You can sell your car with a private plate — but what you need to do depends on whether you want to keep the plate or not:
📅 If you DON'T want to keep your private plate:
There’s nothing you need to do. We may just get in touch to confirm before the handover.
📅 If you DO want to keep your private plate:
You’ll need to place the plate on retention with the DVLA before your handover appointment. Once that’s processed, the DVLA will send you a V778 retention certificate (which proves the plate is yours) and a new V5C logbook showing the car’s original registration.
✅ Before your appointment, make sure you refit the original number plates to the car and bring the new V5C logbook with you.
📌 Important: The updated V5C must be ready for your handover. It can take up to 4 weeks to arrive, so allow plenty of time.