1 & 6 before submitting the application.
Hi Mark, Sign and date the retention document in sections 1 & 6 and give it to the buyer once you have received full payment in cleared funds. It’s as simple as that.
I’m sure you’ve answered this in a previous question but…I am selling a personalised registration number. I will complete all sections of V778 with the buyer’s car on which he intends to use the plate. Do I need to complete the Nominee section with his name and address and pay DVLA £25 or is this an unnecessary expense due to the fact that once he has sent off all required documents, and the DVLA assign the plate to his car, he then becomes the rightful owner? I’m just confused as to whether or not the purchaser’s name needs to be the Nominee and pay the £25!!
mark churc says:
Hi..I just sold my cherished reg to someone..I need to know what paperwork I need to fill in so they have full rights to the reg number..I am the grantee but I want the responsibility gone from me completely. I have the retention document in my name but need their details on it so the paperwork goes to them
Hi Lee, This article explains how to apply to retain a private plate: https://www.simplyregistrations.co.uk/retention-of-a-personalised-number-plate/ The V317 application form should be signed by the registered keeper of the vehicle that currently displays the plate you are placing on retention. If the car is registered to your wife, add your name as nominee and you have covered both options.
Hi I’m wanting to put my plate on retention so I can sell car then transfer it to new car once papers are back but the car is in my wife’s name and the plate is mine who fills the form in and do I need to fill the nominees bit in???
Hi John, You don’t have to pay £80 when you assign your private plate to your brother’s car. To retain the plate in the future you will need to pay the DVLA (currently £105) plus any subsequent fees to keep it on retention (currently £25 per year).
I got a private plate last year from dvla and paid all the costs including the £80 assignment fee in advance.
I have just paid £25 two days ago to renew it again as it was about to expire. I want to put it on my brothers car next month so i wanted to know if i have to pay the £80 asdignment fee again when assigning it to his car bearing in mind this is the first car i am asisigning it to. Also i am aware when i add him as a nominee the number plate is then his, but when he takes it off his car somewhere down the line can i pay the £25 retention fee each year from my dvla account.
Hi Mike, The most straightforward way to deal with it is to sign the V750 in sections 1 & 6 and hand it to the person who buys it from you after you receive payment in cleared funds. The person you sell it to will have to apply to DVLA to assign the registrations to a vehicle and pay £25 to add a nominee but you don’t have to get involved.
Hi,I have a V750 Certificate Of Entitlement in my name as purchaser with my wife as nominee.
My intention is not to place this reg number on a vehicle but to sell the v750 on, is it that if I sell it I must then send the certificate away with £25 in order to have a new nominee entered and then complete the sale by giving the certificate to the purchaser who then in turn must assign the number onto his vehicle and eventually have a registration document V5 back in his name.
Seems a lot of fuss, look forward to your reply best regards Mike.
Hi Sarah, As soon as the plate is assigned to a vehicle you lose all rights – the registered keeper of the vehicle is then responsible for future transfers.
Hi, The best way to handle this situation in my opinion is to ask the seller to retain the registration in your name but in his address. A registration does not have to be retained in the same name as the registered keeper of the car it is attached to – just provide separate Grantee details in section 4 on the V317. Once he receives the retention document from DVLA you can pay him and collect the document; you can then assign the plate to your car. Let him deal with the MOT/tax side of things and check the plate has definitely been separated from the car by using the Vehicle Enquiry Service.
Hi I brought my twin sons area for their birthday I was the purchaser now it seems I own it and they don’t how can I make them the owner so I don’t have to sign if they want to change it from bike to car in future they are down as the nommine thanks
Hi there, I really need some help please. Ok, so I am interested in buying a number plate off an independent seller. He has the log book but still needs to get the MOT for the car. He claims he has been out of UK for a few years and has come back now to sell his assets. He has the log book which shows the number plate on the front however the car is not in his name and he stated that he never got round to putting it in his name. I have contacted DVLA and they stated he needs to complete section 6 & 8 on the log book to transfer the car into his name and at the same time we need to complete the V317 form to transfer the plate on to my car. So we need to send both our log books along with both MOTs to get it transferred. Now I’m not sure why but I feel hesitent in doing this and wanted to get some experienced people’s advice as I really do not want to get scammed by this person. I have also done a look up on the plate and appears that it’s also not taxed as well. Any help or advice will be greatly appreciated. What way can I ensure I won’t get scammed from this guy? Transfer it to retention and add me as a nominee?
Hi Liam, It can all be done at the same time. Ask the Grantee to sign & date the V778 Retention Document in sections 1 & 6. Complete sections 1 & 2 with the vehicle details and the nominee (should be the name of the registered keeper) and send to DVLA with a cheque for £25. You can track the progress of your application using the Vehicle Enquiry Service.
hi james, I have just purchased a plate on a retention document,can you tell me the quickest way to get it onto my car.do I have to be put on as a nominee and the cert sent to Swansea and wait on its return before sending it back with my log book and mot,or can it all be sent first time with payment for nominee and my documents. were must it be signed.
Hi James, It is not necessary to duplicate the same details in the Nominee section. You’ll be fine providing the name of the Purchaser matches the name of the registered keeper (as shown on the V5C – logbook) for the vehicle that the registration will be assigned to. In a few days you will receive a V750 Certificate of Entitlement from DVLA. Just so you know, the term ‘Purchaser’ is used on the V750 as opposed to the term ‘Grantee’ on the V778 Retention Document.
have just bought my first cherished number BUT on purchasing only yesterday via the DVLA I fear I may have made a mistake. When buying the plate I did not provide any nominee details whatsoever therefore when the certificate turns up that section will be blank. The reason I did this is because as the buyer (Grantee) I thought (probably wrongly!!) that that would be the only information required to assign the plate to the car and I am now reading that I should have possibly duplicated my own details within the nominee box regardless of being the Grantee. Is this right or am I over thinking it? Many thanks in advance for any info you can provide.
Hi Hannah, As the plate was only purchased yesterday, I’m sure an explanatory letter to DVLA asking them to change the nominee should do the trick. Just wait until the V750 Certificate of Entitlement arrives and send it back requesting the change to be made.
Yesterday my mother purchased a private plate for me via dvla. This plate is in her name but she added me as a nominee. My problem is the car I want to use the plates on is in my husbands name on the v5. Can I change the nominee name to my husband or is it easier to change the v5? Thank you.
Hi Michelle, The reminder will have been sent to the Purchaser at the address shown at the top left-hand side of the V750. An apologetic letter to DVLA from the Purchaser with a cheque for £25 will probably be enough for DVLA to issue a new valid V750. If you do manage to get a valid V750 my advice is to assign it to a vehicle under your control straight away.
Hi I wonder if you can help me. I purchased a private plate from a 3rd party which was put on a v750. The purchaser on the v750 isn’t the person I purchase it from and I am down as a nominee. The date expired April 2014 and I totally forgot about it (had a lot of family issues and bereavements) I don’t know how to get round this because if I write to the dvla will they only reply back to the purchaser? I thought I would of had a reminder on this not the purchaser (I’ve never bought a private plate before) is there anything I can do or have I lost my plate?.
Hi Mrs W, If you want to transfer the private plate from one car to another just complete form V317 and submit the application to DVLA; both vehicles can be in different names. Try not to think in terms of who’s name the private plate is in – if the plate is attached to a vehicle, the registered keeper of that vehicle is the person DVLA deems to hold the rights. It is irrelevant who used to be named on a retention certificate whether Grantee or Nominee, as soon as that plate is attached to a vehicle all previous documents are void.
I’m the registered keeper of our family car, we put on a private plate belonging to my husband ( I’m not down as the nominee) the v5 form came back in my husbands name so we had to re- register the car back into my name as the 2nd owner. We now want to transfer it onto another car, can we just put the private plate in my name to make things easier.
