Vehicle registration certificate
A vehicle registration certificate is an official document providing proof of registration of a motor vehicle. It is used primarily by governments as a means of ensuring that all road vehicles are on the national vehicle register, but is also used as a form of law enforcement and to facilitate change of ownership when buying and selling a vehicle.
European Union and European Economic Area
In the European Economic Area (EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway), vehicle registration certificates are governed by the European directive 1999/37/EC.[1] The information contained in these registration certificates includes:
- Vehicle registration number
- Personal data of the individual to whom the vehicle is registered
- Vehicle identification number (VIN)
- Engine specifications
- Exhaust emissions
United Kingdom
In the UK the document (V5C) was previously referred to as the "log book",[2] and this is still common usage. The document is issued by the DVLA and tracks the registered keeper of the vehicle, rather than the owner. When a vehicle is transferred, exported, scrapped or had major modification (new engine, chassis or factors affecting the taxation class) the form is returned to the DVLA, who issue a new document, if appropriate, with the amended details.
2001 redesign
A new design was issued in 2001 to comply with EC directive 2001/127/EC, not as a result of a theft of blank forms in the same year.[3]
Red forms
In 2011/2012 a program was launched to replace the previous blue forms were with new red forms as a result of "theft of a number of blank V5Cs".[4] The theft may have been of several hundred thousand forms in 2007/8,[5] or the loss of over two million forms reported in 2008.[6] Both or either incidents may relate to blank forms returned to a supplier in 2006 for overprinting which were eventually sent to be destroyed.[7]
The police (AVCIS) launched "Operation Drift" to recover stolen forms, over a thousand being recovered.[8] The relevant serial numbers of the illegal VC5s are either (according to the police):
- BG 8407501 – BG 8431000
- BG 9167501 – BG 9214000
- BG 9282001 – BG 9305000
- BI 2305501 – BI 2800000[8]
Or, according to the DVLA reported in Parker's:
- BG 8229501 - BG 9999030
- BI 2305501 - BI 2800000 [6]
See also
- Electric vehicle conversion
- Pink slip
- Vehicle identification number (VIN)
- Vehicle register
- Vehicle registration plate
- Vehicle registration
References
- ↑ European Directive 1999/37/EC - Europa
- ↑ http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Diol1/DoItOnline/DG_4017825
- ↑ Paul Jeffreys. "Freedom of information response" (PDF).
- ↑ "Your new, red Vehicle Registration Certificate (V5C)" (PDF). DVLA. 2011. INS215 7/11. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
- ↑ "Fake number plates, fake Vin plates and fake V5Cs". The Consumers Association. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
- 1 2 "DVLA in stolen documents scandal". 19 August 2008. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
- ↑ "DVLA Annual Report and Accounts 2010-11: Specific Control Issues".
- 1 2 "Operation Drift" (PDF) (1). January–March 2009. Retrieved 16 December 2011.