The Questions
2 I have bought a vehicle, but it has no papers, how do I get them?
3 Can I get a tax disc for a vehicle while I am waiting for my V5C to arrive?
4 My vehicle has a registration number plate on it, why doesn’t DVLA recognise it?
6 How can I get a “lost” registration re-allocated to my vehicle?
8 What is considered suitable evidence?
9 How do I find a suitable club to countersign the V765?
11 If I accept an age related number, will I lose entitlement to the original number?
12 Will I be able to transfer my recovered or age related number to another vehicle?
The Answers
What do the initials mean?
DVLA - Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency – the name of the Executive Agency of the Department for Transport that is charged with maintaining driver and vehicle records. DVLA’s HQ is a substantial complex at Swansea.
DVLC - Driver and Vehicle Licensing Centre – the original name for the centralised, computerised, registration system, this abbreviation is now used only to describe the complex at Swansea.
LO, or DVLA LO, – Local Office – one of the regional offices of DVLA whose addresses can be found in Yellow Pages or at the DVLA website, www.dft.gov.uk/dvla
RF60 or VE60 – the old style buff or green card log books phased out in the 1970s when vehicle records were computerised. RF stood for Road Fund, VE for Vehicle Excise. RF60 log books were still being issued several years after the Road Fund ceased to exist.
Road Fund – It is still common to hear the “tax disc” referred to as the Road Fund Licence, an expression that dates from the time that vehicle tax was collected by local authorities and linked directly to road building and maintenance. The direct link between vehicle taxation and road construction (and hence the “road fund”) ended in 1937. Nowadays, the correct name for the amount payable for a tax disc is Vehicle Excise Duty.
V? - DVLA forms and information leaflets all have reference numbers. Those relating to vehicles generally start with V.
V5 – original computerised vehicle registration document. V5s were phased out in 2004-5 in favour of the current V5C registration document.
V5C – current style of vehicle registration document that is uniform with all such documents in the European Union.
VED – Vehicle Excise Duty – amount paid to obtain a “tax disc”. VED for pre-1973 vehicles is currently rated at nil
I have bought a vehicle, but it has no papers, how do I get them?
Assuming DVLA recognises the registration number, you complete a form V62 (downloadable from the forms page at www.dft.gov.uk/dvla) pay the fee (£25 at the time of writing) and wait. (You can check whether or not DVLA recognise the registration by following the “Vehicle Enquiry” link at www.taxdisc.direct.gov.uk)
DVLA will have to write to the previously recorded keeper to check that they no longer have the vehicle and have to wait a set time before issuing a new V5C registration document if there is no response, but you should receive it within 25 working days.
Can I get a tax disc for a vehicle while I am waiting for my V5C to arrive?
My vehicle has a registration number plate on it, why doesn’t DVLA recognise it?
Until the late 1970s, the vehicle registration system was based on paper records held by local authorities. From the mid-1970s, registration records were transferred to a centralised computer system. This happened automatically when tax discs were renewed, and new computerised registration documents were issued.
Owners of vehicles that were not re-taxed during this period were given several years during which they could send in their old style log books and have their vehicles recorded on the new computer, but this option ended in 1983. Registrations that had not been transferred to the DVLC system by 1983 were “lost” and are no longer recognised, but they can be re-claimed in certain circumstances.
(5)
There was a period in the 1990s when the capacity of the DVLA computers was causing concern. For a brief period, while the system was upgraded, records for vehicles that had not been licensed for some years were backed up and removed from the main computer to increase capacity. Many of today’s front line staff at DVLA do not know of the backed-up records. You need to apply again, this time enclosing a covering letter explaining why you believe your vehicle should be recorded.
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How can I get a “lost” registration re-allocated to my vehicle?
Provided you have the necessary documentary evidence, such as an old-style log book, you should be able to recover the lost number. You will need a form V765 and the help of an appropriate club. Both the form and a list of appropriate clubs (V765/1) can be downloaded from the “forms” page at www.dft.gov.uk/dvla
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What is the V765 scheme?
The V765 scheme is a mechanism whereby “lost” registration marks may be recovered. The scheme came in to being in the late 1980s after intense lobbying by FBHVC and “V765″ is simply the reference number of the form that is used for the purpose.
In order to re-claim a lost registration, you will need a piece of documentary evidence linking the vehicle with the number being claimed.
The V765 itself is a simple form and has useful notes on the reverse. It contains a space for completion by an authorised vehicle club, or other approved body, to authenticate the claim.