Hi Andy, Whoever is shown as the Grantee at the top left-hand side of the V778 should sign & date the retention document in sections 1 & 6. Don’t worry about filling anything else in, just send it to the lease company as it is with a cheque for £25 payable to ‘DVLA Swansea’. If the lease company keep hold of the V5C they will submit the application to DVLA on your behalf. Some lease companies require you to complete a form with your application so it might be worth speaking to them first.
Andy Bellamy says:
I have purchased a reg plate on retention V778 and wish to place on my lease car that the company are happy to do.
Do I need the seller of the certificate to sign section 6 and place the company name in the box as nominee and then arrange this to go to the lease company with a £25 chq so they can add the new number to the lease vehicle as they are registered keeper?
I appreciate your response as I am going round in circles trying to understand the process
Hi John, The only way to avoid the £25 nominee fee is to change the name of the registered keeper on the vehicle to match your name as it shows on the V778 retention document.
I own a vehicle but it’s registered in my wives name. I have a V778 for a number in my name, can I assign it to the vehicle without paying the £25 fee?
Hi John, You don’t have to add your buyer as nominee. DVLA now allow the nominee to be added at the point of assignment (didn’t used to be able to do this) so the requirement of adding a nominee when selling a plate has been replaced by simply signing the retention document in sections 1 & 6. If the plate remains on retention and the address isn’t changed then yes you will receive the reminder 4 weeks prior to expiry. At that point it is no real concern for you as it is the responsibility of the purchaser to make sure they take care of the plate they have invested in.
Hello James, I’ve just sold a personalised registration that I have on retention to a guy that I suspect is going to sell it on again.
I know that I need to add him as a nominee whereby he can assign the reg. to a vehicle and I lose my rights to it. BUT…..if he is selling it on and doesn’t do it before the retention certificate expiry date, I’m guessing DVLA will send ME the update reminder and expect ME to pay the £25 annual fee. If I then chose NOT to pay the £25, he and I will BOTH lose the right to it. But I’ve got my money!!
Am I getting that right and what do we do to get round it? Will he have to assign it before the expiry date?
Hi Toby, The application is more likely to take 2 weeks to process rather than 4 and as you say you can’t complete the sale of your car in the meantime. You can notify DVLA of a change of keeper and retain your private plate at the same time but it is risky if you are selling your car to someone you don’t know or trust. At the point you notify DVLA of a new keeper, the rights to the private plate pass to the new keeper. That means the V317 application has to be submitted by the new keeper (their name, address & signature) and even if the option is selected to make someone else Grantee on the retention document, DVLA sometimes make mistakes and produce the retention document in the new keepers name. The safest approach is to get the application to retain your plate submitted to DVLA as quickly as possible. Keep a photocopy of the V5C in case someone is seriously interested in buying your car while the application is being processed. That way you can at least show them a copy of the V5C even if you don’t have the original. The potential purchaser can arrange a car data check/vehicle inspection but you would have to wait to complete the official handover until you received your new V5C.
Toby Gunton says:
Hi, I was wondering if you could help. I’m about to sell my car and want to keep the plates. I have the V317 ready to go but understand that it could take 2-4 weeks to get my V5 back if I send it off now (which presumably means I can’t sell the car in that time!). Can I change keeper (sell the car) and apply for the number plate change at the same time?
Hi Jim, That’s great news. If you need any help in the future please get in touch.
Hello James!! Regarding my query raised with you on 2nd August, I am pleased to advise that having followed your suggestion the cherished plates are now all where they belong and fully documented. With thanks – kind regards J.O’C.
Great thanks for your help and time
Hi Julie, Just sign & date in sections 1 & 6 and hand the V778 to your boss once you have received payment. It’s just £25 to add a nominee; no need to pay an additional £80. As you say, once the registration is assigned to a vehicle, the registered keeper of that vehicle takes over the rights to the registration and the V778 is effectively obsolete.
I think I have understood this BUT please will you help me confirm I have understood correctly.
I have a V778 in my name as grantee, and it also states that the assignment fee has been paid.
I want to sell my registration number to my boss who is buying it for his son. I’m not sure if his son has his vehicle yet but, assuming that the son is the registered keeper of his own vehicle, am I right in thinking that as long as I fill in the nominee details with his son’s name and sign and date section 6, when they have the son’s vehicle details they can just send it off and it will assign the reg number to the son’s vehicle and he will become the the registered owner of this number? If so, is the £25 fee the only fee payable or do they have to pay an £80 fee as well?
Thanks James for your response — will advise you of outcome in due course. J.K.O’C.
Hi Jim, The deciding factor on whether it is necessary to add a nominee depends on whether the name of the registered keeper (as shown on the V5C) matches the name of the Grantee (on the V778 retention document). If your full name is shown on the V5C as James Kenneth O’C and the Grantee on the V778 is James Robert O’C, then you may have to pay £25 to add James Kenneth O’C as nominee. I say ‘may’ as sometimes DVLA are only interested in a first and surname match and may well ignore the middle names. In your position I would submit the application without completing the ‘add a nominee’ section and see if it gets accepted. If it gets rejected you will be asked to re-submit your application, add a nominee and enclose payment of £25.
Hello James, please excuse my ongoing confusion! I have just purchased, privately, another car now registered in my name (James Kenneth –). My son (James Robert –) has had on retention for some while a cherished plate which we would now like to assign to this additional car. He wishes to retain ‘ownership’ of the plate if possible. When completing the assignment details on form V778, am I also required to be the nominee or is it optional and if so what difference (apart from the £25!!) does it make? I ask because the guidance notes on the back of the V778 seem to suggest it is optional, see col.2 and the para under ‘Assigning and adding —‘.
With many thanks J.K.O’C.
Hi Andy, Yes, as you suggest, send the application to assign your wife’s private plate with a cheque for £25 to add you as nominee. You could approach the motor dealer who incorrectly registered the car in your name and either ask them to pay the £25 fee, or ask them to correct their mistake so the car is correctly registered in your wife’s name.
Andy Dvir says:
Hi James, hope you can help me.
My wife as just bought a new car, we have just received the log book which has me as the registered keeper – the garage must have made a mistake.
My wife has her reg on retention. What is the best way of getting the reg transferred onto the new car? By putting myself as the nominee? Which I assume will cost me £25.
Hi Steve, While the registration remains on the existing retention document the Grantee (the seller) has the rights to it. There is nothing to gain by just adding yourself as nominee. My advice is to assign it to your car, or to a vehicle in your control as quickly as possible. You need the V778W to be signed in section 1 as well as section 6 before you can assign it to a car – you can add the nominee at the same time as assigning it to a car.
Hi Andy, If you need to replace a DVLA certificate which is lost or stolen you can request a duplicate either by logging in to your DVLA account, or by writing to; DVLA, Swansea SA99 1DS.
I just bought a private number plate off EBAY and received the V778W certificate today, the grantee name is the person who sold it and no ones name is the nominee section, he has signed it in section 6, i don’t want it on my car yet and it will need renewing on 29.08/2014,so i was wondering what to do, shall i send it off and get me put on as the nominee ( will dvla do this ) or have a just been ripped off as i have no rights to this??? please advise me if you can, thank you in advance.
I bought a plate in my name through DVLA for a friend of mine and put her down as the Nominee
I’ve since fell out with her and want the plate back. Do I have any claims on this and how do I go about it
I don’t have any Certs or anything they are with her, but I would be able to get the details back from my DVLA account
Hi Rob, I’m not entirely sure what it is you want to know. A solicitor could help you with a power of attorney document but it doesn’t necessarily mean you own a private plate.
I have read the above with reference to private number plates, I am considering purchasing a few private plates as an investmnet.
i dont want to put them on a vehicle, how can I produce a power of attorney?
for me to own the number plate.
Hi Joe, VWFS are unlikely to try and take your private plate from you, but to answer your question; DVLA will only deal with VWFS in relation to your plate once it is assigned to the car. VWFS will retain/transfer your plate on your behalf when you change cars (for a small admin fee).
