Terms & Conditions

1. About Us

FindPlates is a trading name of FindPlates Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales (Company No. 17091909). Our registered office is in England and Wales. We are an independent reseller of DVLA personalised registrations and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting as agents of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).

By using findplates.co.uk or placing an order with us, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to these Terms & Conditions in their entirety. If you do not agree, you must not use our website or services.

We may update these Terms at any time by publishing a revised version on this website. The version in force at the time you place your order will apply to that order.

2. Definitions

Throughout these Terms the following words have the meanings given below:

• "We / Us / FindPlates" — FindPlates Ltd, the company providing this service.
• "You / Purchaser" — the individual or organisation placing an order with us.
• "Registration" or "Registration Mark" — the unique alphanumeric combination issued and controlled by the DVLA which identifies a vehicle.
• "Rights to display" — the tradable entitlement to display a Registration Mark on a vehicle, as controlled by the DVLA under the Cherished Transfer Scheme.
• "V750 Certificate of Entitlement" — a DVLA certificate issued for a newly purchased Registration Mark not yet assigned to a vehicle.
• "V778 Retention Document" — a DVLA certificate issued when a Registration Mark is removed from a vehicle for later assignment.
• "Certificate" — a V750 or V778 document collectively.
• "Transfer" — the process of moving a Registration Mark from one vehicle to another.
• "Assignment" — the process of placing a Registration Mark from a Certificate onto a vehicle.
• "Retention" — the process of removing a Registration Mark from a vehicle onto a V778 Certificate.
• "Managed Transfer" — the optional add-on service where FindPlates submits the transfer application to the DVLA on your behalf.
• "Physical Plates" — acrylic number plates manufactured to display the Registration Mark on a vehicle.
• "DVLA fee" — the government fee (currently £80) payable to the DVLA for transfers and assignments. This fee is set by the DVLA and is outside our control.
• "Formation" — the point at which a binding contract is created between you and FindPlates, which occurs when we confirm acceptance of your order and payment is received.

3. Buying a Registration

3.1 How orders work

By placing an order on findplates.co.uk you are making an offer to purchase the rights to display the specified Registration Mark. A binding contract ("Formation") is created only when we confirm acceptance of your order and cleared payment has been received. An order confirmation email does not by itself constitute Formation — we reserve the right to cancel an order prior to Formation if a Registration is found to be unavailable.

3.2 Availability

All Registrations are subject to availability. Availability can change rapidly. While we take reasonable care to ensure our listings are accurate, a Registration may become unavailable due to simultaneous purchases, DVLA listing changes, or circumstances beyond our control. If a Registration you have paid for becomes unavailable through no fault of your own, you will receive a full refund of all amounts paid to FindPlates. We are not liable for any consequential losses in such circumstances.

3.3 Age requirement

You must be at least 18 years old to place an order with FindPlates.

3.4 Accuracy of information

It is your sole responsibility to ensure that all details you provide when placing an order — including your name, address, vehicle registration, and nominee details — are accurate and complete. FindPlates cannot be held responsible for losses or delays caused by inaccurate information supplied by you.

3.5 DVLA approval

All Registrations and transfers are ultimately subject to DVLA approval. In the rare event that the DVLA withdraws or cancels a Registration before it has been assigned to a vehicle, we will refund all amounts you have paid to FindPlates. If the DVLA cancels a Registration after it has been assigned to your vehicle, you must direct any claim directly to the DVLA. FindPlates accepts no liability for DVLA decisions made after assignment.

3.6 Promotional codes

Promotional codes are subject to the specific terms stated at the time of issue. Only one promotional code may be applied per order. Codes cannot be applied retrospectively to completed orders and have no cash value.

4. Pricing & Payment

4.1 What our price includes

All prices shown on our website are inclusive of our service fee. The DVLA transfer fee (currently £80) is a government charge payable at the time of transfer and is shown separately at checkout. This fee is set by the DVLA and may change at any time; FindPlates has no control over it.

4.2 Payment

Full payment is required at the time of placing your order. We accept payment via the methods shown at checkout. Payment is processed securely via our payment provider (Stripe). Your order will not be processed until cleared funds are received.

4.3 Price changes

Until a binding contract is formed (see Section 3.1), Registration prices may change at any time without notice. In the unlikely event of a pricing error on our website, we will notify you and give you the option to proceed at the correct price or receive a full refund. We are not obligated to honour incorrectly priced listings.

4.4 VAT

Government DVLA fees do not attract VAT. Our service fee pricing is displayed inclusive of any applicable VAT where relevant.

