Today on the Personalised Number Plates 4U blog we are going to cover the difference between two very similar DVLA Documents. The DVLA Documents V750 and V778 allow a personalised number plate to be kept whilst it is not attached or assigned to a vehicle.
DVLA Document V750 – Certificate of Entitlement
The V750 Certificate of Entitlement is a pink A4 size piece of paper. It is used by the DVLA for the first issue of a personalised registration. If you have a V750 then the vehicle registration number shown on the document has never before been displayed on a vehicle. It is a brand new registration.
DVLA Document V778 – Retention Document
The V778 Retention Document is a green A4 size piece of paper. It is used by the DVLA when a personalised registration has been separated from a vehicle and placed on retention. If you have a V778 then the retained personalised registration has previously been displayed on a vehicle.
Expiry of your DVLA Documents
Both documents are valid for one year from the date of issue by the DVLA. If after a year you are still not ready to fix your personalised number plates to your car, for a fee of £25 payable to the DVLA you can extend the certificate for a further twelve months.
There is no maximum limit for the length of time a vehicle registration number can be held on a certificate. As long as you keep paying the £25, DVLA will continue to issue you with a new document. This is particularly useful in the situation where a parent or grandparent may have bought a personalised registration as a future gift for a child. It is not unusual for some registrations to be renewed at least seventeen times. It is a fantastic occasion when the number plates are eventually made and fixed to the first car or motorbike belonging to your son or daughter.
I bought a private reg number over a year ago, H1 ANE, I need to renew please inform what i should do. I am now ready to put it on my car.
Hello, If your certificate has expired then you will need to pay the £25 fee to DVLA to extend it for a further 12 months. Once you have a valid certificate you can then apply (at your nearest DVLA local office) to transfer your personalised registration to your car.
Hi James, great website. I have a v750 as I purchased a registration plate from dvla (the assignment fee of £80 was included in the price). The plate has never been on a car, Can you tell me how I would go about selling this plate and what costs would be involved (to me or the new buyer) Thanks!
Hi Bakh, As the purchaser you have to sign the V750 Certificate of Entitlement in section 1 and 6. There is a £25 nominee fee to pay to DVLA on assignment. I guess it is up to you and the new buyer to decide who is taking care of the fees.
hello
i have a v778 retention document which i have unfortunatly overlooked and has expired for a few years. im a bit stuck now, how do i get in contact with dvla. do you a number or address for dvla?
thank you
Hi Sham, May I suggest you write an apologetic letter to the address on the back of your V778; DVLA Personalised Registrations, Swansea SA99 1BW. It may help your cause if you enclose a cheque for the value of £25 for each year that the retention document has expired. Good luck!