DVLA

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
DVLA

DRIVING LICENCE ENTITLEMENTS
In some cases previously held entitlements have been dropped upon renewal either at age 70 or when notifying a change of address. With the former it was usually due to a formal request not being made and lack of submission of an appropriate medical certificate. As from 1998 new applicants for categories B+E, C1/C1E/D1/D1E have been required to pass additional tests but holders at that date were effectively ‘grandfathered’ until renewal. Technically, at age 70 licences expire and must be renewed every three years thereafter but provided a medical certificate is submitted (not necessary for B+E) with the request DVLA will renew these additional categories.

Other cases where motorcycle licence holders have complained that their entitlement has been dropped have been investigated and invariably found to be due to the holder failing to submit their pass certificate within the relevant time period. Formerly this was within 10 years of the test pass but this was subsequently reduced to three years and is now further reduced to two years. If an applicant can dig out an old licence showing that an entitlement was valid and properly notified DVLA will reinstate but did advise that most appellants had discovered they had failed to submit their ‘pink slip’. Whether this was because of euphoria at passing, memory failure or changed circumstances remains obscure; the only other method of reinstatement is to submit to the considerably more expensive new testing regime.

V765 SCHEME
A guide for member clubs and a sample inspection form are available to download.

Registering Historic Vehicles
The V765 scheme is a mechanism where an owner can get back the right to display the original registration number on the vehicle. If there is insufficient documentary evidence for that, then possibly an ‘age-related’ number will be issued. There are circumstances where DVLA may allocate a ‘Q’ plate. Further information is contained in two DVLA information sheets, (V848) ‘How to register your “old” vehicle’, and (INF 26) ‘Guidelines for the registration of rebuilt or radically altered vehicles and kit cars’.

Clubs that are registered with the DVLA to countersign V765 applications are listed on form V765/1. (V765/2 in the annual registration form and V765/3 is entitled Guidance Notes.) The V765/1 list can be found on the DVLA website: http://www.dvla.gov.uk/media/pdf/leaflets/v765×1.pdf

Some owners appear to be under the impression that if you want to get back the original registration number, all you need is just the original registration plate attached to the vehicle, without any associated contemporary documentation. Not so. In circumstances like this, provided the conditions of the above two information sheets are complied with, you will be allocated an age-related number. As said above, some ‘original vehicle registers’ still exist, typically in the original local taxation authority archives. A comprehensive list of which records still exists is listed in a book, now unfortunately out of print, called How to Trace the History of Your Car by Philip Riden (second edition 1998). Despite the title, it is equally applicable to commercial vehicles.

Documentary evidence
In the absence of a) an old style log book, or b) a tax disc, MoT, or insurance certificate dated 1983 or earlier, then the application rests on c) archive or library records, or lastly d) other documentary evidence dated 1983 or earlier.

Often where you have to resort to archive records, this could be the original registration records, which can have varying levels of detail, but they could be called a DVLA ‘legacy record’ so DVLA can make an experienced qualified judgement, if they are prepared to accept that that particular record relates to that particular vehicle.

Where the original registration records are not available, and you are resorting to other documentary evidence dated 1983 or before, then it is more important that the certified copy of the document has a link between registration number and the chassis number. If that link does not exist, then the vehicle could well be allocated an age-related number.

Vehicle Inspections
Vehicle inspection is standard practice. For a club the inspection has two main benefits: firstly to maintain the reputation of the club, by verifying that those chassis number photographs or ‘brass rubbings’ are actually from that particular vehicle and the second purpose relates to the owner of the vehicle. Often, an owner has bought an historic vehicle that is not registered with DVLA. The owner will then join the club, and ask for assistance to get it registered with DVLA. The owner sends to the club V765 signatory, various documents, photographs, brass rubbings, etc, and an inspection is arranged.

Typically the inspection brings up no surprises. However, the new member has now met up with a fellow club member (the inspector), chosen for his long membership with the club, close proximity to the new member, and having a vehicle similar to the one being inspected - so the inspection can be as much about confirming the details of the vehicle, as it is the social side, in that the new member is introduced to a local ‘old hand’, who might be able to assist in the future. This can assist at membership renewal time.

There is of course no requirement for the vehicle owner to be a member of the club carrying out the inspection. However, some clubs will charge one level of inspection administration fee to non-members, and a reduced level of inspection administration fee (if any) to members, this being treated as one of the benefits of club membership. In both cases, reimbursement of the inspector’s reasonable travelling expenses by the vehicle owner is treated separately, and agreed beforehand.

Administration
DVLA reminds everybody that if a V765 application is rejected, they will send the failed application documents back to the applicant. DVLA should also notify the club of the failed application. I would suggest that it is always useful if applicants keep the club notified of events.

it is essential that original documents are not sent to DVLA. The reasoning behind this statement was that if the original document gets lost, unless you have a certified copy, it would be highly likely that a claim for that registration number would be rejected. Using registered or insured post will not bring back any documents lost in the post. Original documents are sent at the owner’s risk.

On the V765 form there is the option of applying to have the vehicle registered and licensed in one go (Option G). This would be done at the local DVLA office. Prior to submitting the application, the vehicle would need an MoT, with the vehicle being identified by the chassis number, instead of the registration number. Similarly the vehicle would need to be insured, under either its chassis number, or under a number not yet allocated at DVLA. Once registered under its claimed registration number at DVLA, the MoT certificate (and if applicable insurance certificate) would need to be corrected. If for some reason DVLA were not able to allocate the number being claimed for the vehicle, then this could entail more clerical corrections so it can be much easier to separate the activities of registration and licensing.

Address to send V765 applications
The name and address to be used on correspondence is: VCS/Duplicate VRN Team, D3, DVLA, Longview Road, Swansea SA99 1ZZ.

DVLA procedural trial

There is no charge made by the DVLA for a V765 application (compared to an age related mark application which costs £55) and it is therefore quite reasonable that DVLA should look quite closely at a staff suggestion which will make the processing of V765 applications more efficient.

The suggestion made at the beginning of 2009 was that if a V765 application is successful, then a copy of the acceptance slip will not be returned to the club’s V765 certifier, although any rejection will still be communicated. Any application should go through the system within four weeks, and DVLA anticipate that news of a rejection would be communicated much sooner than that.

The Federation only received one comment against this new procedure and so this is now the current situation. DVLA are confident that this will save a great deal of time and money.

Useful documents
As a result of the Club Expo meeting on 5 December 2009, where the FBHVC gave a presentation on the potential pitfalls of historic vehicle registration, it became obvious that there was a demand for a list of useful documents for anyone undertaking either a V765 application or an age-related number plate application. We have put together a list, which is not exhaustive but will provide a good start. Please click here to download.