V317 Form PDF Download | Keep or Transfer a Number Plate

What is a V317 Form?

The V317 is the official DVLA form titled “Application to Transfer or Retain a Vehicle Registration Number.” It lets you move a personalised registration to another vehicle (Option A) or hold it on a retention certificate for up to 10 years (Option B). The form is free to download as a PDF from GOV.UK. The DVLA fee is £80.

Published by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, the current version is V317-0426. It is the only DVLA-accepted document for personalised registration transfers and retentions. You can download the PDF, print it, and post it — or complete the same process entirely online through DVLA’s digital services.

The official title on the form itself reads: “Application to keep a vehicle registration number and put it on another vehicle.” Both options — transfer and retention — are on the same form. Option A is on page one. Option B is on page two.

What is the V317 For? Purpose and Uses

Here are the six main reasons people use this form:

Key Terms Explained

These are the terms you will see on the form, in this guide, and in DVLA correspondence. Understanding them before you start saves time and avoids mistakes.

Who Needs to Fill One In?

Anyone who wants to legally move or protect a personalised or cherished registration number in the UK needs to use this form or DVLA’s online service.

Moving a plate to a new car

You have bought a new vehicle and want to put your private registration onto it.

Selling your car, keeping the plate

You are selling the vehicle but want to protect the personalised registration for later use.

Scrapping or writing off the donor vehicle

You need to remove the plate before the car is destroyed or declared beyond economical repair.

Gifting a registration number

You are transferring the right to a personalised plate to a family member or friend.

Returning a leased vehicle

You need to take your private plate off before the car goes back to the leasing company.

Holding a plate between cars

No new car yet, but you want to protect the plate safely on a retention certificate.

Option A or Option B: Which One Do You Need?

Option A moves the plate to another vehicle right now. Option B puts it on a V778 retention certificate for up to 10 years. New car ready today? Use Option A. Between cars or protecting the plate? Use Option B.

This is the part most people get wrong. Ticking the wrong option and posting the form means DVLA returns everything. When you download the PDF, page one is Option A and page two is Option B. Only complete the page that matches your situation.

Is Your Vehicle Eligible?

Both vehicles must be UK registered, taxed or SORNed, able to move under their own power, and the registration must not make the receiving vehicle appear newer than it actually is. The donor vehicle must also have been continuously taxed or SORNed for the last 5 years.

Per the official DVLA V317 guidance notes (v317-0426, GOV.UK), your application will be returned immediately if any of the conditions below are not met. Check every point before you print, fill in, or submit anything.

Documents Checklist For V317 Application Form

Get every document in front of you before you open the PDF or start the online application. The official DVLA V317 checklist is built into the form itself — here is what each box means and why it matters.

Option A checklist (direct transfer)

Option B checklist (retention only)

If either vehicle is on finance or lease

How to Download V317, Print or Fill In the Form

Download the V317 PDF free from this page or you can visit official gov.uk. Print it on plain A4 paper. Fill it in using black ink and capital letters. Or skip the PDF entirely and complete everything online via the DVLA digital service.

There are three ways to get the form:

The current PDF version is V317-0426. Third-party sites sometimes host older versions of the form. DVLA will reject an outdated PDF. Always go to GOV.UK directly. If a site asks you to pay to download the form, close it — the form is free.

Can I complete the process online instead of printing and posting?

Yes. You can complete the entire process online without ever touching a PDF. Go to gov.uk/keep-registration-number to take the plate off your vehicle, then gov.uk/put-registration-number-vehicle to put it onto the new one. No printing. No postage. DVLA records update immediately on payment. Online is faster and has a lower error rate because the system validates your entries in real time.

How to Fill In the V317 Form: Section by Section

Use black ink and capital letters. Copy every detail directly from your V5C logbook — never from memory. The postcode must match the V5C exactly. Complete only the sections for your chosen option.

