Buying A Number Plate As A Gift

A private or cherished number plate has proved to be an increasingly popular gift with customised registrations being given as Birthday presents, Christmas gifts, or to celebrate notable events like graduation. 

Buying a number plate as a gift from Swiftreg is a pain free process and a great way to give personalised present. If you are purchasing a registration as a gift, you can gift the recipient the certificate for them to assign to their suitable vehicle either straight away, or, at a later date of their choosing.

Simply purchase the desired registration on our website and we will post you the legal registration certifcate to pass on to the recipient.

If you choose our Fast Track Transfer Service we can handle the entire legal tranfer on behalf of the reciepient making the legal registration transfer of the gift stress free. You do not need to provide us with any vehicle V5C information at this stage, as this can be supplied to you you/the recipient at a later date.

Can I buy now and gift later?

Yes, you can buy any private number plate in advanced, ie; for birthdays, christmas, anniversaries etc.

This is very common and the person you are gifting this to, will be able to assign this at a date of their choosing. Number plate registrations are normally valid for a 10 year period from the date of purchase/issue of certificate. Once the registration has been assigned to a vehicle, then there is no expiry or time limit on how long you retain ownership.

The DVLA transfer fee is included in all sales of registration marks as this is a compuslory fee - however this does also mean there will be no further government fee's to pay when you/the recipient assigns the registration mark to a vehicle.

Can you transfer this registration for me?

Absolutely!. Add our Fast Track Transfer Service upon check out and we will handle the legal transfer for of the new gifted registration number - choose for us to do so ASAP / a special date in the future, or simply when the recipient is ready, and we will handle the legal transfer of this gift to the recipient's vehicle when you/they are able to provide us the V5C information.

You do not need this information to make the purchase, as it can be provided to us at a later date. We will email you a link after you make your purchase so you can provide the necessary information at any point in the future.

We do not ask for any vehicle information before you make your purchase, so you can secure the perfect registration today before it's gone!

The person this is for does not have a vehicle yet?

No problem! Buy now and the recipient normally has up to 10 years to legally assign it to their future vehicle.

Alternativly if you choose for us to handle the transfer and you or the person you are gifting the number plate to does not have a car yet then you can supply the log book details needed to us via the link we provide in the order confirmation email when you have these.

Can I specify the day of transfer?

Yes. After placing the order, you can select a preferred transfer date and we will aim to complete it on this date subject to normal order processing timecales.

Receiving private plates as a gift

If you have received a personalised registration as a gift, then you should have also received the accompanying certificate that includes details of the purchaser and the name  of the person that will be using the plates. 

Once you are ready to put your new plates on your vehicle you can complete the process in 3 different ways. 

• Do the paperwork online

• Complete paperwork by post

• Use a managed transfer service like we offer at Swiftreg

A managed transfer service will handle all of the necessary legal steps required to ensure that your plates are assigned to your vehicle correctly.

The other 2 options are self-managed and will require you filling in the paperwork yourself and supplying information from your vehicle logbook (VC5). 

Buying private plates for someone else

Buying private number plates as a present for somebody is a relatively easy process. Use the Swiftreg search engine to search thousands of options and find the plates with the words or phrases that you want. 

Registrations come in a variety of different styles so you can play with numbers and letters until you get the ideal format. We also have a selection of low cost registrations

Once you have located the ideal plate, simply purchase it online and wait for your registration entitlement/plates to arrive. We will either post to you the certificate of the entitlement or transfer the registration to the recipients vehicle (if our Fast Track Transfer Service has been selected).

If, when ordering you add the recipient of the entitlement as the ‘Nominee’ their name will be printed on the certificate.

Please note before new physical plates can be fitted to the vehicle a legal transfer of the new registration number needs to be completed, either by the recipient direct themselves online or by using our transfer service.

How long does it take to assign plates?

If you/the recipient handle the legal transfer yourself online this will take a few minutes once you are in receipt of the entitlement certificate. If you are requested to complete a postal transfer this can take a number of weeks.

As soon as soon a legal transfer is completed, the new registration is assigned to the vehicle. You now can legally fit new plates to match the new registration number & you will need to update your insurance company of the change. You are then able to drive on the new registration number! A new V5C will then be sent to the registered keeper.

If you are looking for unique and original number plate ideas to give as a gift for a special Birthday, Christmas or other celebration, then search our extensive database on the Swiftreg site and find them the perfect private number plate.