5. DVLA Eligibility

The DVLA does not permit Registration Marks with a date identifier to be displayed on a vehicle registered before that identifier was issued. For example, a "24" plate cannot be assigned to a vehicle first registered before February 2024. This rule applies to current-style, prefix, and suffix format registrations. Dateless registrations have no age restriction.

It is your sole responsibility to verify that the Registration you wish to purchase is eligible for your vehicle before completing your order. We recommend using the DVLA's official vehicle enquiry service at gov.uk and the DVLA Personalised Registrations website before ordering. FindPlates accepts no liability for purchases made without verifying eligibility.

Transfers and assignments will not be permitted by the DVLA for vehicles whose identity or age cannot be verified from their registration and chassis records, or for Q-registered vehicles. It is your responsibility to ensure your vehicle is eligible before purchasing.

For imported vehicles, the date of first manufacture is used to determine eligibility, not the UK registration date.

6. Cancellations & Refunds

6.1 No cooling-off period — personalised registrations

Personalised vehicle registration marks are bespoke items specifically assigned to an individual purchaser by the DVLA. They are made to your specification and personalised to you. As such, they are exempt from the standard 14-day right to cancel under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 (Regulation 28(1)(b) — contracts for the supply of goods made to the consumer's specification or clearly personalised).

Our services commence immediately upon Formation (see Section 3.1). Once payment has been received and confirmed, we act upon your instructions immediately and in good faith, which includes entering into arrangements with the DVLA and third parties on your behalf that cannot be reversed.

All sales are final. We are unable to offer cancellations or refunds once a contract has been formed, except in the circumstances described in Sections 6.2 and 6.3 below.

6.2 When we will refund you

You will be entitled to a full refund of all amounts paid to FindPlates in the following circumstances:

• The Registration you purchased is found to be unavailable after payment has been taken (through no fault of your own).
• The DVLA withdraws or cancels the Registration before it has been assigned to a vehicle (see Section 3.5).
• A transfer or assignment fails due to a fault on our part, and we are unable to rectify it.

In all other cases, no refund will be given. Our liability is limited to a refund of amounts paid directly to FindPlates and does not extend to consequential losses, expenses, or loss of earnings.

6.3 Errors — contact us immediately

If you believe there has been an error with your order, please contact us immediately before the DVLA transfer is initiated. We will do our best to assist, but we cannot guarantee that changes or cancellations are possible once the process has begun.

6.4 The DVLA £80 fee

The £80 DVLA transfer fee is a government charge paid directly to the DVLA as part of the transfer process. In certain circumstances, the DVLA may permit you to surrender a V778 or V750 certificate and claim a refund of this fee directly from the DVLA — this is a matter between you and the DVLA and does not affect our service fee, which remains non-refundable.

6.5 Documentation deadlines

Where a transfer requires documentation from you (such as a V5C logbook), you must provide this within 21 days of our request unless otherwise agreed in writing. Failure to provide required documents within this timeframe may result in the Registration being placed on a retention certificate at your cost, or the transfer being delayed or cancelled. FindPlates reserves the right to recover any additional fees incurred as a result of your delay.

7. Transfer Process

7.1 Managed Transfer service

Where you have selected our Managed Transfer add-on, FindPlates will submit the transfer application to the DVLA on your behalf once all required documentation has been received. This service is designed to make the process as straightforward as possible for you.

7.2 DVLA timelines and decisions

Transfers are processed by the DVLA. We are not responsible for delays, rejections, or decisions made by the DVLA. Processing times are set by the DVLA and are outside our control. Transfers can take up to 12 weeks in some circumstances, though most are completed sooner. If a transfer cannot be completed within 12 weeks after we have received both cleared payment and all required documentation from you, and the delay is not caused by your actions, you may be entitled to a full refund upon written request.

7.3 Vehicle requirements

Any vehicle receiving a Registration must be taxed and, where applicable, hold a valid MOT or Goods Vehicle Test certificate at the time of transfer. Transfers cannot be completed for vehicles without a valid tax disc unless a Statutory Off-Road Notification (SORN) is in force. Unexplained gaps in tax periods not covered by a SORN may delay or prevent a transfer.

7.4 Displaying the new registration

You must not display the new Registration on your vehicle until the transfer has been officially completed and confirmed by the DVLA. Displaying a Registration Mark before official completion is a criminal offence.

