| Here
you will find answers to questions we are frequently asked,
about private number plates
Please do not hesitate to call or e-mail us info@vrm-group.co.uk
SALES
HOTLINE
01792 477 316 (local
rate call)
Open
7 days a week
Click
the Question for the answer
Q1
WHY DISPLAY A PERSONAL REGISTRATION MARK?
Q2
HOW DO I SEARCH FOR MY DREAM REGISTRATION?
Q3 HOW CAN I PAY FOR MY REGISTRATION MARK?
Q4
WHAT HAPPENS ONCE I'VE COMPLETED AND SENT THE SEARCH FORM TO YOU?
Q5 HOW MUCH DO THEY COST AND HOW ARE THEY VALUED?
Q6
CAN I BUY A REGISTRATION MARK FOR SOMEONE ELSE AND KEEP
IT UNTIL I'M READY TO GIVE IT AS A GIFT?
Q7
I'M BUYING A NEW VEHICLE, CAN THE TRANSFER BE DONE BEFORE I COLLECT
IT FROM THE DEALERS?
Q8
I'M CHANGING MY VEHICLE PRIVATELY, WHAT SHOULD I DO?
Q9 HOW LONG DOES THE TRANSFER TO MY VEHICLE
TAKE?
Q10
CAN I STILL USE MY VEHICLE WHILE THE TRANSFER IS IN PROGRESS?
Q11
WHEN CAN I FIX MY NEW NUMBER PLATES TO MY VEHICLE?
Q12
DO I NEED TO INFORM MY INSURERS THAT I HAVE A NEW REGISTRATION
MARK?
Q13
WHAT IF I WANT TO ALTER THE SPACING OR LETTER STYLE ON MY NUMBER
PLATES?
Q14 IS IT LEGAL TO HAVE A NATIONAL
EMBLEM ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE OF MY NEW NUMBER PLATES?
Q15 I HAVE HEARD THAT IRISH NUMBER PLATES
ARE CHEAP AND 'DATELESS'. IS THIS TRUE AND WHAT SELECTION IS AVAILABLE
TO ME?
Q16 WHY WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO TELL MY FRIENDS ABOUT
YOU?
New
Number Plate Regulations
Number plate supply regulations
Until now it's been too easy for thieves to give a stolen
vehicle a new identity – simply buy a new set of number
plates. From the beginning of January 2003 it's going to get more
difficult for the thieves and possibly a bit less convenient for
you.
Number plate suppliers
From 1 January 2003 all number plate suppliers in England and
Wales will have to be registered with DVLA and will have to keep
records of all number plate sales.
If you want to buy a new plate for a trailer or caravan or to
replace a broken one on your car you will have to show the registered
supplier documents to prove both who you are and also that you
have entitlement to the registration mark.
Various documents will be accepted including
For proof of entitlement to the vehicle registration mark:
V5 registration document
V11 licence renewal application form
copy of hire/lease contract
company letter on headed paper, including VAT number or VE103
(vehicle on hire certificate)
proof of Cherished Transfer
For proof of identity:
A current photocard driving licence
Utility bill and current paper driving licence
Utility bill and passport
Utility bill and credit/debit card with photograph
Utility bill and travel pass card with photograph
Utility bill and foreign national identity card
We are on the DVLA register of number plate suppliers
New Style Number
plates- Sept 2001 format and rules
The latest number plate format has affected all new cars from
1 September 2001. The design improves on the durability of previous
plates and has a new system for displaying the age and origin
of a vehicle.
There are three parts to the new format:
Local Memory Tag - The first two letters, called the 'local memory
tag' or area identifier, show where the vehicle was registered.
The first represents the region and the second a DVLA local office.
Random Letters - The last three letters are random and give a
unique identity to the vehicle.
Age Identifier - The two numbers indicate the age of the vehicle.
The age identifier will continue to be changed in March and September
as at present but will use numbers rather than letters. The first
digit indicates March (0 rising to 4) or September (5 rising to
9) and the second digit indicates the year. For example a car
with an age identifier of 58 will have been first registered between
01 September 2008 and 28 February 2009.
Rules
All new number plates must display the new mandatory font.Even
the size and typeface of the numbers and letters has changed and
the spacing and margins have been standardised.This is to ensure
consistency, and to make them easier to read and remember, both
for humans and traffic cameras!
Existing number plates need not be changed provided the font used
is substantially the same as the new mandatory font.Cars made
before 1973 will be allowed to keep their original plates - i.e.
white text on black backgrounds.
