Lost car papers - how to tax car?

azthal

Good evening!

Today I realized that I have screwed up quite badly, and i'm starting to panic just a little bit.

I moved to a new home last year. I of course told DVLA that I had moved as one must do - or so I thought. My vehicle tax is coming up on 1st of September, and I was surprised I haven't seen anything from DVLA yet.

Simple reason - I only changed my driver's license address, naively assuming that doing so would take care of everything DVLA related for me. It does not.

No big deal, I can just update my address and tax the car. The problem is, I can not find my V5C or any of my other car-related papers for that matter. Have turned the flat inside out and I'm pretty sure I must somehow have thrown the papers away.

Again, no big deal, I can go to the post office and sort that out as per this link: https://www.postoffice.co.uk/identity/vehicle-tax
Except for this requirement: "A valid MOT certificate (valid from the date your vehicle tax starts or the date your vehicle tax is issued, whichever is later)"

My latest MOT certificate was kept with all my other car papers - which as mentioned above has gone missing.

I'm planning on going to the post office first thing tomorrow and see if I can still sort this out. Do anyone know if they actually need the MOT Certificate paper, or is it enough to show that the car has a valid MOT? I can show that on the website, it passed with flying colours earlier this year.

And, perhaps most importantly, if I do need the MOT certificate paper, then what do I do? To get a copy you need the V5C. But to get the V5C I need the MOT certificate.

Any advice here from would be very appreciated, while I go and look through every nook and cranny of my flat one more time to hopefully find these papers.

TLDR;

New Address, lost V5C, Tax soon, lost MOT certificate as well, what do?

user1977

I would guess wherever did the MoT can run off another copy of the certificate?

azthal

user1977 said:

I would guess wherever did the MoT can run off another copy of the certificate?

I considered that as well, but as far as I can tell, that still requires you to have the V5C number as proof that you are the owner and that they are allowed to give a copy out.

I haven't checked it with my MOT guys yet, so I will give them a call tomorrow morning, but that is what the DVLA's website seems to indicate.

Bigwheels1111

Check online to see if your mot is valid.

https://www.check-mot.service.gov.uk/?_ga=2.70855760.1985297561.1660079780-1432240764.1660079780

If it is go to the garage for a copy and then the post office.
Take insurance documents as well.

I have a bad habit, I’m anal retentive.
I scan log book, mot, licence, Paid bills and anything I think I might need in the future.
Then upload it to a specific email address that only I know of.
It has a very very secure password.

I then have access to anything important at a moment’s notice anywhere.

azthal

@Bigwheels1111 , yeah, the car has passed MOT no problems. I'll speak with the MOT place first thing tomorrow and hopefully they can help me without me having the V5C number.

As for your way of handling important papers, I sure wish I had that "bad habit" right now as well! I'm generally really good at keeping track of important papers (if anything I keep stuff for way too long), and have never lost anything like this before, but having an online copy sounds like a brilliant idea.

macman

A lot of people get caught this way. They change the licence but not the V5C address. Then any parking charges, speeding tickets etc get sent to the old address.
Some time later, they find they've got a CCJ for a claim they didn't know existed.

jon81uk

You can get a new V5C using this form
V62_230919.jpg (publishing.service.gov.uk)