The DVLA uses the terms Grantee and Nominee on both the V750 Certificate of Entitlement (pink) and the V778 Retention Document (green). These terms are not used in everyday conversation and are a cause of great confusion to owners of personalised number plates.
In this blog post we will attempt to explain in plain English what the terms Grantee and Nominee actually mean and how they affect you in relation to your personalised registration.
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 or 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 holds power of authority over 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 on to or retain a cherished number plate 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 for one, two or three years
Changing the address of the Grantee
Applying for a refund of the £80 transfer fee
Just to reiterate only the Grantee has the power to 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. Stephen Gill has the personalised registration 97 SG held on a DVLA document. Stephen Gill is the Grantee, his name and address is shown on the document.
Stephen has now retired and is moving to Spain. He sells his registration 97 SG to Sarah Greening. As it stands the registration 97 SG can only be transferred or assigned to a vehicle in the name of Stephen Gill. He is the Grantee and the Nominee section states ‘not applicable’. To be able to transfer or assign the registration to Sarah’s vehicle, Stephen must add Sarah as the Nominee on the document.
By adding the Nominee ‘Sarah Greening’ to the document (£25 fee payable to DVLA) the registration 97 SG can be assigned to a vehicle registered to either the Grantee ‘Stephen Gill’ or the Nominee ‘Sarah Greening’. When we talk about a vehicle being registered to a person, this is the name of the Registered Keeper on the V5c log book for the vehicle.
As soon as 97 SG is transferred or assigned to Sarah’s car, Stephen loses his rights, or power of authority over the registration. The document no longer exists in the eyes of the DVLA as 97 SG is now registered to Sarah’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 will remain the Grantee until the registration is assigned or transferred to a vehicle.
The Nominee has no rights to the Document or the Registration number. What if Stephen added Sarah as a nominee but she then backed out of the deal? Stephen 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 whatsoever. I could get my name engraved on a nice piece of wood and attach it to the front door of your house. I do not own your house just because my name appears on the front door.
*The exception to this rule is if a Power of Attorney has been issued. A Power of Attorney is a legal document often issued by a solicitor. The Power of Attorney gives another person, usually a friend or relative the power to sign or conduct business on behalf of someone else. The most common reason for issue of a Power of Attorney is if a person has died or is deemed by the authorities to be incapable of making their own decisions.
Hopefully this information has cleared up any confusion surrounding the Grantee and the Nominee. The Grantee has the rights, the Nominee exists to allow the Grantee ability to assign or transfer the registration to a different vehicle.
If you have any questions leave a comment and I will help in any way that I can.
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.
Hope this helps.
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
Hello Katherine, First of all please accept my appologies 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. The DVLA charge a fee of £105 to retain a personalised registration. 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!
I,m sorry to trouble you on what i,m sure you will consider a easy answer but please help me; I have a cherrished number held on a retention certificate having taken it off my car that i sold – i have had the cert for the last 8 months. I have just purchased a second hand car that has a number plate – please could you tell me the form that i need to assign my retained number to this second hand car, and what the fee would be
Thanks so much
Glenn Draper
Hello Glenn, You don’t need any forms other than the V778 Retention Document which you already have. Go in person to your nearest DVLA Local Office with the V5C log-book for your newly purchased car, the MOT certificate (if the car is three years old) and the expiry date from the tax disc. If you can’t go in person I definitely recommend using Royal Mail Special Delivery.
There are no fees to pay for the transfer providing the name on the V778 Retention Document matches the name of the registered keeper of the car. You can assign your cherished number at the same time as notifying DVLA that you are the new keeper of the vehicle, if you haven’t already done so.
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
Hi, may be stupid to ask this question after reading all the above, I am about to buy a cherished plate from a buyer whose retention period is about to expire in oct 2011. The person selling to me is the grantee and i shall be the nominee. So if i understand corrrectly, what i should do is assign the cherished plate to my vehicle by sending the v778 completing my details as the nominee,signed by grantee along with V5,MOT and copy of my tax disc. When the number is assigned to my car,the existing grantee looses power of control over that number.After doing this before selling my car(if i wish to) I can reapply to retain the number and in that case I shall become the grantee. Am I correct? Thanks in advance.
Hi Raj, Your understanding is absolutely correct.