Number plates must be replaced if they have been customised with
stylised letters and figures such as italics or with number plate
fixing bolts that alter the appearance of the letters or numbers.
Failure to replace such number plates may result in keepers risking
prosecution
There will be an optional provision for the display of the Euro-plate
within the UK. The Euro-plate incorporates the symbol of the European
Union (circle of 12 stars on a blue background) with the national
identification letters of the member state below. This symbol
is located on the left-hand side of the number plate
Vehicles with a Euro-plate will no longer have to use the traditional
oval shaped national identifier (GB) sticker when travelling within
the EU.
What the law says
about the display of registration marks
The new British Standard and the Vehicle (Crime) Bill, is very
specific about what is allowed and what is not.
All new number plates must conform to the following specifications:
Characters/ Size
Height 79 mm
Width 50 mm
Stroke 14 mm
Side margin
11 mm
Top & bottom margin
11 mm
Space between characters
11 mm
Space between groups
33 mm
Outlawed:
Other typefaces.
Bold or italic script.
Fixing bolts deliberately position to alter the appearance of
numbers or letters - i.e. changing "11" to "H"
etc.
Positioning letters outside of the new margin and spacing rules.
Compulsory:
Only one standard typeface will be legal - the Charles Wright
Font.
Buyers of replacement plates will have to produce documentation
proving they own the vehicle they are purchasing plates for.
The number plate of the seller must be marked with the name and
postcode of the seller.
From 1 September any new number plates must carry the British
Standard number:
BS AU 145D.
Number plates must carry the name and identification of the number
plate manufacturer.
Understanding the letters at the start of
the new number plates
The 'local memory tag' has two letters at the
start of the plate. The first indicates the region in which the
car was registered and the second refers to a local DVLA office:
Letter /Region/ Local Office/ DVLA Local Office identifier
A Anglia Peterborough A AA AB AC AD AE AF AG
AH AJ AK AL AM AN
Norwich AO AP AR AS AT AU
Ipswich AV AW AX AY B
Birmingham Birmingham BA - BY
C Cymru Cardiff CA CB CC CD CE CF CG CH CJ CK
CL CM CN CO
Swansea CP CR CS CT CU CV
Bangor CW CX CY
D Deeside to Shrewsbury Chester DA DB DC DD DE
DF DG DH DJ DK
Shrewsbury DL DM DN DO DP DR DS DT DU DV DW DX DY
E Essex Chelmsford EA - EY
F Forest & Fens Nottingham FA FB FC FD FE
FF FG FH FJ FK FL FM FN FP
Lincoln FR FS FT FV FW FX FY
G Garden of England Maidstone GA GB BC GD GE
GF GG GH GJ GK GL GM GN GO
Brighton GP GR GS GT GU GV GW GX GY
H Hampshire & Dorset Bournemouth HA HB HC
HD HE HF HG HH HJ
Portsmouth HK HL HM HN HO HP HR HS HT HU HV HW HX HY (HW will
be used exclusively for Isle of Wight residents)
K Luton KA KB KC KD KE KF KG KH KJ KK KL
Northampton KM KN KO KP KR KS KT KU KV KW KX KY
L London Wimbledon LA LB LC LD LE LF LG LH LJ
Stanmore LK LL LM LN LO LP LR LS LT
Sidcup LU LV LW LX LY
M Manchester MA -MY
N North Newcastle NA NB NC ND NE NG NH NJ NK
NL NM NN NO
Stockton NP NR NS NT NU NV NW NX NY
O Oxford Oxford OA - OY
P Preston Preston PA PB PC PD PE PF PG PH PJ
PK PL PM PN PO PP PR PS PT
Carlisle PU PV PW PX PY
R Reading Reading RA - RY
S Scotland Glasgow SA SB SC SD SE SF SG SH SJ
Edinburgh SK SL SM SN SO
Dundee SP SR SS ST
Aberdeen SU SV SW
Inverness SX SY V
Severn Valley Worcester VA - VY
W West of England Exeter WA WB WC WD WE WF WG
WH WJ
Truro WK WL
Bristol WM WN WO WP WR WS WT WU WV WW WX WY
Y Yorkshire Leeds YA YB YC YD YE YF YG YH YJ
YK
Sheffield YL YM YN YO YP YR YS YT YU
Beverley YV YW YX YY
Understanding the
numbers in the middle of the new number plates
The 'age identifier' changes to reflect whether
the car was new in March or September and to show the year of
registration.