Hi, I have recently taken a car on contract hire and the garage as has requested that in order to transfer my plate to the new vehicle, I make them (VWFS) the nominee on the plate. After reading this article, it is my understanding that if I do so and they transfer the plate to the vehicle, they will become owner of the plate. Is this correct?
Hi Zain, Yes, if you want to add a nominee to a V750 Certificate of Entitlement the purchase has to sign and date in section 6. Alternatively the purchaser can add a nominee online using their DVLA account.
Does the purchaser needs to sign v750 documents so the nominee details can be sent off to add it on.
Hi Russ, Strictly speaking if he wants to renew the retention certificate he should contact you and ask you to do it on his behalf. However, it has been known for people to send the extension request to DVLA with the change of address (section 4) completed so that the renewed certificate is sent direct to the nominee.
Ive already got the Nominee on my retention cert and have been paying the retention fee each year for past couple of years. I need to give him the Cert now which I understand I can simply post to him. Question, should he NOT put the plate on a vehicle before the expiry date, can he extend the retention as the Nominee??
Hi Ella, The addresses don’t have to match. Just make sure when you add her as nominee that it matches the registered keeper exactly as it shows on the V5C Registration Certificate for your daughter’s car. If you are buying a brand new registration it is always best to buy direct from the DVLA Personalised Registrations website.
Hi, I’m planning to buy a personalised plate for my daughter for her birthday. I will add her as the nominee but we do not live together and her car is registered to her address as opposed to mine. Will this be an issue assigning it to her car as my address as purchaser will be on the certificate?
Hi Gavin, The power of attorney letter probably grants the reg company you have bought the plate from authority to sign the retention document. Keep a copy of the power of attorney document and enclose the original when you submit the application to DVLA to assign your registration to a car.
Hi James, could you help me please. I just purchased a plate off a reg company and I’ve just received the retention document along with a Power Of Attorney letter. I’m named as a nominee on the retention document but the Grantee is someone from the reg company I bought it off (well I assume they are because the address is the same for the grantee as the reg company I bought it off)
Someone has signed section 1 of the retention document, but the name doesn’t match the grantees name. Is this normal?
Hi Tony, You don’t need to have the document amended to remove the nominee. Providing your wife is shown as the Grantee on the retention document you are fine to proceed. Your wife should sign and date in section 1 on the V778 and give the document to the dealership. Rather than allocating the new car with a standard 14 registration, the dealership will register your new car with your cherished number when they complete the V55.
Many thanks for providing such a great service, which is most appreciated.My query is as follows:
My wife has a cherished number held on a retention certificate, with me (her husband) shown as the nominee. This was arranged because originally it was intended that the number would be put on a new car to be registered in my name. However we have now had a change of plan and now wish the number to be put on a new car which we are buying in my wife’s name. My question is : will it be necessary to send the Retention Cert to DVLA to get my name omitted from the Retention Certificate as the Nominee before the new car is registered in her name with the cherished number?
Hi Neil, It makes perfect sense; the answer is yes, you can add a nominee and assign a registration to your car at the same time. As you rightly point out you just need to make sure the Grantee signs in section 1 as well as section 6.
I have purchased a personalised number plate and have the V778 document with me added as a nominee in biro sent to me direct from the grantee.
Can I send all my documents with the V778 direct to the DVLA and pay the £25 myself if the grantee also signs section 1 so it can be done in one transaction or does the grantee have to pay the £25 himself for me to be added to the V778 and for it to be sent back to him first and then forwarded back to me again.
You can’t unfortunately. The only way to get a V778 showing your name as Grantee is to assign your registration to a vehicle and then subsequently pay £105 to DVLA to retain the registration.
Hi James, I’ve just purchased a registration mark and received the V778 certificate. I want to keep the plate on retention how do I legally put it in my name? Thanks David
Hi Nigel, The retention fee is £105 and you have the opportunity to include a nominee on your application at no extra charge. It sounds like the nominee information has not been picked up by the DVLA employee who keyed in your application. If your wife is shown as the Grantee she should telephone DVLA on 0300 123 0883, explain the situation and they will most likely issue a replacement retention document.
Nigel Crates says:
Hello James. If the grantee wishes to include a nominee at the point of application on the V317, is the £25 fee required in this case in addition to the £105.
I cannot see on the form where the £25 fee is required on first application for a nominee. It appears to me this fee is required if you wish to add a nominee after first receiving the retention certificate. My situation is my wife is the registered keeper of a car. We put the number on retention with me as a nominee as the number is to go on a new car in my name. We then sent the V317 to the DVLA with a cheque for £105. The retention certificate has come back but my name is not down as the nominee. Have I wrongly interpreted the requirements or do I have a valid dispute with the DVLA.
Hi Lisa, Yes, when a registration is assigned to a vehicle the retention document ceases to exist and the registered keeper of the vehicle (as shown on the V5C registration certificate) takes on the rights to the registration. Once the number plate is registered to the vehicle there is nothing to stop you selling it as far as DVLA is concerned.
My ex boyfriend bought me a number plate for my birthday, he bought it in his name, but said it was a birthday present for me.
He has since put it on retention and put me as the nominee
1. If I put it on a car where I am the named keeper does the number plate become mine?
2. do I know own the number plate and does that mean I can sell it if I wish?
Hi Ryan, Is the registration currently assigned to a vehicle, or is it held on a V778 retention document? If held on a vehicle the registered keeper of the vehicle should sign. If the registration is currently on retention the form states ‘Grantee must sign’.
Lil Ryan says:
Hi I am the nominee on a reg plate, that was on my old car, but i want to change it to my new car. Do i need my dad(who I do not speak to and who is the grantee) to sign the documents??
Hi Sally, The terms Grantee, Purchaser & Nominee only apply whilst a registration is held on a DVLA retention document or DVLA certificate of entitlement. When a registration is held on a vehicle the registered keeper of the vehicle has the rights. When you subsequently apply to place a registration on retention, the V317 application asks you to state who you would like to be the Grantee & Nominee.
I’ve looked but can’t find the answer to this. Sorry. I owned the reg, i was the grantee. I put my boyfriend down as nominee. We put the reg on our car that he was the registered keeper for. So is he now the Grantee?
Hi Ahmed, I think you are asking if the nominee can sell a registration? The Purchaser on a V750 is the only person who has the rights. If the Purchaser gives the signed V750 to the nominee, they can assign it to a vehicle in their name. Does that answer your question?
Hi james i have v750 i need to ask Is nominee can sell my plate without v750 or without my permission until i change nominee and can i change nominee name before the renew because it still few month to go
Hi Mike, Yes you can continue to keep the registration on retention for as long as you wish, providing it is acceptable to the person named as Grantee. The V778 needs to be signed & dated in section 6 when renewing the document. When you are ready to assign the registration you need to complete section 1 of the V778 and the Grantee should sign & date in the same section. The application should then be posted to DVLA as explained here: https://www.gov.uk/personalised-vehicle-registration-numbers/assigning-a-personalised-number-to-a-vehicle
I have a V778 – having purchased a registration number from a private company. The name of the individual who I assume owns the company is named as the Grantee. I am named as the Nominee. I have, subsequent to purchase, increased the retention period and the number remains on the V778 as above. A couple of questions if I may please (and the info above has already been of great use); can I continue to keep the registration ‘on retention’ on the V778 and renew it when it is required?; if so what sections need to be signed by the Grantee?; when I wish to assign the number to a vehicle – what process is required and again what signatures are required on the 778. Thanks in advance. Mike
Hi Amy, If the dealership are registering your private plate to a brand new car just make sure the V778 retention certificate is signed in sections 1 & 6 by the grantee. If the name of the grantee is not the same name you are using to register the car, ask the dealership if you can pay £25 to change the nominee at the same time. It will depend which DVLA system the dealer uses when registering brand new cars.
iif a retention certificate has a name and address on it and then I decide to complete the chanfe of detail section on the right hand side then passed it over to a dealership to registered a new car. Is that acceptable or do I need to send it to the dvla?
