Import car number plates in the UK start with your V5C logbook from the DVLA. It shows your UK number. Then you take the right papers to a registered plate maker, and they make your plates. You cannot skip the first part. Here is the whole thing in easy steps.
Why the V5C comes first
Your plates show a number. That number comes from the DVLA. Until the DVLA registers the car and sends you the V5C logbook, there is no number to put on a plate. So the plates are the last thing, not the first.
No V5C, no number. No number, no plates. Get the logbook first, then everything else is quick.
The steps to get your plates
Wait for your V5C
The DVLA sends you the V5C logbook after you register the car. This usually takes a few weeks. Your UK number is on it.
Get your papers ready
You need two things: proof of who you are (like a driving licence or passport) and proof you can use the number (the V5C or the new keeper slip). Bring the real papers, not copies.
Go to a registered plate supplier
Plates must be made by a supplier on the DVLA register. Many motor factors and online sellers are registered. They check your papers, then make the plates.
Fit the plates
Put the plates on the front and back. Now the car shows its UK number, matching the V5C. If the car is taxed, insured, and has an MOT (if it needs one), you can drive it.
If you send the DVLA proof of when the car was made, an older import can get an age-related number that suits its year, instead of a Q plate. This looks right on a classic and keeps its character. When we prepare your DVLA forms, we include the proof of age for exactly this.
Want the paperwork sorted for you?
We handle the customs and NOVA and prepare every DVLA form, including the proof of age for an age-related number. You just sign and post. From £95.
Get my free registration quoteThe plate rules to follow
UK plates have to follow a set style: the right font, the right size, black letters on white at the front and yellow at the back. A registered supplier makes them the legal way, so you do not have to worry about the details. Show plates that break the rules and you can be fined and fail the MOT.
What if the number looks wrong?
If your V5C shows a Q plate but you think the car should have an age-related number, you can send the DVLA proof of its date and ask them to change it. It is easier to get this right at the registration stage than to fix it later.
Since Brexit we have cleared over 1,500 vehicles into the UK. If you would rather not deal with the paperwork, let us handle the import: we prepare every DVLA form, you just sign and post.