If the first number is a 0,1,2,3 or 4 the car was first registered
between March and August. If it starts with a 5,6,7,8 or 9 then
the car was first registered between September and February.
September 2001 to February 2002 51
March 2002 to August 2002 02 September 2002 to
February 2003 52
March 2003 to August 2003 03 September 2003 to
February 2004 53
March 2004 to August 2004 04 September 2004 to
February 2005 54
March 2005 to August 2005 05 September 2005 to
February 2006 55
March 2006 to August 2006 06 September 2006 to
February 2007 56
And so on until 2049
Number plate history
The earliest registration marks were made up of
one letter and one number.
London County Council issued the first plate, A1, in 1903.
Later formats consisted of two letters and four numbers, with
the series being replaced as and when numbers were exhausted.
The Liverpool 'KA' series lasted only two years between 1925 and
1927 whilst the SJ series was still being issued by Bute Council
in 1963.
A new three letter/three number series was introduced from the
mid-1930s by which time the two letter/four number series were
exhausted in some areas.
AAA1 was issued in Hampshire in 1934 through to AAA 999. The BAA
series began in 1936.
By the mid-1950s all marks with numbers following letters had
been allocated so marks were reversed with letters following numbers.
In this way the maximum number of symbols in an individual registration
mark never exceeded six.
Issue of 'Suffix' marks with three letters, three numbers and
a year suffix began between 1963 and 1965.
The registration year ran from 1 January to 31 December until
1967 when the suffix change was moved to 1 August.
Reflective number plates, black on white to the front and black
on yellow to the rear, were introduced from January 1973.
The registering and licensing of new cars was centralised in 1974
with the establishment of the DVLC, now DVLA in Swansea.
'Q plates' were introduced in 1983 and are issued to kit cars
and some imports where the date of first registration can't be
established.
Issue of 'prefix' marks with a year prefix followed by three numbers
and three letters began in 1983.
The prefix continued to change on 1August until 1999 when two
plate changes a year, on 1 March and 1 September were introduced.
The prefix series ended with 'Y' which ran until 31 August 2001.
How the Age of a
Vehicle is shown by it's number plate
Old Suffix letters-(where the letter comes at
the end of the number plate)
1 January 1963 to 31 December 1963 A
1 January 1964 to 31 December 1964 B
1 January 1965 to 31 December 1965 C
1 January 1966 to 31 December 1966 D
1 January 1967 to 31 July 1967 E
1 August 1967 to 31 July 1968 F
1 August 1968 to 31 July 1969 G
1 August 1969 to 31 July 1970 H
1 August 1970 to 31 July 1971 J
1 August 1971 to 31 July 1972 K
1 August 1972 to 31 July 1973 L
1 August 1973 to 31 July 1974 M
1 August 1974 to 31 July 1975 N
1 August 1975 to 31 July 1976 P
1 August 1976 to 31 July 1977 R
1 August 1977 to 31 July 1978 S
1 August 1978 to 31 July 1979 T
1 August 1979 to 31 July 1980 V
1 August 1980 to 31 July 1981 W
1 August 1981 to 31 July 1982 X
1 August 1982 to 31 July 1983 Y
Old prefix letters (-where the letter comes at the start
of the number plate)
A 1 August 1983 to 31 July 1984
B 1 August 1984 to 31 July 1985
C 1 August 1985 to 31 July 1986
D 1 August 1986 to 31 July 1987
E 1 August 1987 to 31 July 1988
F 1 August 1988 to 31 July 1989
G 1 August 1989 to 31 July 1990
H 1 August 1990 to 31 July 1991
J 1 August 1991 to 31 July 1992
K 1 August 1992 to 31 July 1993
L 1 August 1993 to 31 July 1994
M 1 August 1994 to 31 July 1995
N 1 August 1995 to 31 July 1996
P 1 August 1996 to 31 July 1997
R 1 August 1997 to 31 July 1998
S 1 August 1998 to 28 February 1999
T 1 March 1999 to 31 August 1999
V 1 September 1999 to 29 February 2000
W 1 March 2000 to 31 August 2000
X 1 September 2000 to 28 February 2001
Y 1 March 2001 to 31 August 2001
How a Personal
Number Plate is valued
There are a range of factors that make some cherished plates worth
more than others.
What are the most expensive plates?
Popular names will be worth more, as there is more demand for
them.
D4 NNN (Dan) is worth around £3000.
Complete words or names are more desirable.
JOS 11A (Josh, Joshua) is worth around £11500.