Hi Stefan, Thank you for your kind comments about the article. Your understanding is correct; just sign & date in sections 1 & 6 and pass the V750 to the buyer to complete the rest.
May i just say what a brilliant article!
It may seem like a silly question but i just can’t seem to get my head around it. I am currently in possession of a V750 registration certificate. I intend on selling the rights to this plate and understand i can add a nominee online and pay the £25 fee. Now what i am confused about is after i have added on a nominee and recieved the amenended V750 with the nominees details on, do i then have to fill in section 1 completely or just sign and date it. My assumption was that i just put my signature then send it to the buyer who would then fill out the rest of section 1 (e.g registration number, tax date, validation code) before assigning it to their vehicle. Is that right?
That’s great! Thankyou for your time, expertise and quick response.
Yes, you can assign them to cars owned by family members by changing the nominee at the same time.
Hi James, Thankyou for your time. I will look into the values of the plates and see if it is possible to get them assigned to a vehicle. Would I be able to have them put on a car that is owned and registered by a family member, in order to retain them.
Hi Laurie, If you have the DVLA documents for both plates and you are named as the nominee the best thing you could do (if you want to keep them) is to get them assigned/transferred to vehicles. How valuable are the plates? Would it be worth buying a newer car to enable you to assign them? Strictly speaking any other tasks such as extending entitlement to the certificates or changing the address should be completed by the Grantee. I suppose it really comes down to what is the agreement/understanding between you & your ex-boyfriend. It may cause problems if you sell them and your ex-boyfriend then claims it was done without his permission.
Hi james, I was bought nearly 33 months ago two plates as a gift from an ex boyfriend, who has since turned out to be a nutcase….. Police involved and injunction etc etc….so I would not contact him about the plates obviously. I am the nominee on both of these plates and they have never been assigned to my car as my car is too old. They have been retained since purchase. Will I be able to continue to retain them or possibly sell them or do I not own the plates? Also to complicate things further I have just moved so was wondering about a change of address or is that something only the grantee can do? Many thanks for your time.
Hi Clair, You’re understanding is correct; you don’t need to change the address on the V778. If you have the V5C for your new car you can go to your nearest DVLA Local Office with the V778 and the other documents you mention and get the transfer completed. Don’t worry about filling in the details on the V778 as the DVLA counter staff will advise accordingly.
I recently purchased a cherish plate and have received the v778 back showing the grantee as the previous owner and my name as the nominee. I have a power of attorney letter from the grantee as well. I would like to add this to my new car which i have just taken delivery of but the dealership says I need to send the V778 off and complete my address under section 4 and when that comes back I can get the transfer sorted. However, I thought that I could take the V778, power of attorney letter, insurance and V5 to the DVLA and transfer the registration onto the new vehicle, thereby transferring the registrationin full to me asit stands withouth the need to send the V778 anywhere. Please can you advise what the process is as I am now confused and unsure what part of the V778 I need to complete, if any
Hi Tony, This is the reason why I always suggest you buy direct from the DVLA Personalised Registrations website if you are buying a brand new, unissued registration. All is not lost, let me know the name of the company named as the purchaser on the document and I will advise you what action to take.
I have a V750 Certificate of a plate I brought from a company before the registration was issued. The company put themselves as the purchaser and myself as the nominee. When I used to renew it I used to have to pay the company to renew on my behalf. Now the renewal date has passed as I cannot contact the company and they must have closed. DVLA have advised that I must seek the directors and obtain written permission but I cannot locate them? Any thoughts?
Hi Jathu, If your mum hasn’t already sent the V778 retention document to DVLA Swansea then don’t bother. You can add a nominee at the same time as assigning/transferring the registration to your car. It can all be completed on the same-day at a DVLA Local Office. Forget the V317 form, you don’t need it if the registration is already on retention. If the V778 retention document has already been sent to Swansea to add the nominee then you are going to have to wait for it to come back. Hopefully it will be with you before the 3rd of October. You can then go into any DVLA Local Office and complete the assignment to your car. If for any reason the document arrive in time, your mum would have to pay £25 to DVLA to extend her entitlement to the registration. Remember your mum must sign and date in sections 1 & 6 for any of the above transactions.
Jathu Prem says:
My mum has a V778 on her name; i want to use the number plate… so she has put me down for the nominee. Would i be able to send the v317 straight away to get the number plate transferred, or would i have to wait for the v778 to come back with my name in order to get the number plate? The only one problem is that the v778 is running pit on the 3/10/13. Would i be able to do everything before the expiry date? I really need help with this situation!!
Hi Hannah, Thanks for clarifying the situation. Whoever owns the car that the registration is currently attached to is effectively the person who has the rights to the registration. You gave up your rights to the reg plate when the plate transfer was completed. If you aren’t in touch with the owner of the car then unfortunately there’s not a lot you can do.
The reg was transferred to a car. I was down as purchaser on documentation and should have proof of purchase. This was bought from dvla website as well so should have email confirmation
Thanks for getting back to me, hope you can help
Hi Hannah, Before I can answer your question I just need to establish a couple of facts; is the registration still held on a DVLA Document or did you transfer it to a car? If it is held on a V778 or V750 document, who is named as the Grantee/Purchaser? Get back to me and I can then give you the correct advice.
I bought a reg plate and set a nominee on the purchase of the reg, i now have no contact with nominee & am looking to sell reg plate – spoke with DVLA who advised i must have log book, tax disc & MOT – how would i go about selling plate when I have no contact with nominee? help!
Hi Michelle, If you put yourself as the grantee and your husband as the nominee you can then put your private number plate onto a car in either name and you won’t have to pay an additional £25 to DVLA to add/change the nominee. The most important factor to consider is who will be named as the registered keeper of any future car that you intend to display your private plate on. If the car will be registered to either yourself or your husband it is fine to go ahead as you have suggested.
Hi James, I bought a private number plate a few years ago now and when I sold my car it was put on retention as the new car was in my husbands name and the dealer won’t transfer the plates over in time for us. When I put the plates on I named my husband as the Nominee, I’m now selling this car and I’m going to put the plate on retention again but unsure what I should do with the form. Do I put myself as the Grantee and my husband as the nominee?
Hi Simon, If the named Grantee or Nominee on the V778 Retention Document doesn’t match the name of the registered keeper for the car you want to put the private plate on to, you need to pay £25 to add a nominee. This can be done at the same time that you apply to assign the plate to your car. Make sure the V778 Retention Document is signed & dated by the Grantee in sections 1 & 6.
i have a private plate on a retention document but the the nominee is not in my name on the document. So can you help how do i transfer the plate to my car?
Hi Furqan, No other documents required; you’ve got everything there. DVLA will send everything to the registered keeper of the vehicle you are assigning the registration to, so make sure your name and address details are correct on the V5C.
Furqan Zubair says:
Many Thanks for your previous response. I have finally received the retention certificate with my name on it after 8 weeks – Phewww
Now I am about to send my logbook, road tax photocopy, MOT and retention certifcate with owners signature on Section 1 and Section 6 to DVLA today – Any more documents required?
Once DVLA assign the plate through above documents to my car, would all post comes to my address or garantor?
Hi Chris, Just sign and date in sections 1 & 6 where it says ‘Grantee must sign in the box below’. Obviously make sure you have received payment before sending the retention document to the buyer.
Hi james, i have a buyer for my number plate do i just sign the retention document and send this to the buyer?
Hi Jan, Yes you can renew the document and add a nominee at the same time, make sure you sign the document in section 6 and enclose payment of £50. As for being liable for any problems or being scammed is concerned, you don’t really have anything to worry about providing you receive full payment in cleared funds before sending the retention document (signed in sections 1 & 6) to the buyer.