7.5 Self-transfer

If you choose to manage the transfer yourself (without our Managed Transfer add-on), we will provide you with the relevant documentation. You are responsible for submitting this to the DVLA correctly and on time. FindPlates accepts no liability for self-managed transfers that fail due to errors or delays on your part.

8. DVLA Certificates (V750 / V778)

8.1 Certificate issue

Where a Registration is not immediately assigned to a vehicle, it will be issued on a V750 Certificate of Entitlement or V778 Retention Document. These certificates are valid for a period set by the DVLA (typically up to 10 years from the date of issue) and display an expiry date.

8.2 Your responsibility

It is your sole responsibility to ensure that the Registration is assigned to a vehicle before the certificate's expiry date. Once a certificate expires, the Registration Mark is permanently lost in accordance with DVLA rules, with no possibility of reinstatement or financial recompense. FindPlates accepts no liability for any loss arising from your failure to assign the Registration before the certificate expires.

8.3 Nominee names

A nominee may be named on your certificate as an additional person authorised to use the Registration. If you wish to change or add a nominee, please contact us. Additional processing fees and DVLA timescales may apply.

8.4 Lost or damaged certificates

If your certificate is lost or damaged, a replacement can be obtained from the DVLA. We can assist with this process; an administration fee may apply. Please contact us as soon as possible if your certificate is lost, as expired certificates cannot be replaced.

9. Physical Number Plates

9.1 Made to order

Physical acrylic number plates are manufactured to your specification and are therefore also non-refundable once production has commenced. By ordering physical plates, you acknowledge that these are personalised goods exempt from the 14-day cancellation right under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 (Regulation 28(1)(b)).

9.2 Legal compliance

All physical plates are manufactured to comply with current DVLA and British Standard BS AU 145e regulations. It is your responsibility to ensure the plates are fitted correctly and legally on your vehicle. FindPlates accepts no liability for plates fitted incorrectly or used unlawfully. You must not alter or misrepresent the characters on the plate in any way.

9.3 ID verification

As a registered number plate supplier, we are required by law to verify your identity before dispatching physical plates. You will be asked to provide proof of identity and proof of entitlement to the Registration. We cannot dispatch plates until this has been verified.

9.4 When plates will be dispatched

Physical plates will only be dispatched once (i) the DVLA has confirmed the Registration transfer or retention to your certificate, and (ii) valid proof of identity has been received. You must not display the new plates until you have received updated DVLA documentation confirming the new Registration.

9.5 Delivery and damage

Plates are dispatched via a tracked delivery service. You must notify us within 21 days of dispatch if plates have not been delivered or if there is a defect. We cannot replace plates reported after this time. Plates damaged due to incorrect fitting, vandalism, or accident are not covered.

10. Liability

FindPlates acts as a reseller of DVLA personalised registrations. Our liability in connection with any purchase is limited to the total amount paid to FindPlates for that specific transaction.

We are not liable for:

• Any indirect, consequential, or special losses, including loss of earnings or loss of enjoyment.
• Delays, rejections, or decisions made by the DVLA or the Department for Transport.
• Losses caused by your failure to provide accurate information, required documentation, or payment on time.
• The actions or omissions of third-party postal or delivery services.
• Any Registration becoming unavailable due to circumstances beyond our control.
• Any Registration or certificate expiring due to your failure to assign it to a vehicle in time.

Nothing in these Terms limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability that cannot be excluded by law.

Your statutory consumer rights are not affected by these Terms.

11. Intellectual Property

All content on this website — including text, images, design, logos, and software — is the property of FindPlates Ltd or its licensors. You may not reproduce, redistribute, or commercially exploit any content without our prior written permission. You may print or save pages for your personal, non-commercial use.

12. Privacy & Data

We handle your personal data in accordance with our Privacy Policy, the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), and the Data Protection Act 2018. We do not sell your personal data to third parties. In order to complete transfers and assignments, it may be necessary to share relevant details with the DVLA, Royal Mail, or other third-party services involved in the transaction.

13. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any disputes arising out of or in connection with these Terms or our services shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

If any provision of these Terms is found by a court to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

Our failure to enforce any provision of these Terms does not constitute a waiver of our right to enforce it at a later date.

14. Complaints

If you have a concern about your order, please contact us in the first instance. We aim to acknowledge all complaints within 24 hours (Monday to Friday) and to provide a full response within 10 working days. In more complex cases, we will provide progress updates every 10 working days and a final response within 8 weeks.

All formal complaints should be submitted in writing via our contact form or by email so that we can fully investigate your case. Please include your order reference, the Registration in question, and a clear description of your concern.