Terms of Service

Terms & Conditions

Availability of a registration mark is subject to confirmation

A cancelled order may not be refundable, and a Deposit or Payment may be lost.

We rely on others information (Commission Sales) which cannot be guaranteed

It is the Buyers responsibility to inform their Insurance Company of any Registration changes

The Buyer of any registration mark must provide full payment before any transfer will be submitted to DVLA or certificate released. (Any certificate released will be the responsibility of the Buyer as a replacement may not be possible). This payment must be within 14 calendar days of securing the registration by initial part payment, or the transaction will be deemed a failure, and thus lose the Buyer their part payment. The Buyer is responsible for the payment of the current DVLA transfer or retention fee, and for producing the documentation of the vehicle receiving the mark. If a mark is held on a Retention/Entitlement Certificate, the Seller must provide the un-expired certificate to be sent to the DVLA for amendment.

If a Buyer does not proceed with the transfer of the registration mark after paying the part or full payment or fails to supply the full documentation required by DVLA, then no part of this payment is refundable, whatsoever, as the service period commences immediately. Ordered numbers cannot be refunded nor exchanged, nor will any cancellations be accepted.

If a transaction fails due to no fault of the Buyer then he/she will receive a full refund of all amounts paid only. This will be in the form of payment received be it cash, cheque or credit/debit card.

The issue of a new V5C bearing the new registration number shall be conclusive proof that a successful transfer has taken place for both Buyer and Seller.

The Secretary of State for Transport or their agents, the DVLA (as keeper of their records), may, at any time, revoke the right to a registration mark for whatever reason. In this highly unlikely event Ace Registrations Ltd. cannot be held responsible. Ace Registrations Ltd is also not liable for any change in Government legislation or its subsequent consequences.

The Seller of the registration mark appoints Ace Registrations Ltd to advertise and sell the right to transfer the registration mark to a buyer that Ace Registrations Ltd shall find, at the price indicated in the written quotation provided. Ace Registrations Ltd will bear the cost of all advertising and marketing of the plate, subject to the Seller adhering to the terms and conditions of their contracted agreement, and thus at no cost to the seller.

The value payable to the Seller of the mark will be that already agreed in the quotation previously issued or any lower amount agreed with the Seller prior to sale, by letter, telephone, text or email.

The Agency contract of Ace Registrations Ltd. is valid indefinitely. It may ONLY be cancelled by the Seller, upon Written notice by the Seller to Ace Registrations Ltd. by RECORDED DELIVERY POST. Telephone cancellation will NOT be accepted.

A Buyer shall be deemed to be found, once we have received a part payment by cash, cheque or credit card from an intending Purchaser of the mark, or issued a Proforma Invoice. Ace Registrations is under no obligation to check availability before agreeing a sale with a prospective purchaser. The written/verbal contract is confirmation of availability and of the authority of Ace Registrations Ltd to take payment from a prospective purchaser and/or issue a proforma invoice.

If a buyer is found and the number not available and the contract has not been cancelled in writing by the Seller, the Seller shall be liable to pay Ace Registrations Ltd. their costs. This will be to cover advertising and other expenses incurred in selling a registration number, and to replace the lost sales commission on the plate that would have been made.

The Seller shall not incur any liability for any commission to Ace Registrations Ltd once the cancellation notice has been received, prior to any buyer being found. Cancellations cannot be back dated.

The seller must return all valid paperwork as requested upon procurement of any sale within a maximum of ten days of notification of a sale. If a sale falls through due to the failure to provide valid paperwork within this time scale then the seller will again be responsible to replace the lost sales commission on the sale and costs incurred.

The Seller may be asked to present the donor vehicle (the one that carries the mark being sold), to a DVLA Inspection Site, at their own expense. The Seller will also be responsible for affixing the replacement registration mark after approval by the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency (Hereafter referred to as DVLA), and for the cost of any acrylic number plates required.

Full payment for a registration purchased from a Seller for Ace Registrations Ltd stock, or sold on a commission basis to a third party, will only be released upon final approval of the replacement V5C Registration Document by the DVLA.

Ace Registrations Ltd shall be responsible for the administering of documentation required to transfer the registration mark and will process all papers as quickly as is possible, but will NOT be liable for any losses howsoever caused due to any delay otherwise than on the part of Ace Registrations Ltd… If the DVLA revokes the right to a registration mark, Ace Registrations Ltd. will not be liable for any damages, interest or other expense incurred whatsoever.