You will also need a form V55/5 which can only be obtained from a DVLA local office. This is more complicated. Applicants should take care to use black ink and clear capital letters. Leave items that make no sense or are not relevant to old vehicles blank, but do remember to sign the form on page 2. If in doubt, seek advice from the club authenticating the V765 form (see below). Please note: supporting documents proving identity are not required for a V55/5 when it is used in conjunction with a V765.
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What is considered suitable evidence?
An old style logbook (RF60/VE60) is the strongest evidence, but other pre-1983 documents linking the make of vehicle to the registration number (such as old tax discs, MoT certificates, insurance documents, garage receipts etc.) are usually accepted.
A DVLA official has to see the original document(s) that you are using to support your claim. To avoid risk of loss of valuable original documentation, FBHVC recommends that you take it, in person, to your nearest DVLA Local Office where it can be inspected and certified copies can be made. The copies can then be used for the application process.
If you have no documentation, you may be able to obtain a certified copy of the entry in the local authority register that was made when the number was first allocated. Although many of these old records have been destroyed, some have been kept in local authority archives and others have been rescued by specialist organisations such as the Kithead Trust. You can find out if the register recording your vehicle’s original registration still exists by going to the Kithead Trust’s web site www.kitheadtrust.org.uk – this gives a list showing the location of the registers that are known to have survived.
For further information, or advice on a specific case, please e-mail the FBHVC secretary.
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How do I find a suitable club to countersign the V765?
If there is no obvious one-make club appropriate for your vehicle listed in the V765/1 booklet, try one of the clubs that caters for a range or type of vehicle, such as:
Veteran Car Club of GB for cars made to the end of WW1;
Vintage Sports-Car Club for those made between the wars;
Vintage Motor Cycle Club for all makes of motorcycle;
National Autocycle and Cyclemotor Club for all mopeds and cycle-based machines;
Historic Commercial Vehicle Society for all commercial vehicles; or
National Vintage Tractor & Engine Club (or similar regional clubs) for agricultural machines.
If in doubt, please e-mail the FBHVC secretary for assistance.
FBHVC recommends that you make contact with the relevant club before sending any documents. The club has to satisfy itself that the claim being made is justified before it can countersign the application. If writing, and expecting a reply, always send a stamped reply envelope of a suitable size – most clubs are non-commercial organisations and are usually run by volunteers.
The authenticating club should arrange for the vehicle to be inspected and is entitled to charge a fee both for the inspection and for countersigning the V765. Fees should be agreed in advance. The inspection fee is payable whether or not the club subsequently agrees to countersign the application. Clubs may not refuse an application from a non-member, but may offer discounted fees to members.
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What happens if I don’t have the necessary evidence, or if DVLA won’t accept the evidence I do have?
Provided you can prove the year of manufacture of your vehicle to DVLA’s satisfaction (they will usually accept a dating letter provided by an appropriate club listed in the V765/1 list) an “age-related” number will be issued. Unfortunately, the supply of such numbers is running out and those of the ABC 123 type that were issued from the mid 1930s to 1950s have already run out. Vehicles of this period will receive numbers of the 123 ABC type until those too run out.
It is rare not to be able to specify the year of manufacture for a genuine mainstream vehicle. Problems arise with vehicles that have been modified or which are of a type that was not really intended for road use, such as builders’ dump trucks. If your vehicle falls into either of these categories, you may find two DVLA information sheets useful: (V848) ‘How to register your “old” vehicle’ (available from Local Offices), and (INF 26) ‘Guidelines for the registration of rebuilt or radically altered vehicles and kit cars’ (down loadable from the forms page at www.dft.gov.uk/dvla).
(11)
If I accept an age related number, will I lose entitlement to the original number?
Accepting an age-related registration will not prevent you reclaiming the correct registration for your vehicle if the requisite evidence becomes available.
(12)
Will I be able to transfer my recovered or age related number to another vehicle?
No. Recovered numbers and age related numbers are non-transferable.
(13)
For technical reasons, DVLA is unable to make a charge for the re-issue of a “lost” registration. This means it is unable to devote the resources necessary to checking applications in detail and part of the deal when FBHVC negotiated the scheme was that others (usually clubs) would take responsibility for carrying out basic authenticity checks. Those carrying out this work have to be registered with DVLA to do so and are listed in the V765/1 list.
Their role is to check that the vehicle exists and appears genuine and that the documentation being used to support the claim is both genuine and relates to the vehicle in question. An inspection of the vehicle to verify chassis and engine numbers etc. is standard practice.
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