Number Plate Retention: How to Retain a Private Plate

What Does Number Plate Retention Mean?

Number plate retention means removing a private or personalised registration from a vehicle and keeping the right to use it later. Once retained, the registration is no longer displayed on the vehicle and is held on a V778 retention document instead.

A number plate on retention can stay on a V778 for up to 10 years before renewal is needed. It can later be assigned to a suitable vehicle, kept unused until you are ready, or managed through DVLA before it expires.

Retain vs Transfer vs Assign

If you are moving a plate directly between vehicles, read our guide to transferring a private registration. If your registration is already on certificate, our guide to assigning a private plate to a vehicle explains the next step. For registrations bought but not yet used on a vehicle, see our V750 Certificate of Entitlement guide.

Before You Retain a Number Plate

Before starting a number plate retention application, check that both the vehicle and registration meet DVLA rules. If the vehicle is not eligible, the application may be refused.

Vehicle Eligibility Checklist

The vehicle must:

• Be registered with DVLA in the UK

• Be able to move under its own power

• Be available for DVLA inspection if requested

• Be taxed or have a SORN in place

• Have been taxed or SORN continuously for the past five years

• Be a type of vehicle that needs an MOT or HGV test

If the vehicle has had a SORN in place for more than five years, it must be taxed and have a current MOT certificate before the plate can be retained. Historic vehicles also need a current MOT for number plate retention, even if they are normally MOT exempt.

Registrations You Cannot Retain

Not every registration can be retained. You cannot retain:

• A registration starting with Q

• A registration starting with QNI

• A registration marked as non-transferable on the V5C log book

If the V5C states that the registration is non-transferable, it cannot be removed from the vehicle or held on retention.

How to Retain a Number Plate Online or by Post

You can retain a number plate online through DVLA or by post using a V317 form. Online retention is usually quicker, but postal applications are still needed when the online service cannot process the request or extra details are required.

Retaining a Number Plate Online

To retain a number plate online, use the official DVLA retain a private plate service. You will need the vehicle’s V5C log book and the 11-digit document reference number. The online process usually involves:

1. Entering the registration you want to remove

2. Confirming the vehicle and keeper details from the V5C

3. Paying the £80 DVLA retention fee

4. Waiting for DVLA confirmation that the registration has been removed

If the application is approved online, the private registration is normally removed from the vehicle straight away. Do not continue driving with the retained registration displayed once DVLA has confirmed the change.

Retaining a Number Plate by Post

To retain a number plate by post, complete a V317 form and choose the option to keep the registration number. The vehicle details should match the V5C exactly.

You will usually need to send:

• The completed V317 form

• The vehicle’s V5C log book

• The £80 fee by cheque, banker’s draft or postal order

Send the application to:

DVLA Personalised Registrations
Swansea
SA99 1DS

Check the latest V317 form before posting, as DVLA may update form instructions or postal details.

How Much Does Number Plate Retention Cost?

Number plate retention costs £80 through DVLA. This fee applies when you take a private registration off a vehicle and keep the right to use it later.

What the £80 DVLA Fee Covers

The £80 fee removes the registration from the vehicle and places it on a V778 retention document. The V778 proves that you have the right to assign the retained registration to a suitable vehicle for the next 10 years.

Do You Pay Again to Assign the Plate Later?

No. The DVLA assignment fee is included when you retain the number plate. You do not pay another DVLA fee when assigning the retained registration to a suitable vehicle later.

What Happens After Your Number Plate Is Retained?

Once DVLA approves the retention, the private registration is removed from the vehicle. The vehicle must then use its replacement registration, and the retained plate is held on a V778 document until you assign it again.

The Vehicle Gets a Replacement Registration

In most cases, the vehicle will get its original registration back automatically. If this is not available, DVLA may issue an age-related replacement registration instead.

You must display the replacement registration on the vehicle before driving it. The retained private plate should no longer be used on that vehicle once DVLA confirms it has been removed.

You Receive a V778 Retention Document

DVLA will issue a V778 retention document for the private registration you have kept. This document proves the right to assign the retained registration to a suitable vehicle within the retention period.