All number plates are unique, but the rarer in style, the higher
the value. A memorable number plate is a valuable one.
2 P is worth around £44500
Plates with the number one as the second digit command high prices.
C1 AAA is worth £2500
J and S are the most sought after prefixes and command higher
values.
How do dealers determine the exact price of a plate?
They form some of their prices by watching the DVLA cherished
plate auctions. This tells them how much the market is prepared
to pay for a certain type of plate.
They also compare plates for sale with similar plates that were
recently sold and base their valuation on that. Uniqueness, desirability
and popularity are all taken into account.
VRM
Swansea coordinates the entire transfer of your personalised registration
with DVLA * Swansea and local DVLA * Local Offices in the United
Kingdom & Northern Ireland when you opt for our Full Transfer
or Sale Service. Our expert team will provide you with instruction
and telephone support if you choose our less expensive DIY Transfer
Service. An online 'Purchase Offer' supported by suitable payment
card takes priority over any other enquiry. VRM Swansea sell number
plates owned by clients, government stock and our own stock on
a 'first come, first served basis'. All registrations offered
for sale are subject to availability and payment is taken only
once availability and price are confirmed**. Our systems record
telephone conversations and the date and time of all communication.
We shall debit your payment card if your offer is accepted and
provide confirmation either way**. Under the distance selling
regulations we must inform you that our service begins immediately
upon payment being taken, that no cooling off period or refunds
are given and you will not be able to change your mind. Your instructions
will be acted upon immediately and the assignment /transfer process
started to ensure your choice is not sold by us to anyone else.
This is a Government process which the Government will not cancel
or change once they receive our instructions. Please be absolutely
sure about your selected number plate before placing your order.
**In
the case of pre-release new-issue offers we will take payment
prior to the registration mark series release date in order to
confirm your desire to proceed and ensure we do not offer the
registration mark you have chosen to anyone else.If for any reason
your offer is not accepted by the Secretary of State for Transport
on the release date, then you will receive a full refund by the
payment method you have used to make your offer. The Secretary
of State's decision to accept or reject your offer is final and
we cannot be held responsible for it, in any way. If your offer
is rejected then you may choose another registration subject to
sufficient funds being pre-lodged with us.
Personal
and personalised registrations shown within are subject to transfer
fees,vat. & availability
©
Copyright VRM Group 2001-2004 E&OE
Information
categories for number plates and car registrations
WHY
WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO TELL MY FRIENDS?
A.
To keep prices sensible and affordable for all
B. To help find valuable registration marks and unlock their values
for their owners.
C. Because its fun trying to spell words names and phrases from
number plates.
D. Because if the people you tell do business with us we
will be sending you a cheque for £10 to say
'THANK YOU'
A.
TO KEEP PRICES SENSIBLE & AFFORDABLE FOR EVERYONE:
You may have seen many registration
marks advertised at SILLY PRICES. Advertising is our firm's
biggest single expense. A full page advertisement in a daily paper
showing hundreds of registration marks you CAN BARELY READ
costs approximately £6000 plus VAT, a one-day advert for a single
larger-print registration in a Sunday Paper costs £70 plus VAT.
These costs INFLATE the price paid by our buyers and REDUCE
the sale proceeds for our sellers. If you can tell your
family and friends about us these advertising costs will come
down and we can pass the savings on to YOU, our clients. We can
then REDUCE the selling prices to the buyers and INCREASE the
sale proceeds for the sellers.
B.
TO HELP FIND REGISTRATION MARKS AND UNLOCK THEIR VALUE FOR THEIR
OWNERS
Clients contact us every day with particular registration marks
they are searching for. They are prepared to pay realistic prices
and the only way we can find the mark is if the owner of the registration
contacts us and offers it for sale. WE ARE CONSTANTLY ASTOUNDED
by the search requests we receive. In many cases they are not
obviously valuable registrations to anyone other than the potential
buyer. They may be the registration mark on the client's first
ever car or motorbike for example and so have purely sentimental
value, or they might be a very unusual Asian name which could
have a considerable value.
Since we started trading over 10 years ago we have literally THOUSANDS
of clients waiting for their dream registration to 'POP UP' (
Right now our WANTED PAGE
only gives a few examples because our engineers are working to
display these thousands of FREE requests in an automated database.)
EVERY REGISTRATION MARK ON EVERY VEHICLE,
BE IT A CAR, LORRY, MOTORBIKE OR VAN IS POTENTIALLY VALUABLE TO
SOMEONE ELSE!
