How Long Can You Keep a Personalised Registration on Retention?

This particular number plate question is asked at least once a week so I decided to make it the topic of today’s blog post. So how long can you keep a personalised registration on a DVLA Retention Document (V778) or on a Certificate of Entitlement (V750) without transferring it to a vehicle?

The answer is as long as is necessary. There used to be a fee of £25 payable to DVLA for every year that you kept the registration on a certificate or document, however since 9th March 2015 every retention document (V778) or certificate of entitlement (V750) issued by DVLA is valid for 10 years with no future fees to renew.

Do not allow a DVLA certificate to expire

On the actual certificate it states; ‘This vehicle registration number must be assigned to a vehicle before’. To the right-hand side, underneath the validation character a date is printed on the certificate; this is the expiry date of the certificate. Do not allow the certificate to expire. You can only renew your certificate in the 28 days prior to expiry. You will lose the rights to the personalised registration if you forget to renew.


What can I do if I have let my retention document or certificate of entitlement expire?

For many years DVLA allowed expired certificates to be renewed, but this working practice was at odds with the regulations. DVLA could not continue to work outside the law so it changed the way expired certificates are processed. A grace period introduced in November 2016 allowed an expired certificate to be surrendered and replaced with a valid 10 year certificate. The transitional scheme for expired certificates ended on the 18th of December 2019.

So to sum up, you can keep a personalised registration on a certificate for as long as you like, but you must renew and extend entitlement in the 28 days before your right to the registration mark expires.

At Simply Registrations we aim to provide our clients with a first-class customer experience. We receive hundreds of general enquiries from members of the public on a weekly basis. It would be great if we could help everyone regardless of whether they are our customer or not, but sadly we do not have the time or resources available. Looking after our existing and future clients is our main priority.

If you are not a Simply Registrations client and have a general question about a number plate, please contact DVLA.

If you are not happy with the service from DVLA you can make a formal complaint.

The information contained within this website is provided for guidance and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.

How are things with the Private Number Plates Business?

When we meet up with people we haven’t seen or spoken to in a while it is normal to ask how they are doing. This is often followed by; how is work? or, how is your business doing?

Whilst we don’t like to spread the doom and gloom at Simply Registrations, there is no escaping the fact that some people are having a tough time financially right now. There are certain factors which seem to have a major impact on how wealthy people feel. One such factor is the cost of fuel. Putting petrol or diesel in your car in the UK is costing you more than ever before. Gas and electric bills are also on the rise as is the cost of raw ingredients, which in turn means your weekly shop may be costing you a bit more than usual.

However, there are always people, businesses and even industries that seem to buck the trend. Surely you have heard about the success of Facebook? There are lots of technology companies growing their businesses and increasing their profits. Even the stock market has produced a few winners recently. Twenty thousand pounds invested in FTSE 100 constituent ARM Holdings a year ago, would today be worth over fifty-five thousand pounds.

So what about the private number plates business? How good or bad is the demand for personalised registrations at the moment? I would never say the private number plates industry is immune from the wider economy, but it seems as if people always want to buy personalised registrations. In both good times and perceived bad times personalised plates are always selling. The noticeable difference is which types of plates are selling.

Right now it is the good stuff that is getting all of the attention. Registrations with two letters and two numbers such as 99 SE and registrations with three letters and one number such as 2 ADR are the most sought after. The lower price bracket plates with three letters and three numbers such as 707 JET don’t seem to be getting a look in.

I suppose it could be because there are people out there with sizeable chunks of money to spend who seem to do okay regardless of the financial times we live in. A successful business person with a large net worth can still splash out on the little luxuries in life. On the other hand, the middle income family who would normally be prime candidates for an attractive three letter, three number registration, are probably having to prioritise where their funds are spent at the moment.

So to answer the original question: how are things with the private number plates business? The answer depends on what sort of stock you are carrying and whether you are geared up to sell to the masses, or aiming to sell to the classes.

DVLA 11 Registrations – Advice

As predicted, the DVLA website could not cope with demand for the 11 series launch. The site spent most of the day offline leaving eager purchasers angry and frustrated. When the DVLA Personalised Registrations website eventually returned to normal, many customers were disappointed to discover the plate they wanted had been bought by someone else. Here is some basic advice for anyone looking for information about a particular 11 series registration.

