Deceased personalised plate

JenJess

Can someone please advise? My husband passed away, his car has personalised numberplate I'd like to keep and maybe use myself, after selling his car. Will I have to transfer car registration to my name to do this? I'm really confused.

springmagpie

Apparently you need to transfer it before you notify them of the death, otherwise you lose the plate. 

poppystar

DVLA will transfer the ownership as soon as there are informed of the death and I can see no reason why a private plate would be handled any differently to a regular plate. So if you are the person notifying of death and or Executor then the transfer should be into your name anyway. 

HHarry

I transferred my Mums car into my name, put the registration on rentention, then sold the car.

I’ve still got the retention certificate somewhere.  I was never worried about any value, I just didn’t want to see it driving around locally.

Merlin139

HHarry said:

I transferred my Mums car into my name, put the registration on rentention, then sold the car.

I’ve still got the retention certificate somewhere.  I was never worried about any value, I just didn’t want to see it driving around locally.

You maybe aware but a retention certificate is only valid for 10 years. So if you want to use the registration or sell it do it before the 10 years is up.

sheramber

You can renew  the retention  before it runs out at 10 years.

If you don't renew it it is lost.

Car_54

poppystar said:

DVLA will transfer the ownership as soon as there are informed of the death and I can see no reason why a private plate would be handled any differently to a regular plate. So if you are the person notifying of death and or Executor then the transfer should be into your name anyway. 

DVLA neither know nor care about ownership.

facade

The personalised numberplate "belongs" to the car it is on.

If you transfer the car into your name, like HHarry above, then you can remove the personalised plate onto a retention certificate, which gives the certificate holder the right to allocate that number to a vehicle. The certificate can be sold or given away by the person named on it (you as the keeper at the time of retention).

If you transfer the car to someone else with the number still on it, then the number goes with it, and they are the only person who can remove the number.

I don't know if there are special measures in place for the death of the keeper of the vehicle. 

You could simply apply online now to retain the number, the certificate will be in your late husbands name though.

Goudy

First off, your husdand is still the registered keeper of that vehicle with that number plate so you need to register the vehicle in your name.

You should write to DVLA including the V5C explaining who you are, relationship, date of death and so on and they would transfer "keepership" to you.
https://www.gov.uk/tell-dvla-about-bereavement/keeping-the-vehicle


Once you have the V5C (logbook) in your name, you are free to transfer the reg number from that car.
https://www.gov.uk/personalised-vehicle-registration-numbers/take-private-number-off

Your husbands car (now in your name) will be issued a normal, aged related reg number so you can sell it or whatever.

diystarter7

Goudy said:

First off, your husdand is still the registered keeper of that vehicle with that number plate so you need to register the vehicle in your name.

You should write to DVLA including the V5C explaining who you are, relationship, date of death and so on and they would transfer "keepership" to you.
https://www.gov.uk/tell-dvla-about-bereavement/keeping-the-vehicle


Once you have the V5C (logbook) in your name, you are free to transfer the reg number from that car.
https://www.gov.uk/personalised-vehicle-registration-numbers/take-private-number-off

Your husbands car (now in your name) will be issued a normal, aged related reg number so you can sell it or whatever.

Good point but it has it flaws. EG, lets assume the OP's husband bought the car brand new, therefore if he was to sell it when he was alive the car would be sold as one owner from new. With the process you have suggested, the wife becomes the second owner.

I would very strongly recommed the OP calls the DVLA and tell them of:

Her husband passed away.

The car registered in husband's name has a private plate, therefore, want to remove it to a retention certificate and then transfer to her car or a straight move from husband to her car which may be possible.

I'm certain they will seek evidence of death etc.

Then armed with the above info the OP can proceed without compromising the value of the car, IE having one extra owner when it did not need one. The car could easily be sold with evidence of the husband's death certificate/probate papers copy etc.


Apologies if I have confused anyone but the best way forward is to contact the DVLA they are very help and will save you devaluing your husband's car as I am guessing it is worth a bit of money.

Goudy

It isn't a suggestion, that's the way it is as stated by DVLA.

DVLA don't care if it's had one or 1000 owners, it's value isn't their concern. Who is responsible for it is.

To add insult to injury, DVLA will even return the unused portion of the RFL back in form of a cheque made payable to the former registered keeper even though they know they are no longer with us (I kid not).

They are a government organisation, you can't expect common sense or compassion!

The late owners wife can of course try selling the car as the widow of the late registered keeper but they would have to either sell it with the plate on or try and transfer it off first but either tranaction with DVLA would be them "being" the late registered keeper.

But, if they have filled in one of them "Tell Us Once" forms from Gov uk, DVLA will already have a record of the death and any "stray" transaction relating to the vehicle by the late regisitered keeper may be stopped as they will consider something funny is going on.