Jan Cairns says:
Hi James, I have a cherished number plate on a retention document, which someone wants to buy. I have to also renew the retention document in the next couple of weeks.
So am I right in thinking I can renew and add the prospective buyer as Nominee ?
Then when the document comes back, will it be safe to send the new retention document to the buyer (unsigned or signed ?) as he wants to hold on to the retention document until the car he has ordered is ready at the end of the year ?
We live a fair distance from each other which would make it awkward to go with any documents to a DVLA office.
Not sure what to do, what would you do in my situation ?
Any help would be gratefully received as worried about being liable for any problems or being scammed.
Hi Mark, Yes you can, you just have to pay £25 to add your wife to the personalised plate document as nominee. It can be done at the counter of your nearest DVLA Local Office.
mark pitney says:
I have brought a personalised number in my name , can I put this on my wifes car as the car Reg document is in here name.
George Haran says:
James I really appreciate for the valued advice, Well once again I THANK YOU.george.
Hi George, Providing the V750 Certificate of Entitlement hasn’t expired yes you can. Sign and date in section 1 and state your position as Director. If you go along to your nearest DVLA Local Office it should be done at the counter for you.
Hi James, I have cherished number on V750 & it was Purchased under my Old Company/Purchaser & I was the Director (nominee). Well now the Company doesn’t active any more.Would you Please advice me can I assign the vehicle registration number to my own car(V5C)is under my name.
Hi Jack, Your situation is not unusual. You will probably receive the V5C in the next couple of days followed by the rest of the documents in the next week or two. There is currently a backlog at DVLA Swansea. If you have not received everything by 4 weeks after your application was submitted, you can call DVLA Customer Enquiries on 0300 790 6809.
Hi James. I have applied to put my number plate on retention as i am buying a new car. i sent all required documents to the DVLA around 2-3 weeks ago. today i recieved the V778w back. i have not had a confirmation letter, tax disc or V5c back. when will i recieve these.
Hi Craig, Once you get the retention document back from DVLA with the buyer’s name added as nominee, sign and date in sections 1 & 6 and (once you have payment) give the document to the purchaser. At the point the plate is assigned/transferred to a car the rights to the private plate pass to the registered keeper of the car. The retention document is cancelled and you have given up your rights. The plate can be subsequently retained or transferred by the new owner. The assignment fee has been paid which means there are no further fees to pay to assign the plate to a vehicle regardless of whether it is a vehicle belonging to you or the nominee.
I’d like to double check I’ve understood this correctly and apologies if this may be a repeat question.
I’m selling my private plate which is on retention. I add the person buying the plate as a Nominee and send off the £25 DVLA fee. They get the authority to add the plate to their car. Once they’ve assigned to a car and my retention expires, will they have the right to re-assign it in the future.
Also, my V778 says the assignment fee has been paid, will this carry forward to the nominee or do they have to pay another assignment fee?
Q1. The assignment fee is different to the nominee fee. £25 is payable to add a nominee before you can assign the registration to your car.
Q2. The Grantee has the legal rights to the registration whilst it remains on a retention document.
Q3. The £25 fee to add a nominee is payable to DVLA. You will also need t buy a new set of front & rear number plates for your car (approx. £20) and your motor insurer may charge an administration fee to reprint your policy documents to reflect the change of your car’s registration.
Would you mind clarifying these for me.
Q1. If i purchased a Private Reg No. for example on Ebay, which is currently on a retention certificate and that it states that the assignment fee is already paid, does that mean that the £25 fee to change the Nominee from Not Applicable to my name is already paid for in advance ?
Q2. If i have no car at present for the No, to be transferred to, but will in a couple of months or so. Does this mean that the Grantee keeps and owns the Retention Doc, the Reg No. and my money until i actually transfer it to my new car
Q3. Finally, when the Reg No. is actually assigned to my new car, is there another fee to pay to do this. (Just adding up the total cost now. Lol)
Many Thanks – Grant
Hi Glen, If you sign in the box at sections 1 & 6 before posting it back to the nominees address it covers everything.
Hi James, I recently sold my private plate to someone on eBay in another part of the country last year.
The person who bought it didn’t realise they had to pay for the extension of the retention so now they have paid the fee the document has come back to me cause I’m still the grantee.
They are named as the nominee so do I just sign the box in section one and send it back to the nominees address?
From what you’ve said everything has been done properly so far. The retention document should be posted back to you from Swansea with your name added as nominee. Has it been more than 4 weeks since the V778 was posted to DVLA?
I bought a private plate from seller who was moving abroad. Both of us weren’t aware of the procedure so he only filled my details in Part 2, put my address in Part 4 and signed Part 6. He asked me to post the retention certificate V778 to DVLA with £25 check which I did.
By reading your responses, I realised he was supposed to sign Part 1 too which he didnt. Now obviously he is abraod – would my name be put as Nominee and form will come back to my address or would it go back to grantee address where he doesnt live anymore?
Hi Hazel, The retention document needs to be signed by the Grantee in section 1 before you can assign the registration to your boyfriend’s car. Once that is sorted, I suggest going along in person to your nearest DVLA local office to complete the transfer. The main benefit of going in person being if there are any discrepancies with your application it can usually be resolved there and then. The last thing you want is to receive a letter from DVLA advising the transfer can not be completed because you put a ‘X’ in the wrong box. Also take with you the V5C Registration Certificate (logbook), MOT Certificate (if the vehicle is 3+ years old) and a note of the expiry date from the current tax disc. Don’t worry about completing the retention form as the counter-staff at DVLA will help you; just make sure the form is signed & dated in sections 1 & 6.
Hi James. I am just wanting to double check exactly what i need to fill out. I have bought a reg plate from a seller for my boyfriend as a surprise and have the retention form. The seller has only signed part 6 and what i have been reading from other people is you need part 1 signed as well? Also what do i send away with this form? I understand the £25 fee but do i need a photocopy of tax disc and things?
Hi Matt, You can’t change the Grantee on the retention document but in your situation you don’t really have to. If BMW are holding the V5C logbook for your lease car you will have to let them handle the transfer of your private plate. If they require the nominee to be added in advance, you will have to send the retention document to DVLA Swansea with the fee of £25. The document must be signed by the Grantee in section 1 & section 6. Once the nominee is added the reprinted retention document will be sent to the address of the Grantee as shown on the document. If it is not your address, I suggest you add your address in section 4 at the same time. Strictly speaking the rights to a registration (which is attached to a vehicle) belong to the registered keeper. However, lots of people have their private plates on lease cars without any fuss. You just have to pay the lease company an admin fee whenever you want to transfer or retain your registration.
I have a question about the nominee/grantee – I recently bought a plate that is on a retention document – It’s been signed and I have to add a nominee. I have a new car due to come and its on a lease so the BMW are saying they need to be listed as the nominee.
My question is, how do I get myself to be the grantee? If I put BMW down as the nominee, and register the plate to that car, who actually owns the registration plate?
Hi Solly, When you separate a registration from a vehicle you can either transfer it to another vehicle, or place it on retention. The lease company may want to deal with the retention application on your behalf; discuss it with them nearer the time. As part of the process DVLA will issue a replacement registration to the car.
thanks for your response, well the lease company are cool with it and will be applying the reg as new…
am thinking of reverting it in 2.5 years time well before its due back..
how would i go about removing it? and what would the new number be once removed?
is that issued by dvla at that point?
Hi Solly, Thanks for your kind comments. It’s probably best if your mum checks with the lease company before you do anything, just to find out what their preference is with regards to plate transfers. The nominee needs to match the name of the registered keeper so yes your mum’s name needs to be added as nominee. Usually if you have the V5C there’s no reason why you can’t go along to your nearest DVLA Local Office and complete the transfer. The nominee can be added at the same time without having to send the V750/V778 to DVLA Swansea first.
fantastic site btw… some good plates too!
we are leasing a car… the v5 is in my mums name, but the plate is in my name, do i need to change the nominee to my mum? and give to the dealers?
i am thinking things are simplified as the v5 actually shows one of our names and not the lease company?