Open your V5C logbook before you start and keep it beside the printed form or open on your screen. When you download the PDF, print it on plain white A4 paper. Do not scale it. Fill in by hand with a black ballpoint pen.

Choose your option

Put a cross (X) in the Option A box if you are transferring directly to another vehicle now. Put a cross in the Option B box if you are retaining the plate. One cross only — do not mark both. The PDF has two pages; fill in only the relevant one.

Details of the vehicle you are taking the plate from (donor vehicle)

Enter the personalised registration number, make, model, and VIN or chassis number. You will find the VIN on your V5C or on the vehicle itself. Add a daytime phone number DVLA can use if they have questions about your application.

Checklist for the donor vehicle

Tick each box to confirm: the V5C is enclosed (full original, not a photocopy), the vehicle is taxed or SORNed, and the £80 fee is included. Northern Ireland applicants also tick the insurance certificate box. Read each item carefully before ticking — the checklist items differ slightly between Option A and Option B on the printed form.

Details of the person making the application

Your full name, address, postcode, phone number and email address. These details are used only if DVLA has issues with the application or needs to return paperwork. If a dealer or agent is acting on your behalf, give their details here instead. The postcode you write must match what is currently on your V5C exactly.

Details of the vehicle you are putting the plate onto (receiving vehicle)

Enter the current registration number, make, model, and VIN of the receiving vehicle. Tick the checklist to confirm its V5C is enclosed and it is taxed or SORNed. Both vehicles must meet the eligibility conditions — this section confirms the receiving vehicle qualifies.

Details for the retention certificate (V778)

Name the grantee — the person who receives and holds the V778 retention certificate. If you leave this section blank, the registered keeper of the donor vehicle automatically becomes the grantee. You can also name a nominee (Section 4.2): an optional person who can later have the plate assigned to a vehicle in their name. The nominee has no rights to the plate until that point — all rights remain with the grantee.

How to Submit V317: Online, by Post, or In Person

Option 1: Apply online (recommended)

The fastest route. No PDF to print, no documents to post, and DVLA validates your details in real time. Go to gov.uk/keep-registration-number to remove the plate, then gov.uk/put-registration-number-vehicle to assign it. You need your V5C reference number (11 digits, top right of the logbook), your registered postcode, and a debit or credit card for £80. Done in minutes.

Option 2: Print, fill and post

Download the PDF form, print it on A4, fill it in using black ink and capital letters, then send everything to:

Make the cheque out to “DVLA Swansea” exactly. Not “DVLA.” Not “Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.” Damaged or altered cheques cause immediate rejection. Send by recorded delivery and keep photocopies of everything before you seal the envelope.

Fees and Processing Times

Per official DVLA V317 guidance: your new V5C and retention document will be sent within 2 weeks of receiving your application. This can take up to 4 weeks if you also included a V62 (replacement logbook application) or if DVLA needs to inspect a vehicle.

What Happens After You Apply

This is the official process, per DVLA V317 guidance notes (v317-0426).

Common Mistakes That Get Applications Rejected

These rejection reasons come directly from the official DVLA V317 guidance notes (v317-0426). Most apply whether you are posting a printed form or applying online.

Postcode mismatch in Section 3: Must match your V5C exactly. Moved house recently? Wait for the updated logbook to arrive before applying.

Wrong V5C reference number: The 11-digit number in the top right corner of your blue logbook. Easy to confuse with the document reference. Check digit by digit.

False or incorrect information: Per DVLA guidance, DVLA can cancel if “any information you give in this form, or in any document used to support this form, is false or incorrect.”

Vehicle conditions not met: Untaxed vehicle, lapsed SORN, expired MOT, or vehicle cannot move under its own power.

Photocopy instead of original V5C: DVLA explicitly requires original documents. Photocopies are not accepted in any circumstances.

Vehicle sold before applying: Per official guidance: “If the vehicle has been transferred or sold on before you apply to keep your number, you will lose all rights to the personalised registration number.”

Frequently Asked Questions