What You Need To Know After Buying

For online purchases bought through this website, you will receive an email confirmation of sale within 24 hours, and a Certificate of Entitlement will be posted to the address you gave, which you should receive within two weeks. This is your proof of entitlement and the application form to have the registration number put onto a vehicle.

For auction purchases, you should receive the Certificate of Entitlement within two weeks after your payment has cleared.

You have until the expiry date shown on your certificate to have the number put onto a vehicle.

We don't exchange purchases, but under certain circumstances, you can cancel your purchase and get a refund (see I've changed my mind, can I cancel my purchase? ). You can buy a different registration number by following the normal purchase process.

Please be aware that the following information only applies to fixed price registrations sold through this website. Our cancellation policy does not apply to auction purchases.

If you have not already applied to put the registration number onto a vehicle, you can cancel your purchase by emailing us at cancellations@dvla.gsi.gov.uk within 10 working days after the date of purchase. Applications to cancel made after 10 working days will not be accepted.

In your email please include:

• The registration number you purchased
• Your full name and address, as it was given at the time of purchase. If it was a company purchase, please also provide your name and position in that company
• A declaration that you will destroy the Certificate of Entitlement (V750) once we have confirmed that your purchase has been cancelled (If you have not yet received the certificate, you will do so within two weeks after your purchase).

We aim to reply to you within three working days of your request, and if approved, a refund will be made to the payment card used at the time of purchase. There is no cancellation fee but please note that we do not refund any fees you may have paid for extending the assignment period or changing nominee details.

If you have a brand new vehicle that has not yet been registered, ask the vehicle dealer to register the vehicle with the new number. You will need to give the dealer your Certificate of Entitlement.

If the vehicle is already registered and has an existing registration number, you can apply to a DVLA local office to have the new number assigned to the vehicle. Complete section 1 on the certificate and send it together with the documents listed in section B on the reverse of the certificate. You should receive a replacement tax disc and MOT certificate (if applicable) within two weeks, together with confirmation that you can fix the new plates to your vehicle. You should receive a replacement Vehicle Registration Certificate (V5C) within four to eight weeks.

You will need to purchase the new plates from a registered number plate supplier, who will ensure the plates are made to the correct legal standards. More information about number plates can be found here:

http://www.gov.uk/displaying-number-plates
http://www.gov.uk/displaying-number-plates/getting-number-plates-made-up

You will need to have the registered keeper of the vehicle named as a Nominee on the Certificate of Entitlement. You can name a nominee at the time of purchase, or you can add or change the Nominee later by applying and paying a fee of £25.00.

You can apply online via My Account or by post. See section C on the reverse of the Certificate of Entitlement for more details. You can also apply at the same time as assigning your registration number to the vehicle.

We will send you a reminder about four weeks before it is due to expire, advising you what to do next. You can renew your entitlement for up to three years at a time by applying and paying a fee of £25.00 per year. There is no limit to the number of times you can renew.

You can apply online via My Account or by post up to 28 days before the expiry date on the Certificate of Entitlement. See section D on the reverse of the certificate for more details.

If you have not applied before the expiry date but still wish to extend, send your request by post (see How do I contact DVLA?) giving the reason why you didn't apply before, and it will be considered.

If the entitlement has expired and you don't extend it, the registration number will become void. As you are not going to assign the number to a vehicle, you can claim back the £80.00 assignment fee (which was included in the purchase price from May 1993) by filling in sections 5 and 6 on the certificate, and applying to DVLA.

See section F on the reverse of the certificate for more details.

If you have not already applied to put the registration number onto a vehicle, and there is at least one week left before the expiry date, you can apply for a free duplicate certificate online via My Account.

If there are at least four weeks left before the expiry date, you can also apply by post (see How do I contact DVLA?). Please allow three weeks for the delivery of the new certificate.

If you have not already applied to put the registration number onto a vehicle, and there is at least one week left before the expiry date, you can apply to change the address online via My Account. We will send you a replacement certificate.

You can also apply by post, please see section E on the reverse of the certificate.

You can check this by clicking the following link. You will need to have the registration number and the certificate number to do this.

Check the validity of a V750 certificate