All 11 series registrations are owned by the DVLA at launch. If the registration you are looking for is showing as available on the DVLA Personalised Registrations website then buy it. Some potential purchasers are ringing round private number plates dealers thinking they can negotiate a better price. Whilst some dealer websites try to make you think differently, you cannot get an 11 series registration cheaper than buying it direct from the DVLA.

The price quoted on the DVLA Personalised Registrations website is fully inclusive. Your only additional cost is for a set of number plates (approx. £20) from your local motor spares retailer. Some private dealers advertise prices which do not include the £80 transfer fee or VAT, which is why the price may appear cheaper. Some dealers also insist you buy a set of number plates from them with your purchase which pushes up the price to more than buying direct from DVLA.

When you buy direct from DVLA not only do you save money, you also get the V750 Certificate of Entitlement (DVLA Document) in your name. This is vital when it comes to renewing your Document or adding a nominee. If you buy via a dealer the DVLA Document will be in the name of the Dealer. This means even though you have paid for your registration, the dealer has full legal power over the Document.

This advice applies to anyone who holds a personalised registration on a DVLA Document (V750/V778) which does not show their name as the Purchaser or the Grantee. Get it assigned or transferred to a vehicle in your name as quickly as possible. At the point of assignment or transfer, the rights to display the registration pass to the registered keeper of the vehicle and the previous document is then superseded. While holding a registration on a DVLA Document not in your name, you are taking an unnecessary risk.

DVLA Release New 11 Series Registrations

The DVLA will soon release one of the most exciting registrations series for a long time. The 11 series, suitable for cars registered on or after the 1st of March 2011 goes on sale from 8.30am on Tuesday 7th December 2010.

There is already a lot of chatter ahead of the release of the 11 series registrations. One of the most common discussions going on in the motoring forums and amongst number plate dealers right now is; Will the DVLA Personalised Registrations website be able to cope with the demand on launch day?

As pointed out in a previous blog post, the DVLA has now closed its telesales operations. The only option available to anyone who wants to buy a personalised registration direct from the DVLA is to purchase via the DVLA website.

There is always a huge spike in buying activity whenever the DVLA releases a new series of registrations for sale. The 11 series throws up so many potential word and name combinations that it is expected to be one of the busiest launches yet. Previously the large number of customers and dealers eager to buy on launch day has been spread between the telesales lines and the DVLA website. For the first time ever, all of the demand will be funnelled directly towards the DVLA website.

We are not technology experts but even we can see there may be issues with regards to the stability of the DVLA website on the morning of the 7th of December. Some dealers are also questioning the timing of the decision by the DVLA to close its telesales lines ahead of this special launch.

So here is the official pre-launch advice from the DVLA for anyone who is interested in securing a new 11 series registration:

“You may wish to set up an online account on our website prior to the release to save you time on the day”

There you have it folks, make sure you are registered ahead of the launch and hopefully everything will be okay. The 11 series registrations are available to view at the DVLA website with prices starting from £399. We wish you the very best of luck.

Struggling for Gift Ideas?

The festive season is upon us once again. It is time to decide who gets what as we select presents for our nearest and dearest and for those relatives that we only see once a year. The secret is to try and choose gifts which will really be appreciated, rather than opting for socks, novelty golf items or anything which could end being donated to the local charity shop in January.

Let’s forget about the distant relatives for the time being and focus on our nearest and dearest. What do you buy for the person who already has everything they want? Well, not everything, but I am sure there is someone in your family who falls into this category.

Well, what if there was a gift that would provide pleasure just by looking at it every day. A gift that would at worst hold its value, but possibly increase in value over time. A fantastic gift that would last for many years, without ever looking tired or worn. Have you worked out what it is yet?

Number plates as giftsA private number plate of course!

Okay, it is possibly not suitable for everyone, but a lot of people will receive a truly unique gift this Christmas. One lucky husband explained how it felt when he saw his new number plates (a special birthday present from his wife and daughters) displayed on his treasured 7 Series BMW for the first time.

“It was like that new car feeling, without buying the new car!”

We are definitely noticing a new trend here at Simply Registrations. Husbands are buying for their wives, sons are buying for their fathers and parents are buying personalised registrations for their young children as future investments.

There is also nothing wrong with buying yourself a private number plate of course. It would appear some people feel less guilty about indulging in personal gifts at this time of year. If you are spending your hard earned money on presents for family and friends, why not treat yourself at the same time?

We have over 3,000 quality private plates available for sale on our website right now. Click over to the browse page and see if there are any registrations that would make a fantastic gift for someone you love.