We see many vehicles displaying desirable registration marks but
THEIR OWNER'S DON'T KNOW IT because they came with the car
FOR FREE!
You could do your FRIENDS, NEIGHBOURS, MUMS, DADS,
AUNTIES AND UNCLES a great favour by just asking them to contact
us with their registration marks. We will do the rest and its
a COMPLETELY FREE SERVICE.
C.
BECAUSE ITS FUN TRYING TO SPELL WORDS, NAMES AND PHRASES OUT OF
REGISTRATION MARKS
'AUTONUMEROLOGY' as its
called in the trade is a fascinating subject. It can help people
stand out in the crowd and promote their hobbies, businesses,
affection for one another and success. Kids on long road journeys
love to play games with number plates and are often the first
to spot the meanings behind registration marks as they spell out
words phonetically. This website is designed to teach you all
how to do this and we hope it may brighten up a dull journey.
D.
BECAUSE IF THE PERSON YOU TELL BUYS OR SELLS A REGISTRATION MARK
WE WILL BE SENDING
YOU A CHEQUE FOR £10 TO SAY THANK YOU
(We
couldn't afford to send everyone in your referring group £10 so
only the person who is directly linked to the buyer or seller
will receive the Thank You cheque. Just click on the blue
links around our site and enter your details, IT'S THAT SIMPLE!)
INTERNET
TECHNOLOGY HAS THE POTENTIAL, TO LOWER COSTS TO EVERYONE'S BENEFIT
BUT....
WE NEED YOUR HELP TO MAKE
IT HAPPEN!
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to top
WHY
DISPLAY A PERSONAL REGISTRATION MARK?
Please
read the feedback from some of our clients:-
PERSONAL
IDENTITY
'I work in a high profile business where success matters. My new
registration gets me noticed and shows I'm serious about my business'
'Golf is my favourite pastime so I purchased a mark with
the suffix TEE'
'My
dogs are my life so the registration mark 'K9' with my initials
after it was a MUST HAVE!'
AS
A GIFT FOR A LOVED ONE
'My husband has always wanted his initials or name on the car
so just before he retired I was able to purchase a registration
mark for him and keep it secretly on a certificate. On his retirement
day I gave him the new numbers plates you had sent to my neighbours'
address and sent you the appropriate documents. The transfer was
completed in days and that is one gift he is never likely to forget,
he was absolutely delighted !'
BUSINESS
IDENTITY
'As a haulage contractor we run a fleet of company-branded
vehicles, it just made sense that our number plates should match
our business initials. Our accountant is confident that the costs
are tax deductible as a business expense, as it is part of the
vehicle livery.'
'Although
our fleet of buses is ageing they are all well maintained. Our
new registrations make it difficult for our clients to put an
age on our vehicles and their confidence is retained'
'I'm
proud of my new taxi and my new registration definitely makes
my black cab stand out from the crowd. It shows I'm not short
of a sense of humour too !'
INVESTMENT
'I always thought that a number plate with my name (JOY) would
cost me thousands, so even though I don't have a T- registered
car I still bought one with a T prefix for just under £500.
I'm keeping it on a certificate until I get a car of the right
age. It won't be too long before this happens because car prices
seem to be coming down at last! Anyway I realize that registration
numbers that spell names will always be in demand so I'm confident
I could always sell it at a later date.'
'Our
son Daniel is only twelve years old but mad about cars already!
We've bought him a DAN personal number plate and will keep it
secretly on a holding certificate until his 18th Birthday. We
know these number plates have increased in value over the past
10 years so thought it best to buy one now whilst they are still
affordable'.
Back
to top
HOW
DO I SEARCH FOR MY DREAM REGISTRATION?
CALL
US ON 01792 477 316 OR COMPLETE THE ON-LINE
SEARCH FORM
We
can supply almost any 3 letter combination registration at affordable
prices. Two and one letter registrations are considerably more
expensive as they are rarer and even more distinctive. The marks
offered for sale change by the minute with new marks coming onto
the market and being sold almost continuously. There are approximately
24 MILLION choices available at any one time which we can supply.
We can act for you if you see your dream registration for sale
advertised anywhere else and regularly save our clients time,
money and unnecessary distress in negotiations and transfers.
NOTES FOR COMPLETING THE ON-LINE FORM
This is a completely FREE and confidential service except for
your Internet connection call to us. We will not disclose your
details to any third parties without your express permission.
Unfortunately although your enquiry may be serious we will only
treat it as such if we receive these minimum details:-
Your
name, your telephone number and your budget fields are obligatory
and must be completed in order to continue.