Keep the V778 safe, as you will need its details when assigning, renewing or updating the retained registration. For more detail, read our V778 Retention Document guide.

You Receive a New V5C Log Book

DVLA will also issue a new V5C log book for the vehicle, showing its replacement registration.

Wait until the updated V5C has arrived before selling, scrapping or part-exchanging the vehicle. This helps confirm that the private registration has been removed and retained correctly.

Fit the Correct Plates Before Driving

Before the vehicle is driven again, it must display number plates showing the replacement registration. These plates must be road-legal and match the registration shown on the updated vehicle record.

Read our UK number plate law guide for the rules on plate font, spacing, colours and positioning.

Retaining a Number Plate Before Selling, Scrapping or Part-Exchanging

Retain your private plate before the vehicle is sold, scrapped, traded in or collected by a buyer or dealer. Once the vehicle leaves your control, keeping the registration can become much harder and may no longer be possible.

Retain the Plate Before the Vehicle Leaves Your Control

Start the number plate retention process before agreeing a final handover date. If you are part-exchanging through a dealer, tell them clearly that the private registration is being retained and check that the paperwork reflects this.

Do not assume the plate will automatically stay with you because it is personalised. Until DVLA removes it from the vehicle, the registration remains linked to that vehicle.

Do Not Sell or Scrap Until You Have the V778 and New V5C

Wait until DVLA has confirmed the retention and issued the V778 retention document. You should also wait for the updated V5C showing the vehicle’s replacement registration.

Selling or scrapping the vehicle before these documents are issued can put your right to use the private registration at risk.

How Long Can a Number Plate Stay on Retention?

A number plate can stay on retention for 10 years before it needs to be renewed. The expiry date will be shown on the V778 retention document, so check this carefully if the registration is being held for a future vehicle.

Renewing a V778 Retention Document

Renewing a V778 is free. You can apply to renew up to 28 days before the expiry date, and the renewed right will last for another 10 years.

Applications made after the expiry date are not accepted, so do not wait until the document has expired before acting. For the full renewal process, read our V778 Retention Document guide.

What Happens if a Retention Certificate Expires?

If the retention certificate expires before it is renewed or assigned to a vehicle, the right to use the registration can be permanently lost.

DVLA will not accept late renewal applications, so it is worth checking the expiry date well before the final month, especially if the registration is being held for someone else or managed through a dealer.

Can You Retain a Number Plate for Someone Else?

Yes, but the details must be handled correctly. A retained registration can involve another person, but the grantee and nominee do not have the same rights.

Grantee vs Nomine

The grantee is the person who has the right to the retained registration. Their details appear on the V778 retention document.

A nominee is the person whose vehicle the registration can be assigned to. Being named as a nominee does not give them the right to sell, renew or control the registration.

A retained registration can also be sold or given as a gift, but the V778 details should be handled carefully. The correct grantee or nominee details must be used before the registration is assigned to another vehicle.

How to Put a Retained Number Plate on Another Vehicle

Once a number plate is on retention, it can be assigned to a suitable vehicle using the details from the V778 retention document. The receiving vehicle must meet DVLA eligibility rules before the registration can be used.

Check the Vehicle Is Suitable

Before assigning the retained plate, check that the registration is suitable for the vehicle. A private registration cannot make a vehicle look newer than it is, and Q or QNI registrations cannot be assigned.

Use our Vehicle Age Checker to confirm suitability, or read our number plate year of issue guide for help understanding registration ages.

Assigning From a V778

A retained registration can usually be assigned online or by post using the V778 and the receiving vehicle’s V5C log book.

The assignment must be approved before the registration is displayed on the vehicle. For the full process, read our guide to assigning a private plate to a vehicle.

Need Help With Number Plate Retention?

Number plate retention protects your right to use a private registration after it has been removed from a vehicle. Before selling, scrapping or part-exchanging, make sure the retention is complete and you have the correct DVLA documents.

National Numbers can help with buying, retaining, transferring and assigning private registrations. Search from over 80 million personalised number plates online or call 01642 363738 for help with your next steps.