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.
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?
Many thanks, Roger
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.
James
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.
Hi James
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.
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 James,
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.
I look forward to hearing from you,
Kindest regards,
Bally
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.
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.
Much appreciated,
Bally
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
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.
Firstly, what a fantastic find. You have clarified what the difference is really well and I shall bookmark this site if I need to refer to it again. Well done on posting such an article it will help many a person!
I have the V778 document for a plate. There is a grantee and I am the nominee. I plan to put the reg on my car, then take it off again, put it on retention, then sell it on. I thought this was standard enough but wen I rang my local private plate seller he said that generally speaking taking plates off a car within NORTHERN IRELAND is hard to do. He said that “once a plate goes on a car in Northern Ireland, it generally needs to stay on a car in Northern Ireland”
I was just wondering if you have any information or knowledge on this?
I have a feeling he may have wanted me to buy another plate off him cause I did mention one I liked. However, the plate I have now offers big financial gains if I sell it ad this is something I would like to do asap.
Surely it’s easy – I put the plate on my car, I take it off and put it on retention V778 and then sell it on?
Thanks for your help.
Graham
Hi Graham, Thank you for your kind words. I am not as familiar as I should be with the Northern Ireland transfer system. I think the preferred option is to transfer a registration from one vehicle to another (particularly if moving between NI and GB or vice versa) rather than using the retention scheme. May I suggest you contact Speedy Registrations on 0845 346 4343 (based in County Fermanagh), or Cape Plates on 0845 489 0498 (based in Gateshead) as both companies are very knowledgeable on the subject of Northern Ireland transfers.
James thanks for the details. I have heard of both companies and both have a good reputation so I will give then a call in the morning and see what they say. Thanks. Keep up the good work!
Hi,
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 ?
Thanks a lot,
Martyn…..
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 Personalised Number Plates 4U blog and may be able to find you a buyer.
I have just wondered, if you buy the V778 Retention Cert & fill in the Nominee section with your own name, the grantee would have signed section 1 & 6…….the v778 gets sent to dvla with £25 cheque – doesn’t the new/revised V778 (with you as new nominee) go straight back to Grantee (I.e back to dealer/seller address and not you….the buyer/nominee)? I think a lot of people don’t realise this happens?
Hi CJ, You are correct. The best way to combat this is to add the nominee at the same time as assigning the registration to your car. This can be done in person at any of the DVLA Local Offices.
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 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.
Hi thanks for all your informative info on the subjects above, however I have a question what does it mean on the v778 doc when it says in the grantee box on the left hand side ( the assignment fee has already been paid.
And as the nominee on the v778 doc when I take it to the dvla and have it registered/assigned to my car. Do I need to pay a fee.
Thanks Steve
Hi Stephen, ‘The assignment fee has already been paid’ refers to the £80 transfer fee which is paid when the registration is put on retention. If the correct nominee is already showing on the retention document there is nothing else to pay to DVLA on assignment. If you need to change or add a nominee there is a £25 fee to pay to DVLA.
I have another question , I have a couple of weeks ago brought a new car and am still awaiting the log book from the dvla , can I still take the v778 form to the dvla to register my new personal plates as the nominee( I have the retention doc signed by the grantee whom I purchased the plate from)
Thanks
Hi Stephen, You will have to wait until the new V5C log-book arrives from DVLA Swansea before you can assign your personal plates.
Hello,
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
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.
James, I have recently purchased a personalised number plate for a car my father has bought for me. Seeing as he is the named person on the logbook, am I right in assuming that he is seen as the ‘nominee’? Therefore, when I go to my local DVLA office, does he have to accompany me or can I simply show the logbook?
Hi Tony, Strictly speaking you should notify DVLA that you are the new keeper of the car, if it is indeed your car. The nominee must match the registered keeper keeper details for the vehicle. The nominee doesn’t have to be there in person, the most important factor is making sure the grantee has signed the retention document.
Great website James! Saved it to my favourites, you’ve explained things really well! The scenarios made things a lot clearer.