Hi Norman, Whilst your cherished number remains attached to your vehicle the rights to it remain with the registered keeper of the vehicle. Your desire to gift your cherished number to someone would be a private matter and would be of no interest to DVLA at this moment in time. If you wish to document your request it may be worth discussing the matter with your solicitor.
NORMAN HIRST says:
I am the owner of a cherished number and have been for a long time.
Now I wish to give the number to someone who would own it (grantee), but I wish to keep the number on the original vehicle ( mine ) ( nominee ) with the agreement of the new owner of the plate.
Hi Tricia, Yes the £25 nominee fee is still payable. If you intend to pay the fee on behalf of the buyer please make your cheque payable to DVLA.
Tricia Cutts says:
Just sold my number plate so I know I need to add the buyer a nominee.
I have just seen that you can add nominee and assign to a vehicle at the same time.
So I plan to sign at 1 and 6 and send it to him to do the rest.
One question – do you still have to pay the £25 fee when assigning at the same time – it doesn’t really say anywhere on the V778 nor on the gov’t website – though I assume so being a gov’t body!
If so I will send the buyer a cheque for the DVLA.
Hi Paul, You should have received a replacement tax disc, MOT certificate (if your vehicle is 3 years old) and the V5C logbook. Click this link for details of how to retain the registration: https://www.simplyregistrations.co.uk/retention-of-a-personalised-number-plate/
Hi James, I have recently bought a registration and the seller (grantee) put me down as a nominee, the VRM is now on my vehicle. However I am selling my car now and need to retain the private plate. I have had my new logbook back with the private reg on it, should I have received anything else? Also how do I retain the registration that is on my car. Thanks.
Hi John, If the retention document doesn’t currently have your company name showing in either the Grantee or Nominee section, then yes you will need to add the company name as nominee. This can be done at the counter of the DVLA Local Office at the same time that you apply to assign the registration to your van. There is a fee of £25 to pay to add a nominee.
Hi James, I have a private plate on retention that I want to transfer to my company van. The van is registered in my companys name at my private address which is also my business address. Do I need to make my company name the nominee to transfer the plate to the van?
Hi Craig, It depends on the current status of the registration you are buying. If it is already held on a DVLA document you have no choice other than to be the nominee. If it is registered to a vehicle, you can apply to be the Grantee when the retention application is submitted. If you are buying a brand new unreleased registration, it makes sense to buy it direct from the DVLA Personalised Registrations website. Strictly speaking all registrations belong to the DVLA, you are buying the rights to a registration. The rights are held by the Grantee/Purchaser whilst it’s held on a document, or the registered keeper of a vehicle whilst it is registered to a vehicle. Get in touch if you need any further help or advice.
If i buy a personal plate do i need to make sure that the seller makes me the grantee or nominee? Im confused as to what i need to be as ive read a lot of bad reviews regarding some plate company`s doing the changeover incorrectly.
Would greatly appreciate your advice. Is that number plate then my personal property when purchased or someone elses?
Hi Vincent, You could try speaking to someone at DVLA and asking for their advice. I often find you get a better response by going along in person to a DVLA Local Office. If the person who owns the car will not co-operate at all, you may want to take legal advice (depending on the value of the registration).
I own a number plate and a couple of years ago I put it on someone else’s car for them to use. I now want it back but getting the relevant information from that person is proving difficult.
Hi Tallullah, The part that’s confusing you is the incorrect belief that DVLA will send the retention form back once the nominee is added. In actual fact the assignment to the vehicle will be completed at the same time and the documents will be forwarded to the registered keeper of the vehicle. In the notes on the back of the retention document, read: ‘Assigning and adding or changing Nominee details at the same time’ near the top of the right-hand column of text. It is not necessary to deal with it as a two-step process, DVLA will add the nominee and assign the registration at the same time. It can actually be done in person the same day at the counter of any DVLA Local Office. I hope this answers your questions, please don’t hesitate to call me on 0113 288 7553 if you require clarification of any of the above points.
Thanks very much for your response, however I’m a bit confused still!
I’ve now sold my plate.
I thought all I had to do was sign and date Part 1 and Part 6. I’d then pass the cert to the new buyer, for him to complete the vehicle reg and validation character in Part 1 and fill in the details in Part 2. He then sends the form off to the DVLA, pays the £25, to get his name added as the Nominee. They then send the form back to him? He then takes the form to his local DVLA office to get it transferred?
However, I’ve just realised there is no where on the form for his address, so presumably I have to get the reg and validation character details of his existing car, (for Part 1) plus his name details (Part 2) first, then I send if off, with the £25, get him added as the Nominee The DVLA then return the form to me – which I then forward on to him as the newly named Nominee?
Sorry I know there are notes on the back of the Cert but it’s still confusing!!
Hi Tallullah, As the Grantee all you really need do is sign and date parts 1 & 6. It is then in the interest of the buyer to get the registration assigned to a vehicle as quickly as possible. As for who pays the £25 fee to add a nominee, it is up to the buyer and seller to agree terms. Remember you have already paid £105 to DVLA when you applied to put your registration on retention. Is it too much to expect the purchaser to cover £25?
I have a V778 Retention certificate, as I put a private plate on retention. Obviously I am the Grantee. the Nominee is showing as Not Applicable. Someone now wants to buy my plate. From what I understand, I fill in Part 1, from details they provide, e.g. Vehicle Reg and character. I then sign and date Part 1. I then fill in Part 2, with the new person’s (buyers) first and last name. I then sign and date Part 6. Who pays the £25?
Could I for example fill in all the relevant parts, pass form to them, but they pay and send off form?
Hi Aneel, DVLA now give you the option to place a personalised registration on retention for one, two or three years. If you sign the retention document as the grantee in sections 1 & 6 and the buyer subsequently resells it, it doesn’t need an additional signature providing the document is still valid and has not expired.
Hi Chris, To retain your personalised plate the costs is £105 and you should complete form V317. Have a read of this post which specifically addresses putting a registration on retention. There are no further fees to pay when you assign your personalised plate to your new car. Unfortunately DVLA do not make it possible to transfer the plate the same day from your old car to your new car. If you place your registration on retention you should provide your personal details as the grantee. You only need to specify a nominee if your new car is to be registered to a different named keeper (such as a company name).
I apologise if you’ve already answered this question. What would happen if I sell a registration to someone who then doesn’t put it into a vehicle & keeps it on retention document for a couple of years? If he was to sell the plate, having never have put it into a vehicle, would he still need to contact me to get it signed as I’d still be the Grantee? Many thanks.
I have a personal plate on my existing vehicle, a vehicle which may be part exchanged with a major car dealer for a new vehicle shortly.
If the deal is struck the day he is seen, and I drive away in the new vehicle, what paperwork needs to be completed for me to retain the plate, and what cost to me?
Then how much when the V5C of the new vehicle is received by me, to put my personal plate onto it?
Is there any way my plate be transferred directly onto the newly purchased vehicle straight away before driving away from the dealer?
If a holding certificate is used, am I both the grantee and nominee?
Hi Dom, You say you have been given the reminder form, when in fact you should have been given the actual V778. The V778 is a green coloured piece of paper, A4 in size. Even if you have been given the V778, it is unlikely that you will be able to assign the registration to your car before the expiry date, considering the extended Bank Holiday. The first step is to get hold of the V778 and to pay £25 to DVLA to extend the entitlement period. Once that is sorted you can then go about getting the registration assigned to your car.
I have been given a private plate and all i have been sent is a v778 reminder form which tells me the v778 runs out in 6 days. Do I need to pay to extend the retention and to change the nominee into my name? Or do i need to ask the person who gave it to me to do something?
Once this is done what do i need to do to transfer it to my car?