Your budget limit
Prices of registrations vary considerably from a couple
of hundred pounds to tens of thousands. Added to this price the
buyer is expected to pay the fees of the transfer and VAT (if
applicable). Currently the cost of a transfer is £80 or
£105 depending on individual circumstances, which represent
government administration fees. Please insert your maximum limit
excluding such fees. Increasing your limit increases your number
of choices and vice-versa. It is unlikely that there will be ANY
registrations offered for sale at under £100. For this reason
our computer will not accept a figure below this amount. This
means that the minimum price you might pay including transfer
fees is £180 plus VAT (if applicable).
Registration
mark(s) on existing vehicles:
We need to know these so that we can determine whether or
not a transfer is allowable to a vehicle that you are the keeper
of. Transfers are not always allowed especially if your vehicle
carries a 'Q' registration prefix or is older than the year of
issue of the mark in question.
Date
of First Registration(s)
We need to know these as you are not allowed by law to make
a vehicle appear younger than it actually is (UK or Northern Ireland).
The details can be found on your V55 Registration Document (UK)
or Vehicle Registration Book V5 (NI).
No
existing vehicle
Please note that anybody, even a non-UK resident may own the rights
to use or transfer a registration mark whether or not they own
a vehicle.
Your
searches
There are 6 boxes which
you can complete with the registrations you are searching for.
You may make as many searches as you wish by using the form again.
Clues
& Notes for us
This information
is vital
in our search and reply process. Here you may tell us of your
reasons for picking the registrations you have.
For example you may be trying to:
1. Spell a word e.g. a name
2. Associate the registration with a hobby or interest e.g. Golf,
Football, Dogs, Cars, your job etc.
3. Find a gift for a surprise so you may ask us only to contact
you at work and never at home.
4. Use a language other than English that we may be unfamiliar
with e.g. Asian names
5. Get your initials or a combination of family initials that
may be searched for in different orders e.g. Pat & Robert
(Bob) Smith could be PBS or BPS, PRS or RPS.
6. Promote your business
- give us an idea of your business name and what your business
does with key words and phrases if possible e.g. ABC STOCKBROKERS,
buying and selling of shares unit trusts etc. keywords: BULL BEAR
STOCK GILT BUY SELL etc.
7. Hide the age of your vehicle.
There are many registrations that can do this for you. The
least expensive originate in Northern Ireland (NI) and can be
transferred to UK mainland vehicles. NI marks contain the letters
I and Z whereas UK mainland marks do not*
(the letter Q is not available on any transferable registration
mark)
The letter Z
is now available in the latest UK Mainland series issues from
September 2001(see our Homepage).
The
Limitations
Each registration mark issued is absolutely UNIQUE. That
means only one may (or may not) have ever been issued of each
possible combination. In addition, many older marks may have not
survived the test of time, ending up on a scrapped vehicle to
be lost forever. A number or mark can only be transferred if it
exists on a testable vehicle, or is held (retained) on an official
government certificate; and its transfer is allowed under Ministry
of Transport regulations.
You can have a maximum combination of up to 7 digits. The majority
of MAINLAND UK registration marks contain 4 letters and 3 numbers
e.g. A123 ABC, ABC 123A, or the new issue format of 5 letters
and 2 numbers AA51 AAA. NORTHERN IRELAND (NI) registration marks
normally follow the format e.g. ANZ 1234. Registrations with fewer
letters and numbers exist. Due to the facts that they are rarer
and more distinctive they command higher values in the marketplace.
IN EVERY CASE a registration can only be purchased if the owner
has offered it for sale.
The
DVLA has a legal responsibility not to disclose the personal details
of any keepers of motor vehicles to any non-government or commercial
organisation including individuals. Therefore there is no simple
method available to discover the location and owner of the rights
to ANY registration mark that is not on the open market for sale.
Basically
we need you to educate us as to your wants so that we can match
this with our knowledge of registration marks that have been issued.
Registration marks always consist of a combination of letters
and numbers. They can have from 2 to 7 digits. The layouts and
arrangements of letters and numbers follow specific government
series issuing rules. Therefore many combinations have not, nor
ever will be issued. We will advise you of the options available
to you.
WHAT
HAPPENS NEXT ?
We will study your search request and advise you if you need to
amend your choices due to the fact that they would never be issued
(invalid entries) or not presently for sale. Please remember that
we can only contact the owner of any registration mark if we already
hold their details on file or if they make contact with us in
the future, we have no way of 'tracking them down'.