Thanks
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…..
many thanks
GAZ
hi im about to buy a set of plates and reg off a guy who i originally contacted through e-bay the listing has ended but he contacted me and said he would sell privately what do i need to check for as im meeting him away from his home thanks ps he says he has the certificate from dvla as he took it off car
Hi Barry, If it was me I would meet the seller at a DVLA Local Office. I would assign the registration to my car there and then and make payment to the seller at the same time. You are removing the risk from the transaction by doing it this way. If the seller is genuine he shouldn’t have any problems with your request. Let me know how you get on.
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
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.
I purchased a plate from the DVLA site yesterday and only when looking at the V5C afterwards did I realise that I had not put the middle name of my father for the nominee. Does the name have to match exactly the name that is on the V5C and therefore I have to pay the £25 to have this changed? Thank You
Hi Joe, If the first name and surname match then you will be okay. When adding a nominee the DVLA form only asks for a first name and surname, so even though your father’s middle name is used on the V5C, it won’t cause you any problems.
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 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.
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 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, I have a personalised plate that I put on retention last year. I would like to put it back on my current business lease car. The leasing company handled the paperwork for me. I paid £105 to put it on retention. Now I have V778 and I am the Grantee with N/A in the Nominee section. The lease company have asked me to sign section 6 too and the cost will be £25 to DVLA and £42 to the lease company.
Does this mean they have rights over my plate? And is this the only way it can be done?
Thanks
Hi David, I presume you are paying a £25 fee to DVLA to add the lease company as a nominee, which probably means the lease company will be the registered keeper of the vehicle. In the eyes of the DVLA the registered keeper of a vehicle has the rights over the registration. The only way of doing it differently is to put your personalised plate onto a vehicle registered to you.
Hi.
I was wondering what dose it mean on the V778 retention document when it says the assignment fee has already been paid?
when selling the number plate after i have signed sections 1 and 6 do i send away the document or give it to the buyer to send away?
When assigning the plate to another vehicle(not registered to the grantee) what exactly are the fees to be paid?
After the document is sent away with the new owners details do i recieve anything through the post that is important as i have moved address and my previous address is still on the V778 form?
hope to hear soon thank you
Hi Roy,
The assignment fee has already been paid refers to the £105 you paid when placing the personalised registration on retention.
Once you have signed the document you simply hand it to the buyer. He/she then applies to a local DVLA office to assign the registration to their car.
£25 is payable to DVLA (add nominee fee) when assigning to a vehicle not registered to the Grantee.
You will not receive anything else from DVLA once the registration transfer is complete. By signingd the form and handing it to the buyer you have fulfilled your obligation.
Hi,
i purchased a private plate from dvla for my girlfriend, i bought this in my name as i was using my bank details. i have received the V750/1 form and would like to know if i need to pay a further £25 so my girlfriend can use it? this was a present and i want my girlfriend to own it and use it for her own car. my name is currently on the form.
i wouldnt be happy if i have to pay any further costs, hopefully i can just allocate it to her car without any costs?
thank you
David
Hi David, If your girlfriend’s car is registered in her name then you will have to pay £25 to add her as a nominee to the V750. You should have been given the option to add a nominee when you made your purchase via the DVLA Personalised Registrations website. There is no charge to add a nominee at the point of purchase, but it must be paid if you wish to add a nominee after the V750 certifictate has been issued by DVLA.
Hi, i really need your help/advice – i bought a number plate from a dealer for £1500 around 3 years ago but have never assigned it to a car because my current car is too old for the plate, so every year i have been sending it back to the dealer and paying £25 to get the certificate v750 extended for a year. i am just the nominee. however last year when i sent it, the chq was cashed in but i never received the certificate v750 back!! the company phone number is disconnected and i dont know how i can trace anyone to confirm its still in my name and on top of that i need to extend it for another year now as its due for renewal in march! how do i go about doing this? the company was called First Original in Coventry and the owner was a Mr Chapman
Hi Amar, I have sent you an email in relation to your enquiry.
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?
Cheers, Dave
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.
Just bought a reg from DVLA online. I am due to pick up a used car from the dealer in a couple of days. Can I get the new reg on the car by the time I pick it up?
If yes, how do I do it???
Hi Ad, You need to have the V750 Certificate of Entitlement in order to complete the transfer. If you have only just bought your new personalised registration then you may not yet have the certificate. The transfer can be completed the same day in most situations. Speak to the dealer to see if they will handle it for you or alternatively read this guide on how to assign your personalised registration.