Hi Neil, When you say “Can i just go into dvla and get it registered in my name now?” I am presuming you are going to assign the registration to your car. Take the V778 Retenion Document with you to your nearest DVLA Local Office but make sure it is signed. Also take your V5C logbook, MOT certificate and a photo-copy of your tax disc.
Hi. Can you help. I hqve got the document back with me added as a nominee. Wwhat do i need to do to get it transfered to me because the person. Who forwarded me the document hasnt signed it. Can i just go into dvla and get it registered in my name now??
Hi, That is correct, I am already the nominee, thankyou for your help, i will get my forms sent off today,excellent work, keep it up
Hi Sean, You only need section 6 signing if you want to add a nominee/change address or extend your entitlement. I am presuming your name is already on there as nominee. Providing the name of the registered keeper on your car matches the nominee name then you only need section 1 to be signed.
Hi James, I bought a plate nearly a year ago from one of the sites on the internet (plates4less) iirc, I have now finally bought a car i can put the plate onto, my V5 arrived today so i dug out the the certificate and started filling everything in along with my MOT and copy of tax disc, the only thing i have noticed is that section 6 wasn’t signed, although the other part on the left hand side is signed!! is this ok to send off?? Any help appreciated, Sean
Hi Kevin, If you are buying a personalised registration from a CNDA registered company, it is highly likely that the dealer will handle the assignment of the registration to your car. Once the registration is assigned to your car the V5C (logbook) for the car supersedes any previous DVLA documents. The registered keeper of the vehicle has the rights to the registration and the V5C is proof of entitlement. If in a few years time you decide to sell your registration, you can separate it from your car by placing it on retention. By default the registered keeper of the car is the Grantee when the retention document is produced. You have the option of including an alternative Grantee name and address at the time of the retention application.
Hi Steve, I am not sure I fully understand your question. Who would you be buying the registration from? If you buy from the DVLA you will be the Grantee/Purchaser on the document. If you choose not to assign the registration, you are able to legally sell it on. If I have not correctly answered your question please give me a bit more information, possibly using an example.
Hi Gemma, Is the V5C (logbook) kept by the company you work for, or it is held by the lease company? If you can get access to the V5C you can handle the assignment of your personalised number plate via a DVLA Local Office. If the lease company holds the V5C you should contact them to ask what the procedure is.
Hi James. Having read your very useful thread, i have a quick question. I have just offered to purchase a numberplate from a cnda website but the plate is actually not owned by the website company but a certain individual who has used the website as a middleman in order to sell the plate.
I prseume that the current owner of the plate will be the grantee and i will just become a nominee. The registration will be going straight onto my car so say in a few years i decide to sell the numberplate on this website, will i be able to do this as a nominee?
HI, There is some great info on this site, however I have a question I cannot find an answer to with regards the ‘Grantee’ status. What would be the situation if I bought a plate, did not get round to assigning it, then decided to sell it on? As I can see I cannot legally do so until I become the grantee following assignment to my car first?
In this case I don’t understand how dealers work where they may own a plate and sell it on as a business.
Thank you for your help. I will write to DVLA as advised.
hi I have just bought a number plate and await my proof of ownership. The plate will be assigned to my leased company car. What do I need to do? thanks
Hi Ian, I’m presuming you are the Grantee on the retention document. Write to DVLA at DVLA Personalised Registrations, Swansea SA99 1BW advising that you have lost your V778. Remember to quote the actual registration, your old address and obviously notify DVLA of your new address so they can send you a replacement retention document.
Just read the site – very good indeed. I have a number on retention since August 2011 but have since moved home (and jhave to admit that I have not informed – oops!).
My question relates to the fact that I have mislaid the V778 in any case but have other documentation around that time. What is the best course of action? Thnk you.
The seller was reading a paragraph from the reverse of the V778 so panic is over, its all been sorted now and transfered so all is good, i would like to express my thanks to you again for your help, there is a mine of info on here to help those who are a little inexperienced at VRM tranfers. Brilliant stuff 🙂
Hi Ray, Thank you for your kind comments. I have never seen the phrase ‘non-transferable’ on a V778 Retention Document. It seems very odd and is possibly a cause for concern. Have you seen the V778 or do you have a copy?
Can you tell me what non transferable means on the v778 as the seller tells me its on the v778 but it is nothing to worry about, would appreciate your advice on this.
Hi James, Many thanks for your speedy response, all we want is a simple answer which to some of us including me seems a complex process only made worse by confusing info from dvla, this site is a godsend James Thank you very much.
Hi Ray, I will answer all of your questions in this single reply. The person named as Grantee/Purchaser on the DVLA document just needs to sign in sections 1 and 6. You are then able to assign the registration to either your car, or your wife’s car. It doesn’t matter who is named on the V5C logbook, as long as you add a nominee name which matches the name of the registered keeper. If you feel it is necessary to change the named keepers of the cars this can be done at the same time. Just be aware that some car buyers are fussy about buying a vehicle that has a high number of former keepers. The seller does not need to be present when the registration is assigned.
Sorry, just another query, if the seller of the vrm signs section 1 and 6 am i able to asign the vrm on my own or does the seller have to be present as well?
Hi, Can you advise please,
i am buying a private vrm from a private seller and the vrm is curently on retention, just to clarify the seller just needs to sign section 1 and 6 ? and then i can assign at my leisure ? but the conundrem i have is me and my wife both have cars but have swapped because of medical reasons, mine was an automatic hers was a manual, obviously i want the vrm on the car i drive but the V5 log book is in my wifes name, can you tell me the best way to go about this? we were thinking of changing the names on the log books, but if we do this, is it possible to assign the vrm and change keepers at the same time? Thanks in advance and this blog is great keep up the good work. Ray
Hi Paul, The registered keeper of the receiving vehicle (your car) is the one who subsequently has the rights over the registration as far as DVLA are concerned. Obviously there isn’t a retention document produced for a vehicle to vehicle transfer, the V5C (logbook) will be reprinted by DVLA Swansea to show the registration ‘belongs’ to your car.
I need to transfer my partner’s registration from their car, over to my car. Rather than moving this registration onto certificate first, adding me as a nominee then putting the registration on my car, I understand that you can use Sections 2 and 3 of V317 to move the plate directly from one vehicle to another. In this case, does the owner of the vehicle receiving the registration ultimately become the Grantee / Owner of the registration? V317 does not make this clear at all, but judging by the previous discussions, I would assume that this is the case.
Hi Dave, Providing the certificate is in date and is signed in both sections 1 & 6 you should be okay. Obviously the buyer would have to be comfortable with the situation as he/she is the one taking the risk.
Hey James, great site, nice one.
Quick question, I bought a number plate from a dealer, and I haven’t assigned it to a vehicle, as such the dealer is the purchaser and I am the current nominee. I now want to sell the plate on. Am I able to do this and just change the nominee details, or do I need to assign the plate to my own vehicle and take it off again?
Hi Nigel, In all fairness you shouldn’t experience any problems, but you must accept that there is a small element of risk attached to what you intend to do. It is not uncommon to see repossessed cars being offered for sale at auctions complete with personalised number plates, glove-boxes full of personal possessions or even shopping bags full of groceries in the boot. The only way you can fully protect yourself is to assign your number to a car, registered to you, at your home address.
Hi James, understand the difference between puchaser & Nominee, little shocked that after buying a number you don’t own or control it regardless.
Here is my problem, I was bought a number for a present, very nice ! I have lease car through my work, they are happy for it to go on my new car which is on order, but the lease company say that ” DVLA regulations, this means that once your personal mark is transferred on to the vehicle, the mark will also become our legal property. We, XXXXX confirm we have no financial interest in your mark and that all rights to it will remain yours. This declaration will not apply if : you breach any T&C’s etc…. ”
What I am concerned about is getting swindled here & losing my much loved number !
Can I cover myself in any way ? Even though the leasing company is a very reputable company….Thanks
Hi Steven, Thank you for your kind comments. To answer your question I need to know whether your late father’s registration is currently registered to a vehicle, or whether it is currently held on a retention document. Please let me know a little bit more information and I will advise you accordingly.
