Can You Make Your Own Number Plate and Register It?

Can You Make Your Own Number Plate?

Can you make your own number plate for a vehicle on the road? Not lawfully. Road plates have to follow the British Standard BS AU 145e, use the legal font, be reflective and carry the supplier's name, postcode and the standard number, and only a registered supplier may make them.

Can I make one for display only?

Yes, as a show plate for a wall, an event or a photograph. It must stay off public roads and must not be fitted to a vehicle in place of proper plates.

Why is making one at home a problem?

A home-made plate cannot be compliant, because the supplier markings, reflective material and consistent finish are part of the standard. It can also be used to disguise or copy a registration, which is why the supplier system exists.

Can I Register A Plate I Made?

No. A plate is not what is registered. The DVLA records a registration number against a vehicle. You cannot invent a registration and ask the DVLA to accept it, and a plate you have made does not create any entitlement to the characters on it.

• The registration is issued by the DVLA.
• The vehicle's record links to that registration.
• The plate is only the physical display of it.
• Making a plate does not give you the right to use the number.

How Are Registrations Actually Created?

Registrations are issued by the DVLA, either to a new vehicle when it is first registered or as a personalised number plate sold to a buyer. A personalised registration can be bought online or at auction and then assigned to a vehicle that meets the conditions. See personalised number plates and DVLA number plate auctions.

Can I choose any combination?

Not any. Combinations the DVLA sells depend on what is available, and some are not issued, such as offensive or confusing ones. A registration that would make a vehicle look newer than it is is not permitted.

What Is The Lawful Route To A Plate Of Your Own?

The lawful route has two stages: get the right to a registration, then get plates made.

1. Choose an available registration from the DVLA or a seller.
2. Buy the entitlement and receive the V750 certificate of entitlement, or hold a V778 retention document for a number kept off a vehicle.
3. Check your vehicle meets the DVLA conditions.
4. Assign the number through the official DVLA route, using the V317 or the online service.
5. Order plates from a registered supplier with ID and documents.
6. Fit and display the plates.

Where do I check the conditions?

On GOV.UK. The vehicle must normally be registered in the UK and taxed or otherwise meeting current conditions, with a valid MOT where required. See how to put a private number plate on a car.

What Documents Does A Registered Supplier Need?

A supplier must see proof of your identity and your entitlement to the registration, which is the reason you cannot simply order any characters you like.

• Photographic identity, such as a driving licence or passport.
• Proof of address where required.
• The V5C for the vehicle, or the V750 or V778 for a number you hold.
• The registration you want to be made up.

What if I have no documents?

A supplier should refuse to make a plate. Be wary of any seller that does not ask.

Who Counts As A Registered Supplier?

How can I tell a supplier is genuine?

It asks for identity and entitlement, shows its name and postcode on the plates it makes, and follows the standard. Ask which documents it will need before you order.

A number plate supplier that is registered with the DVLA can make and sell plates, and it must follow rules about identity and entitlement checks. Online sellers and high-street shops are both covered. If a seller does not look registered or does not ask for documents, do not use them. See number plate machine for how plates are produced.

What Does A Legal Plate Need?

Which markings should I look for?

The supplier's name and postcode and the standard number, plus reflective sheeting and the correct characters.

See legal number plates in the UK, the car registration plate font and UK number plate size.

Is It Ever Acceptable To Build Your Own Plate For A Classic?

Enthusiasts sometimes restore plates for a historic vehicle. Even then, a plate used on the road has to be a compliant one, and only a registered supplier makes those. Qualifying older vehicles may be allowed an older-style appearance, so check GOV.UK. See antique number plates and metal number plates.

• Restoring an original plate is fine as a keepsake.
• A road plate still has to meet the standard, unless the vehicle qualifies for an older style.
• Ask a registered supplier what is possible for your vehicle.
• Keep original items safe as cherished keepsakes.

Does an original old plate count as legal?

Only if it meets the current standard or the vehicle qualifies for an exception.

What Can I Make Legally?

Plenty, as long as it stays off the road as a registration.

• A show plate with your name or a registration for a wall or desk.
• Decorative items for a car show, clearly not used on the road.
• A prop or gift.
• A mock-up of a registration to see how it looks, kept off the vehicle.

Can I put my made plate on a car "just for photos"?

Not on a vehicle on a public road. Photographing a vehicle on private land is a different setting, but the safest course is to use a show plate only off the road.

What About Fixing A Stolen Or Damaged Plate?

Is a temporary paper plate allowed?

No. A plate that is not compliant cannot be used on the road, however short the journey. Get a proper replacement promptly.

If your plate is lost, stolen or damaged, order a replacement from a registered supplier, showing identity and entitlement. Report theft to the police. Do not make a temporary plate yourself to drive on the road. See track a number plate for what can and cannot be found about a plate.

Can I Make My Own Plate For A Trailer Or Motorbike?

The same rule applies: road plates must come from a registered supplier. Trailers show the towing vehicle's registration and some need a separate plate, and motorbikes usually need only a rear plate. See number plates for trailers and caravans and motorbike number plates.

Are Sticker Or Kit Plates Allowed?

Why are stickers a problem?

They can peel, change the look of the characters and fail the reflective and font requirements.

No. Sticky tape, pre-cut stickers or paint to alter or create characters are not allowed on a road plate. Kits that let you build a plate at home do not produce a compliant road plate. See number plate number stickers.

What Happens If I Use An Unmade-To-Standard Plate?

You may fail an MOT, be stopped by the police and face a fixed penalty or prosecution, and the DVLA can investigate if the registration is not yours. Check GOV.UK for the current position. A false plate can also cause problems for the person whose registration it copies.

Is it serious if the registration belongs to someone else?

Yes. Using a registration that is not assigned to your vehicle is a serious matter and can lead to prosecution.

What If The Plate I Want Is Already Taken?

Can I ask the keeper to sell?

Yes, through a dealer or a direct approach, but the keeper decides, and the transfer must go through the DVLA process.

Registrations are held by their current keepers, and the DVLA will not assign one that is already assigned. You can ask a keeper whether they would sell, or look at the DVLA's available stock and auctions. See how to sell my licence plate and value my number plate.

How Do I Check The Vehicle After The Plate Change?

What if the record is wrong?

If the vehicle record or the V5C does not show the new registration after the change, contact the DVLA through GOV.UK.

Enter the registration into the free number plate check to see the make, model and colour and the tax and MOT status linked to the registration. The DVLA record and V5C should show the new number once the change is processed.

What Mistakes Should I Avoid?

How do I keep it simple?

Buy the registration first, assign it, and only then order plates from a registered supplier.

• Ordering plates before the registration is assigned.
• Using a show plate on the road.
• Using a seller that does not ask for documents.
• Assuming a plate you made can be registered.
• Forgetting to tell the insurer about the new registration.

How do private plates, age identifiers and registration formats fit in?

Making a plate is not the same as choosing a registration. A private plate or cherished number plate is a registration number bought or assigned through the DVLA, and the physical plate must then be made by a registered supplier. The age identifier is the two-digit part of a current-style registration showing when the vehicle was first registered, while a dateless plate has no such marker.

Registration formats include the prefix style (letter first), the suffix style (letter last) and the current style (two letters, two numbers, three letters). The legal typeface is a version of Charles Wright 2001, so any plate must use that lettering, character size and spacing, whichever format the registration follows. Check the current rules on GOV.UK.

Frequently Asked Questions