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Cherished Registrations -
On-Line, Anytime

How Do I Keep My Current Registration Number?

It is important to note registration numbers are assigned to vehicles. Only by being the registered keeper of a vehicle do you have entitlement to apply to transfer or retain its number. You should be aware that not all vehicles are eligible to participate in the transfer process and not all numbers are transferable.

Where a number is transferable, the vehicle to which it is assigned must meet certain criteria.

The Cherished Transfer facility enables a registration number to be moved directly from one vehicle to another subject to certain conditions.

Who can apply?

It is necessary to have the donor and recipient vehicles either currently licensed or an application to licence submitted at the time of transfer.

You may transfer a registration mark to and from a motorcycle or moped to any other vehicle, subject to the normal requirements, which apply to all participating vehicles.

What do I send?

What Do I Do Next?

Paperwork can be checked at a Local Vehicle Licensing Office and forwarded to the Cherished Transfer Section, County Hall, Coleraine.

If a number is transferred to a brand new vehicle the application can be processed at a Local Vehicle Licensing Office. The tax discs for both vehicles and the replacement number for the donor vehicle will be issued. The paperwork will then be forwarded to the Cherished Transfer Section and the Registration Certificates will be issued within six weeks of approval by DVA Licensing.

Or send everything to the:

DVA may request an inspection of the donor vehicle at a designated time and place. You will be offered a vehicle inspection appointment following receipt of your application if required. The recipient vehicle may also be requested for inspection. The purpose of the inspection is to establish the identity of the vehicles, not the roadworthiness. To aid this you must ensure that the chassis plate is cleaned sufficiently to make it legible. If the transfer is approved the keeper/s will be notified. If the receiving vehicle is in Great Britain the appropriate DVLA local office in GB will complete the transfer of the mark to the receiving vehicle. The keeper of the donor vehicle will be responsible for ensuring that the new registration mark given by DVA will be placed on the vehicle immediately, and for exchanging the tax disc on the vehicle with a new one bearing the replacement registration mark. However, the transfer is not complete until the keeper of the receiving vehicle has fulfilled all requirements. In the unlikely event that the transfer is not completed, the donor vehicle may revert to its original mark or retain the replacement mark. However, DVA will not accept liability for any expenses incurred, such as the purchase of the plates.

When will my new registration Certificate arrive?

Within 6 weeks of approval by DVA. If it doesn’t arrive by then, write to the Vehicle Licensing Central office, County Hall, Coleraine BT51 3TA or telephone on (0845) 402 4000 between 9.00am and 5.00pm Monday to Friday. In respect of the recipient vehicle in GB contact the DVLA Local Office in Newcastle – Telephone 0870 240 0669.

When can I transfer my registration mark again?

When the replacement registration document has been issued for both the donor and the receiving vehicle.

What if the vehicle with the cherished mark has been stolen?

If your vehicle is stolen and not recovered, it must be reported by the Police to DVA and the number will become eligible for transfer one year after the date of notification to DVA. If your vehicle is stolen and recovered you should apply to transfer the registration mark immediately after recovery of the vehicle. In all cases the vehicle must be registered in the donor’s name at the time of the theft, the vehicle must have been taxed at the time of theft or expired not more than 6 months before the date of theft. The keeper of the donor vehicle must obtain a letter from their insurance company stating they have no interest in the registration mark.

What if the vehicle with the cherished mark has been ‘written off’?

If your vehicle has been ‘written off’, you may apply to transfer its number providing;

• The vehicle is available for inspection and must be produced on request by DVA to your requested LVLO (see Section 4 on the V317(NI) form ‘For the Donor Vehicle’)
• The vehicle was registered in the donor’s name when the write-off occurred
• The keeper of the donor vehicle must obtain a letter from their insurance company stating that the company has no interest in the registration mark
• The vehicle was taxed at the time of the accident or the licence disc had expired or was refunded no more than 12 months prior to the date of application and a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) has been made. In order for a vehicle to qualify for this concession, there must be no break between the expiry/refund date of the licence disc and the commencement of SORN.
• If the vehicle receiving the cherished number has been written off, you may not be able to transfer the number until the Driver & Vehicle Agency (Testing Division) inform us that it has passed a Vehicle Identity Check (VIC).

How do I acquire a registration mark?

If you are looking for a number which has never been assigned to any vehicle before, DVA’s Sale of Marks Auction, Tender or Direct Sales has a wide range to choose from. The V750(NI) Certificate explains what you need to do when you are ready to have the number assigned i.e. a number bought at “Auction”, “Tender” or “Direct Sales” can be assigned in two ways.

• The new number can be assigned to a vehicle and the old number voided.
• The new number can also be assigned to your vehicle and the old number transferred onto another vehicle.
• If you purchase a registration mark form one of DVA’s

Auctions, Tender or Direct Sales, the mark cannot be directly assigned to a GB registered vehicle. Futhermore, if a registration mark is purchased directly from DVLA it must first be assigned to a GB vehicle and cannot be directly assigned to a NI registered vehicle.

A registration mark may also be transferred from an existing vehicle but you don’t have to buy and register the vehicle that carried that mark. You must ask the keeper of the vehicle, which carried the mark you are buying, to sign the Donor Declaration in the space provided in Section 1 of the V317(NI) form. He or she may be asked to produce the vehicle for inspection.

Please Note:

• If the mark you are keeping or buying is one which has a year letter or age identifier, you will not be allowed to transfer the mark to a vehicle which is older than the mark, thereby making the receiving vehicle appear younger than it actually is.

If the vehicle is old and no registration book is available you may not be able to transfer the mark. If the V5C(NI) is available, check that it doesn’t advise that the registration mark cannot be transferred. If you intend to buy a vehicle for the number, and you are not in receipt of the registration document, you are advised to contact DVA (See details above). DVA may wish to inspect the vehicle before the
transaction is completed, therefore, do not sell, export, scrap or dismantle the donor vehicle until the transfer is finally approved and you receive the V5C(NI) from DVA.

• If the application is submitted by a dealer acting for the parties involved, we will correspond with that dealer about the transfer. This may involve sending documents relating to the vehicles to the dealer.
• The keeper means the person registered as the keeper of the vehicle on the V5C(NI). The keeper normally keeps or uses the vehicle but might not be the legal owner. The keeper (not the agent or dealer) must sign the declarations on the V317(NI).
• Dealers requiring a block of consecutive replacement marks should limit their request to blocks of five. This must be stated at the time of application to allow the applications to be processed together, otherwise the applications may be split.
• If either the donor or receiving vehicle is required to be registered in NI, you must complete form V55/4 or form V55/5, and forward it along with all the necessary documentation. It is not necessary to complete a V10(NI) form to licence, as a V55/4 or V55/5 will suffice.

It is an offence to display mis-spaced characters on a Registration Mark or to corrupt numbers to make them appear as letters or vice versa - See V796(NI).