Form V317, Application to Transfer or Retain a Vehicle Registration Number, is the DVLA form used to move a registration number (including personalised or "cherished" plates) from one vehicle to another, or to remove it from a vehicle and hold it on a retention certificate (V778) for future use. Both processes preserve a valuable or sentimental registration number when you sell, scrap, or replace a vehicle, rather than letting the number stay attached to a vehicle you no longer own.
Anyone who owns a UK-registered vehicle with a personalised or transferable registration and wants to either move that plate to a different vehicle they own, or take the plate off before selling or scrapping the vehicle. Both the "donor" vehicle and the "recipient" vehicle (if transferring directly) must meet DVLA eligibility rules - for example, the vehicle must be registered and taxed (or have an SORN), and both vehicles typically need a valid MOT if applicable. Number plates cannot be transferred if either vehicle has an outstanding finance marker or certain other restrictions.
The registration number must not be currently on retention already assigned elsewhere; the donor vehicle must have a full logbook (V5C) and typically must have been kept for at least a set period since its last registration change (rules vary); the number must not carry certain restrictions (Q-plates, age-related plates that would misrepresent a vehicle's age if moved, etc.); and both vehicles must be roadworthy or appropriately SORN'd. The DVLA's V317 guidance notes and eligibility checker on GOV.UK confirm whether a specific number can be moved.
Complete V317 with details of both vehicles (or the retention details if not transferring immediately), attach the V5C(s), and send to DVLA Swansea with the transfer or retention fee - currently £80. The form itself is free; you only pay the DVLA's processing fee. Many transfers can now be done online through GOV.UK for eligible vehicles, which is faster than the postal route. Processing by post typically takes a couple of weeks; retention certificates last 10 years and can be renewed before expiry.
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