Private plate transfer question

[-Cappo-]

Apologies for a boring question which has probably been asked and answered a million times before - I should know better....

Scenario:

Car has a private plate. Car is being sold to someone who also has a private plate which they want to put on the car.

Is it possible to do private plate > private plate, putting the current plate on retention, in one hit, or does the vehicle have to revert to it's original DVLA-issued plate first then wait for the replacement V5 before applying new buyer's private plate?

I think it's probably the latter but wanted to check first. DVLA site doesn't really seem to cover this.

[Silenoz]

AIUI, the retention certificate and car the private reg is being transferred to have to be in the same name, so you would have to transfer your plate off and then do the changenof ownership. Once V5 is issued for the new keeper, they then transfer their plate onto the car.

[-Cappo-]

OK cool, that makes sense, thanks.

[RSTurboPaul]

IIRC you can apply a plate to any vehicle - at that point it then effectively becomes the property of the person named on that vehicle's V5C, as that is the person the Retention Certificate will go to when it is subsequently transferred off. (That is why you can often see 'can send the Retention Certificate or put it straight onto your vehicle' in some eBay listings.)

As above, I would put the current reg on retention, get the updated V5C through the post (which you will need to sell it to a new owner) and then they apply their own plate to the vehicle when their new V5C arrives through the post.


EDIT: to clarify 'because pedantry matters' a plate is not property - one merely holds the right to display the plate, which can be revoked at any time by DVLA if they see fit to do so.

Edited by RSTurboPaul on Tuesday 22 April 13:08