When it comes time to remove your personalised number plate so the car displaying it can be sold or traded against another or even scrapped you basically have two options.Before explaining these it is worthwhile pointing out that if you are trading in your car against another at a car dealership the car dealer will most likely be able to transfer your registration number from the old car to the new one at the time he taxes the new one and changes it into you name so you can pick up your new car with your registration number already on it.

The first type of transfer is called vehicle to vehicle and will cost you £80.You will need to complete form V317 available from your local DVLA office and you submit it with the following documents , V5C registration document ( log book ) , M.O.T. certificate ( if the cars are old enough to require them ) , cheque made payable to DVLA swansea for £80 ( write the registration number you are transferring on the back ) and it also helps to include photocopies of each tax disc. You should hear from the office within 10 days with either an appointment date to have either or both vehicles inspected or they may just send you replacement tax disc and M.O.T certificates.You will also receive forms V948 which are authorisation to have number plates made up which you take with proof of I.D. ( drivers licence,uitilty bill,bank statement) to a motorists accessory shop to purchase new number plates. This type of transfer has one big drawback in that you need both cars simultaneously , if you let the old car go to a new owner before the transfer is complete you have let the registration number go with it, conversely if you transfer the number to a car not yet registered in your name you have given your number away.

The second option is to put your registration number on retention.Although this costs £105 there is only one car involved – the donor car.You will need to complete form V778/1 available from your nearest DVLA local office and submit it with your V5C registration document,M.O.T. certificate ( if applicable ) , cheque for £105 made out to DVLA Swansea ( write the registration number on the back ) and also a photocopy of the tax disc if possible.Again you should here back within 10 days , either an inspection date or a replacement tax disc ,M.O.T. and V948.The retention document ( V778 ) should arrive from Swansea about 10 days after the tax disc. The V778 lasts for 12 months and can be used to assign the number to a car registered in your name with no transfer fee to pay.One tip is to fill in the nominee section at the time of application with your wife’s, husband’s or other suitable persons name , it is free at application time and means you could put the number on their car instead. Change of nominee costs £25 after the V778 has been issued.

This covers the straight forward transfers , it can be more complicated ( N.Ireland transfers for example ) but these would need individual advice.