We
will inform you of any registration which we hold as 'for sale'
on our database which matches your search criteria. We may do
this by e-mail and telephone.
You
will then have the opportunity to secure your purchase by way
of payment of a deposit or full payment.
NB:The
transfer process into your ownership will be begun immediately
and you will unfortunately be unable to change your mind. Therefore
it is vital that you think very carefully before committing yourself
to the transaction.
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to top
HOW
MUCH DO THEY COST AND HOW ARE THEY VALUED?
As
with most things in life, price or value is determined by rarity
and desirability. As far as rarity is concerned, every registration
mark is rare as there is only ONE example of it. Thus desirability
to the buyer is the main factor determining value. One needs to
ask oneself what does the number plate do for the person concerned,
how well does it do it, and how many other number plates (although
different) can do a similar job.
Personal number plates vary in value from a couple of hundred
pounds to tens of thousands of pounds based on these facts.
It
is therefore easier to understand that registration marks which
accurately spell a word, name or phrase are highly desirable.
How accurately they do this determines their value to the buyer
as does the level of availability of similar examples for sale
at the time the buyer is buying.
Less
is nearly always worth more. The fewer letters and numbers a person
needs to display on their number plate to do the job in question
then the more they will be prepared to pay for it. This is because
succinct number plates are extremely distinctive and noticeable.
They are also much rarer than more modern examples due to the
simple fact that they were issued many years ago and few examples
of such registration marks were transferred to newer cars. Thus
when the vehicle came to the end of its life so did its registration
number, if it was still on it at the time. Therefore there are
relatively few short number plates in circulation AND EVEN FEWER
ON THE OPEN MARKET AT ANY GIVEN TIME.
In
order to be as accurate as possible with our valuations we not
only take the above factors into consideration but also keep extensive
records of sale prices achieved and the circumstances they were
achieved under. A registration sold privately will seldom achieve
the same price it would in an exciting auction situation whereby
2 or more buyers are bidding for it in turn to drive the price
up.
An
inaccurate valuation is usually demonstrated quite quickly by
the lack of interest shown in it by potential buyers and vice-versa.
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CAN
I BUY A REGISTRATION MARK FOR SOMEONE ELSE AND KEEP IT UNTIL
I'M READY TO GIVE IT AS A GIFT?
Yes, you don't even need
a vehicle of your own to purchase a registration mark. A
mark can be assigned to the name of the person the gift is for
and kept on a certificate indefinitely. The government makes an
annual charge to renew certificates which are initially valid
for 12 months ( presently £25 per year). Thus you can buy a registration
for your son's 21st, husband's 50th, or as wedding anniversary
gift for your wife. Registration marks are truly personal and
unforgettable gifts to be kept for a lifetime.
We
offer a holding and renewal service so that you don't need to
remember when its time to renew your certificates. Ideal for those
people with already busy lives. Failure to renew your certificate
in time can lead to you losing the rights to your private registration
number, so you must be careful and remember to renew it.
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I'M
BUYING A NEW VEHICLE, CAN THE TRANSFER BE DONE BEFORE I COLLECT
IT FROM THE DEALERS?
Yes,
in most cases we can work with your dealer to get the transfer
completed and your new number plates on your vehicle, provided
we have enough time.
In every case it is vitally important that as soon as we
have found your dream registration mark you secure your purchase
as quickly as possible. We have had disappointed clients
who didn't act swiftly enough only to find their choice was sold.
Conversely we have many clients who are sensibly searching and
buying their registrations in advance of finding their new vehicle.
Our payment systems allow you to lodge a minimum deposit immediately
and unfortunately we cannot remove a registration from the open
market until this is received.
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I'M
CHANGING MY VEHICLE PRIVATELY, WHAT SHOULD I DO?
We
can arrange for your new registration and personal details to
be added to your new vehicles' documents at the same time. Contact
us now for further advice. info@vrm-group.co.uk
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HOW
LONG DOES THE TRANSFER TO MY VEHICLE TAKE?
Transfers
can be completed from within 5 working days to in
most cases 3-6 weeks (depending
on the type of transfer). Car to car transfers nearly always take
longer than certificate to car transfers. However transfers to
Northern Irish vehicles from Great Britain can take up to 3 months
as the procedure is quite complex.
In every case transfer times depend on how quickly people act.
We are totally dependant upon:-
BUYERS
for sending documents and funds promptly
SELLERS
for sending documents & sale authorities promptly
THE AUTHORITIES for processing the applications promptly
and accurately
THE POST OFFICE for delivering promptly and accurately
Our
office deals with each transfer immediately.
