How to Fill In Form V317: Transfer or Retain a Registration Number

Form V317 is the DVLA application you post to either transfer a personalised registration number from one vehicle to another or take it off a vehicle and hold it on a retention certificate for later use. The fee is £80, and you send the completed form, your original V5C logbook, and payment to DVLA Personalised Registrations, Swansea, SA99 1DS. You can download the PDF from GOV.UK or pick up a paper copy at a participating post office.1GOV.UK. Apply to Keep a Vehicle Registration Number and Put It on Another Vehicle (Form V317)

The Two Things the Form Does

One form, two choices. Option A moves the number straight from your vehicle to another vehicle, which can be one of yours, one you are buying, or someone else’s. Option B takes the number off the vehicle and stores it on a V778 retention certificate, valid for ten years and renewable before it expires.2GOV.UK. Take a Private Number Off a Vehicle Retention is the route to pick when you are selling the car but want to keep the plate, or you have no receiving vehicle lined up yet.

Does Your Vehicle Qualify?

Before the paperwork, the vehicle currently carrying the number has to meet every one of these conditions:

  • It is registered with DVLA in the UK.
  • It can move under its own power.
  • It is the type of vehicle that needs an MOT or a heavy goods vehicle test certificate.
  • It has been taxed or held a SORN continuously for the past five years, with no gap. If it has been on SORN for more than five years, it must currently be taxed and hold a valid MOT.

2GOV.UK. Take a Private Number Off a Vehicle3GOV.UK. Assign a Private Number to a Vehicle

DVLA may inspect the vehicle to confirm its identity against the V5C, particularly if the chassis number looks inconsistent or the vehicle has been rebuilt or imported.4GOV.UK. Vehicle Registration The inspection is free; DVLA writes to you if one is needed.

The Age Rule

A registration number cannot make a vehicle look newer than it is. Every DVLA number carries an age identifier, and you can put an older number on a newer vehicle but never a newer number on an older one.5Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. INF104 Vehicle Registration Numbers and Number Plates6GOV.UK. Buy a Personalised Registration Number

Vehicles That Cannot Transfer

Insurance write-offs in Category A (whole vehicle must be crushed) or Category B (body shell must be crushed) are not eligible. Category S and Category N write-offs can still transfer their numbers, provided the vehicle is roadworthy and meets the other conditions.

What to Gather Before You Start

A missing document is the single most common reason DVLA sends a V317 back. Get everything together first:

  • The original V5C logbook for the vehicle the number is on. Photocopies are not accepted. If you do not have the V5C, you can send the green new-keeper supplement together with a completed V62 to apply for a replacement at the same time.
  • The original V5C for the receiving vehicle, if you are transferring straight across.
  • The £80 fee, by cheque or postal order payable to DVLA, Swansea.
  • A V10, vehicle tax payment, and MOT certificate, only if either vehicle also needs to be taxed at the same time.
1GOV.UK. Apply to Keep a Vehicle Registration Number and Put It on Another Vehicle (Form V317)

If the number is going onto someone else’s vehicle, both registered keepers have to complete the application. You cannot do it alone.1GOV.UK. Apply to Keep a Vehicle Registration Number and Put It on Another Vehicle (Form V317)

Filling In the Form

The guidance notes printed on the V317 walk through each field. Read them once before you start writing, then work through whichever option applies.

Option A: Transfer to Another Vehicle

Enter your full name and address as the registered keeper, along with the donor vehicle’s registration mark, make, and chassis number (VIN). In the next section, give the same details for the receiving vehicle. If that vehicle belongs to someone else, they fill in their details and sign as well.

Check every character of the VIN against the V5C. Chassis mismatches are a common trigger for inspection and delay, and the numbers on older vehicles can be awkward to read off the stamp.

Option B: Retain on a Certificate

Fill in your details and the donor vehicle information the same way, but leave the receiving vehicle section blank. You then provide the name and address of the grantee, meaning the person who will have the right to assign the number in future. The grantee can be you, or you can nominate someone else, such as a family member who plans to put the number on their own car later.7Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. Registration Numbers and You The V778 you get back is valid for ten years, and you must renew it before it expires to keep the right to use the number.2GOV.UK. Take a Private Number Off a Vehicle

Signatures

Sign and date the form in the spaces indicated. Unsigned forms come straight back. Providing false information is a criminal offence under the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994.8Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. DVLA Enforcement of Vehicle Tax, Registration and Insurance Offences

Where to Send It and What Comes Back

Post the completed form, the original documents, and your payment to:

DVLA Personalised Registrations
Swansea
SA99 1DS9GOV.UK. Private (Personalised) Number Plates: Change Your Name or Address

Use tracked or recorded delivery. You are sending original V5C documents and a cheque, and DVLA does not accept applications by email or fax.

Processing usually takes two to four weeks, longer if an inspection is needed. If you used Option A, DVLA sends updated V5C logbooks for both vehicles, and the donor vehicle receives an age-related replacement number. If you used Option B, you get a V778 retention certificate and an updated V5C for the donor vehicle showing its new age-related number. Any original V5C or MOT certificate you sent in is returned after processing.3GOV.UK. Assign a Private Number to a Vehicle

Getting the New Plates Made

DVLA does not supply physical plates. Once your updated V5C arrives, take it to a registered number plate supplier and have plates made to the legal standard. The new plates must be fitted before you drive on a public road, and the donor vehicle needs replacement plates showing its new age-related number too.3GOV.UK. Assign a Private Number to a Vehicle

Using a Retained Number Later

When the time comes to put a retained number on a vehicle, you do not fill in another V317. You use the V778 itself. The quickest route is the personalised registration service on GOV.UK, and if the receiving vehicle does not need an inspection the number is assigned immediately.3GOV.UK. Assign a Private Number to a Vehicle Otherwise, complete the assignment sections on the V778 and post it, with the vehicle’s V5C, to the address printed on the certificate. Assigning is free; the £80 you paid on the V317 covers it.

Why Applications Get Rejected

Most failed V317s come down to paperwork rather than eligibility. The recurring issues:

  • The V5C is missing or has been photocopied. Certified copies are not accepted either.
  • The keeper name or address on the V5C does not match what you put on the V317. Update the logbook first if you have moved.
  • The vehicle needs an MOT and does not have one, or is untaxed with no current SORN.
  • There is a gap in the five-year tax or SORN history, even a short one.
  • The number’s age identifier is newer than the vehicle.
  • The form is unsigned, or a second keeper who needed to sign has not.
  • The VIN has been copied incorrectly from the V5C.

If DVLA rejects the application, they return the documents with an explanation of what needs fixing. You can resubmit once the problem is sorted, and you may need to send a fresh cheque if the original was already processed and refunded.