Documents & Compliance
Before we can make a road legal plate, the law says we have to check who you are and that the registration belongs to you. It takes two photos on your phone and there is nothing to fill in. Here is exactly what we need and how it works.
Buying show plates? None of this applies — show plates need no documents at all.
Five Steps, Two Photos
Order your plates
Build and pay for them as normal. You do not need any documents to hand at this point.
We email you a link
It arrives within a few minutes of your order and names the registration we need documents for. The link is private to your order.
Send two photos
One document proving the registration is yours, one proving who you are. Take a photo there and then, or pick one already on your phone.
We check them
Usually the same working day. We record the document reference numbers in our register, as we are required to.
We make your plates
Production starts as soon as the check passes. Order before 1pm and your plates still go out the same day.
We cannot start making a road legal plate until the check has passed — so the sooner you send the photos, the sooner it is on its way.
The Two Documents
You need one from each list — not all of them. Most people use their V5C and their driving licence.
Proof the registration is yours
Any one of these- Vehicle registration certificate V5C or V5CNI
- Green ‘new keeper’ slip from the V5C or V5CNI
- Certificate of entitlement to the number V750 or V750NI
- Retention document V778
- Renewal reminder for vehicle tax or SORN V11 or V11NI
- Temporary registration certificate V379 or V379NI
- Number plate authorisation certificate V948, with an official DVLA stamp
- Electronic number plate authorisation certificate eV948 or eV948/2
- Letter of authorisation from a fleet operator must quote the V5C document reference
- V5C suppression PDF of the vehicle’s details from the view vehicle record service
- UK trailer registration certificate VTRC
Proof of who you are
Any one of these- Driving licence
- Utility, Council Tax or rates bill from the last 6 months
- Bank or building society statement from the last 6 months
- National identity card
- Passport does not have to be issued in the UK
- Bank or building society debit or credit card
- Police warrant card
- Armed forces identity card
So We Can Accept Them First Time
We have to read the document reference number off your photo and write it into our register, so that number has to be legible.
- Get the whole document in frame, all four corners
- Lay it flat in good light
- Check the reference number is sharp enough to read
- Use the original document, not a photocopy
- Crop any edge off the document
- Shoot it at an angle or in shadow
- Cover part of it with your thumb
- Send a screenshot of a screenshot
Collecting, Or If Something Is Wrong
Collecting in person
Picked collection at the checkout? Then you do not get the email and there is nothing to upload. Just bring both original documents to the shop and we will check them across the counter while your plates are made. Ring 0203 355 9577 before you set off so we have them ready.
If we cannot accept a photo
We email you to say which document was the problem and why — usually it is cut off or too blurry to read the number. The same link still works, so you just send a better photo. Nothing else about your order changes and you do not need to reorder.
About Your Documents
Why do you need all this just for a number plate?
Road legal plates can only be sold by a supplier on the DVLA’s register of number plate suppliers, and the Vehicles (Crime) Act 2001 requires us to check the identity of the buyer and their entitlement to the registration, then keep a record of the sale. It exists to stop plates being cloned onto stolen vehicles. A supplier who skips it can be fined and struck off the register.
Do you keep my documents?
We keep the photos you send and the document reference numbers for three years, which is the retention period required for the register. They are stored on our own server, are not published anywhere, and are only ever looked at by us or by a DVLA or police officer inspecting the register. We do not use them for marketing and we do not pass them to anyone else.
Can I just email the photos instead?
Please use the link in your email. It ties the documents straight onto the right order, which is what stops a mix-up, and it is a lot more secure than sending your ID around as an email attachment. If the link is not working for you, ring us on 0203 355 9577 and we will sort it out.
Can someone else’s documents be used?
The proof of identity has to be yours, and the registration document has to show the vehicle or the number is yours. If you are buying plates for someone else’s vehicle, or for a company vehicle, we need a letter of authorisation that quotes the V5C document reference along with your own ID.
What if I have not had the email?
Give it a few minutes, then check your spam or junk folder. Still nothing? Ring 0203 355 9577 or message us on WhatsApp with your order number and we will send it again.
Does this hold up same day dispatch?
Only if we are waiting on you. Orders placed before 1pm go out the same working day provided the document check has passed by then, so it is worth sending the photos as soon as the email arrives rather than leaving it until the evening.