Firstly, what a helpful site you have set up…thank you. Certainly much more helpful than that lot at DVLC….who hide from the public (their customers) as much as they can.
I wish to transfer my late fathers reg plate onto a retention doc in my name….how do I do this? I could put it on my second car if you consider this to be easier/ cheaper?
Hi, There is a chance that the previous owner of the Jaguar could have retained the private number plate at the same time when the car was sold to your husband. You will only know for sure when the new V5C logbook arrives from DVLA Swansea. Whatever registration is printed on the V5C is the one you must display on the Jaguar.
husband purchased a jag with private plates have been given v5 slip with private reg on,am assuming the private plates aswell as the car are his now ,until he recieves log book back ,apologies for being thick lol
Heya, just want to say that you have done a really fantastic job here pal, friendly advice, easily understandable answers, your a ‘BANK OF KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM’.
Damn, all m questions were answered, lol…..
Great website James! Saved it to my favourites, you’ve explained things really well! The scenarios made things a lot clearer.
Hello Louise, Yes you should fill in your registration number and validation character in section 1. There is no need to complete any other sections if your name is already showing in the nominee section.
This might seem a rather silly question, but im new to all this. Ive just bought a priavate number plate,and ive just recieved the V778 document. my question is me as the nominne do i fill in my vehicle registration number and validation character in section 1 ? and then do i fill in sections 2 and 4? The grantee only has to sign section 1 and section 6 ? is this right. I would apreciate any advice. Your answers are great by the way. thank you
Hi David, The easiest way is for your ex-girlfiend to take over the registration is to assign it to her car. You can’t transfer ownership of the actual DVLA document.
Hello, I bought a personalised reg for my girlfriend back in may,I was the pourchaser and she was the nominee on the v750 form,unfortunatley things went pair shaped and we are no longer together anymore and I was wondering if you know if I can transfer the ownership of the reg to her as I presume I am the owner as she is just a nominee?Any help would be appreciated,thanks
Hi Martyn, Yes that is all you have to do. Feel free to reply with the actual private number plate you have for sale. We get a lot of visitors to the blog and may be able to find you a buyer.
Martyn Brookes says:
I currently have my private number plate on a v778 retention document for sale. If and when it sells is it safe normal practice to send the document to the buyer with me just signing section one and six and then let them fill in the nominee details and there vehicle details it is to be assigned to ?
Martyn…..
Hi Chris, Your suggestion of changing the address is a good one. It is probably the best thing to do if you don’t have a vehicle to assign the registration to in the interim period. DVLA frown on this in all fairness as they state the address on the document must be that of the grantee. There is still a small element of risk attached, but that is just something you have got to accept if you want to continue to keep the registration on the V778.
Hi there, If I buy a number plate on a well known auction website and get sent in the post the V778 – can I not fill in the change of address section, so that the V778 is then in my address (albeit in the same name as a original grantee). The reason being, I wish to buy a plate – but not assign it to my car for quite some time. In fear of the grantee doing something silly (like assign to their old car for example) – this would be safer as all correspondance would come to me, and they wont have any stake on on the plate as their address would be wiped off the V778? Many thanks
Bally Aujla says:
Thanks James, you have clarified matters. I knew our friend’s actions was innocent, but my fear was, we could have lost a very expensive plate to someone of less morals.
Hi Bally, This sounds perfectly innocent to me. When your friend applied to retain your registration, the DVLA used his details (as the registered keeper) as the grantee. There is a section on the V317 form (application for retention) which you must complete if you wish to provide an alternative name and address for the grantee. As this section was not completed, your friend became the grantee by default. Providing your friend signs the V778 you can assign the registration to your new car as intended. The registration then passes over to the registered keeper of the vehicle that it is displayed on.
Hi David, It would be in your best interest to assign your registration to a vehicle as quickly as possible. The vehicle should ideally be one that you own, or a vehicle belonging to a trusted friend. As you quite rightly state, the seller has the legal rights to the registration whilst it is held on the V750 certificate of entitlement. As soon as the registration is assigned to a vehicle you can apply to retain it, but this time with you as the grantee.
Hi Roger, Whilst the registration remains held on the current V778, the grantee (the private individual you purchased the registration from) is the legal owner in the eyes of the DVLA. When you transfer the registration to your business vehicle, the registered keeper of the vehicle has control over the registration. Effectively the V778 is no longer valid once you assign the registration to a vehicle; the V5C log-book is then the only document that carries the registration mark.
We nominated a friend of ours to become nominee, so he could have our number plate on his car for a few months. We now have the form V778 back, so I can put it on my new car. However, I am shocked to find his details recorded as Grantee. I have phoned Dvla several times unsuccessfully to find out why this is so. We trust our friend totally, however, have we lost control of our number plate.
Further to last nights message i paid 3k for the plate but am the nominee on the v750 form. The seller remains the purchaser on the v750 form. Do i have no rights to the plate and does he still own it? I won’t have a car to put it on for at least 2 years. Any help would be most appreciated, thank you.
I’ve just bought a number plate privately and have read your nominee / grantee explanation with interest. I do not yet have a vehicle to put the plate on and i am listed as the nominee on the v750 form. The grantee is the person i bought the plate from. Who owns the plate? Do i have any rights to the plate.? Worringly for me it appears that the person i bought it from still owns it and i have no rights. Can he therefore back out of the deal and if so do i lose my money? Please can you advise? Thank you.
I have just purchased a registration mark from a private individual who has sent me a V778 with his name as the grantee and mine as the nominee. I do not have a V750 so could you please advise who would currently be the legal owner of this number?
Would I also be correct in thinking that when I transfer the number onto by business vehicle that I should become the grantee and the company the nominee?
Hi Jacqui, Your understanding is correct. When the time comes for you to retain your personalised number plate, you control who becomes the grantee. It can either be the registered keeper of the vehicle that the registration is being taken off of, or you can complete the grantee section (on DVLA form V317) and provide the name and address of the person or company you wish to be the grantee. It will not default back to a previous grantee, in your case the dealer you are buying from.
Hi James, thanks for explaining about grantee and nominee. I’m buying a registration mark from a dealer. They advise they will send me the V750 (from them as grantee to me as nominee). From your explanation (which would like to clarify) I understand that as nominee, as soon as I put the number/plate on my car, it becomes ‘mine’ and the dealer no longer ‘owns or controls’ what happens to it. Does that mean then, when I take it off my car (when I sell it sometime) and put it back onto a certificate (and put old plates back on my car), that I then become the (new) ‘grantee’ of the number plate until I reassign it, or does it go back into the dealer’s name as grantee and I remain nominee….? Many thanks, Jacqui
Hello Katherine, First of all please accept my apologies for the delay in replying to your questions, I’ve just returned from a week away. Once the personalised plate is in use on your car, assuming you are the registered keeper of the car, you have control over what happens to the actual personalised registration. The registration can be easily removed from your car (should it be necessary) and placed on retention in your partners name. Once the registration is placed on retention it can me transferred to a different car in the future. Hopefully none of this will be necessary and you will go on to live happily ever after!
Katherine Middleton says:
My partner owns a cherished plate and I own a car – which he also uses on occassion. He would like the plate to be used on my car so will add me as the nominee. He is worried, however, that if we were to split up he will have lost his personalised registration plate. whilst this actually wouldn’t be true as I would return it to him on such an occassion, is he right? Would I take control of the plate, and would a document be issued so that this plate can be moved to another vehicle again? Thanks in advance for your help
Thanks for the information, however I have had my name( as a noninmee) added to a retention by the grantee as I have ‘purchased’ a number, but where does the grantee sign the form?? Thankyou in advance
Hello Andrew, There are two places for the Grantee to sign and date the Retention Document. The first place is at the bottom on the left-hand side in section 1. The second place is on the right-hand side, just below halfway down in section 6.