We automatically update you with progress reports as and when
there is news.
To concentrate our efforts on the work in hand we greatly appreciate
that rather than calling us you:
FAX US ON (01792) 474010
OR E-MAIL US info@vrm-group.co.uk
remembering to quote your registration number in all correspondence.
We
greatly appreciate your patience whilst you await completion of
your transfer,
THANK YOU
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CAN
I STILL USE MY VEHICLE WHILE THE TRANSFER IS IN PROGRESS?
Yes,
provided the vehicle is taxed, insured and has a current MOT certificate(if
required), you may continue to use it on the public highways.
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WHEN
CAN I FIX MY NEW NUMBER PLATES TO MY VEHICLE?
When
you receive your replacement tax (license) disc from us, showing
your new registration mark and display this on your vehicle.
DO
I NEED TO INFORM MY INSURERS THAT I HAVE A NEW REGISTRATION MARK?
Yes,
remember to tell them in writing that 'in
the event of a total loss claim...'
whereby they effectively buy your vehicle (or what's left of it)
off you due to theft, or as a 'right off', '...the
registration mark will remain your property'.
Get them to acknowledge this request in writing. They
do not normally make a charge for issuing a new cover note in
these circumstances or for complying with this request.
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WHAT
IF I WANT TO ALTER THE SPACING OR LETTER STYLE ON MY NUMBER PLATES?
Please
remember that :-
'it is illegal to mis-space or mis-represent your registration
mark whilst it is being displayed on a vehicle used on the public
highway'.
Since September 2001 any firm that makes number plates is required
by law to include their postcode on the plates so that they may
be traced back to the maker.
It is not illegal to make the number plates in any
style or fashion the customer wishes (including fancy typefaces).
The law is broken when such plates are displayed on a vehicle
on the public roads. This explains how vehicles in dealer's showrooms
or at motor shows are legally allowed to display any message or
style on their number plates.
You will notice that there is a distinct space between the number
11 and the word YOU in the
example
to comply with the law on display of registrations.
Also you are only allowed to use a standard typeface (lettering)
so that your vehicle may be easily identified.
If you break this law you may
lose your right to use the registration as the Department of Transport
has the legal right to confiscation. You will not receive any
financial compensation. Your vehicle will also fail its MOT if
the registration is miss-spaced and you may be fined up to £1000.
In
practise, the authorities have very little time and resources
available to pursue offenders of this part of the law. However,
you will bring unwanted attention to yourself and give the authorities
a genuine reason to stop you on the highway if they so wish.
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IS IT LEGAL TO HAVE A NATIONAL EMBLEM ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE OF
MY NEW NUMBER PLATES?
The government now allows
you to have the following emblems and wording positioned to the
left hand side of your number plates:-
WELSH
FLAG with 'CYM'
SCOTTISH FLAG with 'SCO'
UNION JACK with 'GB'
ST GEORGE CROSS with 'ENG'
EUROSTARS SYMBOL with 'GB'- with this symbol no other GB sticker
is needed on your vehicle when you travel to continental
Europe
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I
HAVE HEARD THAT IRISH NUMBER PLATES ARE CHEAP AND 'DATELESS'.
IS THIS TRUE AND WHAT SELECTION IS AVAILABLE TO ME?
Number plates from Northern
Ireland can be transferred to cars registered Great Britain as
both are part of the United Kingdom and have similar licensing
procedures.
Because Northern Irish number plates have nothing to indicate
their age (ie.'dateless') they are often used to hide the age
of a vehicle and can be transferred to any age of Great British
vehicle.
They can be quite inexpensive with prices including transfer fees
and VAT starting at around £175, although it is not likely that
such plates are desirable for any reason other than to hide the
vehicle's age (ie. the letters are not attractive to most buyers).
Indeed,
some Irish number plates can be as desirable as any others and
command high prices! To find out the typical letter combinations
available and more information click
here.
Northern Irish registrations
nearly always contain I or Z (see Q3 part 7 above)
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HOW CAN I PAY FOR
MY REGISTRATION MARK?
We accept most major credit
and debit cards, cheques, postal orders and bankers drafts.You
can also pay by automated bank transfer.We advise clients not
to send cash through the post for obvious reasons.
Please remember that once you have found your dream registration
mark we cannot hold it especially for you. Until you have agreed
to purchase it and have made a payment it must remain on the open
market and can be sold to anyone who enquires.
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