Number Plate FAQs

What is a registration number and who has entitlement to it?

Registration numbers are not items of property in their own right. They are assigned, and may be withdrawn, by the Secretary of State as part of the basic registration and licensing process which is required by law. The registration number is a unique means of identifying a vehicle, primarily for taxation and law enforcement purposes. It is assigned to the vehicle, rather than its keeper, and unless it is transferred or retained the registration number normally remains with the vehicle until it is broken up, destroyed or sent permanently out of the country.

An individual acquires entitlement to a registration number when he or she becomes the registered keeper of the vehicle which carries the number. When the vehicle changes hands, entitlement to its registration number will automatically pass with the vehicle to the new keeper unless use is made of the special facilities which have been designed to allow motorists to acquire and retain particular registration numbers: namely, the Cherished Transfer, Retention and Sale of Marks schemes.

E&OE. While we make every effort to ensure that the information contained in our FAQ is correct, and we believe the information to be accurate, we will not be held to conditions or terms that, through accidental error or omission, are incorrect. We will however correct such errors as soon as we become aware of them.