Legal Number Plates
The law states that,
You must not alter, rearrange or misrepresent the letters or numbers
Characters must not be moved from one group to the other (e.g. A242 ABC must not be displayed as A242A BC).
Offences may result in any or all of the following:
A fine of up to £1,000
The registration mark may be WITHDRAWN
The vehicle may FAIL the MOT test
Full details of the requirements are included in The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001
All number plate suppliers will need to see at least one document from each of the lists below. This will allow the number plate supplier to confirm your name, address and entitlement to the registration number. All documents must be original, not copies THIS IS A LEGAL REQUIREMENT.
Documents to confirm your identity
One of the following:
driving licence, whether or not issued in the United Kingdom (UK) (with or without a photo) – this is preferred because it’s a secure, government-issued document showing both name and address
a bill issued by your electricity, gas or water supplier, a landline telephone bill, or a council tax bill (current within the last six months) or rates bill (in Northern Ireland only)
a bank or building society statement
a passport, whether or not issued in the UK
a national identity card issued by the government of a state or territory other than the UK
a debit or credit card issued by a bank or building society
a police warrant card
an armed forces identity card
Documents to establish your entitlement to the registration number
One of the following:
vehicle registration certificate (V5C or V5CNI) – these are the preferred documents
the new keeper supplement (V5C/2 or V5C/2NI) of the registration certificate
certificate of entitlement (V750)
retention document (V778) (not applicable in Northern Ireland)
vehicle licence renewal form (V11)
temporary registration certificate (V379) (not applicable in Northern Ireland)
authorisation certificate (V948) with an official stamp from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) or Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA)
a letter of authorisation from a fleet operator (including lease or hire company) (not applicable in Northern Ireland) – the letter must quote the document reference number from the registration certificate, not the vehicle identification number