Any complaints should be directed to; Ace Registrations Ltd, 46 Hill Street, Belfast, BT1 2lB

Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013

Under The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, if a buyer does not proceed with the transfer of the registration mark after paying the part/full payment or fails to supply the full documentation required by DVLA, then no part of this payment is refundable, whatsoever, as the service period commences immediately. Bespoke and personalised items are excluded from Consumer Contract Regulations 2013 for distant sales. This means consumers do not have the right to cancel once orders have been placed as our services in respect of supply of registrations and/or number plates commences immediately. As the Company supplies bespoke services and customised goods, no cooling off period or refunds are given as the Company enters into legally binding contracts with the third parties and number plate manufacturers on the Purchaser's behalf, which cannot be changed or cancelled. If a balance payment is not received, a debt recovery company will be employed to recover any payments outstanding. There will be additional charges for their services. Please note there is no cooling off period.

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Conditions of Transfer

Registration numbers can be held on vehicles or on 'holding' certificates known as Retention Documents or Certificates of Entitlement, but not all vehicles are permitted to take part in the cherished transfer scheme.

This means that although a vehicle may have a registration number, it may not be allowed to transfer it to another vehicle and may not be allowed to receive a new registration.

In order for a vehicle to take part in the 'Cherished Transfer Scheme', the vehicle must comply with certain Department for Transport rules.

Participating vehicles must be currently licensed, of a testable type, and be available for inspection. However, applications involving unlicensed donor vehicles will still be considered if the application to transfer the number is placed within FIVE years of the most recent TAX expiry date and provided there has been no change of keeper since the tax expired and SORN was declared. (Note: In order for a vehicle to qualify for the concession, there must be no break between the expiry date of the licence and the commencement of SORN. In circumstances where the vehicle has had a change of keeper, the vehicle will need to be re-taxed by the new keeper in order to qualify for transfer).

If the donor vehicle has neither tax or MOT, the donor would have to trailer the vehicle to their local DVSA INSPECTION CENTRE for inspection (if required).

Vehicles which (because of their age) are levy exempt (vehicle tax is free), must still be taxed and be renewed each year.

Vehicles which (because of their age) are MOT exempt (pre 1960), will be required by DVLA to undertake a voluntary MOT in order to qualify for transfer.

Non-Transferable Registration Numbers

Some registration numbers are not transferable and therefore cannot be sold:

Q PLATES

Registration numbers containing the letter 'Q' are non-transferable. Nothing can be transferred onto a vehicle once a Q plate has been assigned. Q plates are issued to vehicles normally if the age of the vehicle cannot be determined (e.g. some Kit-cars and some imported vehicles).

HOW TO FIND OUT IF YOU HAVE A NON-TRANSFERABLE REGISTRATION

Sometimes registration numbers are non-transferable, and cannot be sold or transferred to other vehicles. To check to see if your registration is non-transferable you will need to look at your V5C Registration Document in the 'SPECIAL NOTES' section.

NORTHERN IRISH PLATES

Registration numbers CAN be transferred from vehicles in Northern Ireland to vehicles in mainland Britain, and vice versa, however CANNOT be transferred to / from Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney or the Isle of Man.

DIPLOMATIC AND GB TRADE

Diplomatic plates and GB Trade Plates are also non transferable

Insurance Write-Offs

It essential that you discuss your personalised registration number with your insurers at the outset. You will need to ensure they are aware that in the event of a write-off, the vehicle must be made available for inspection if you are to transfer or retain the number. If your insurers settle your claim and sell the vehicle as salvage before the number is properly transferred or retained, the mark will pass with the vehicle to the new keeper and you will lose your entitlement. You will also lose entitlement if the vehicle is sent for scrapping before the number is transferred or retained. Once you have successfully transferred or retained your registration number from the written off vehicle, let your insurers know about the change of number and send them the amended V5C registration document. If your insurers intend to sell the write-off as salvage, the vehicle must display the replacement registration number.

A vehicle is 'written off' when it is judged by insurers to be beyond economical repair. In such a case, the insurance company agrees a pay-out with the insured, and legal ownership of the vehicle then passes to the insurance company. The company is then free to sell the vehicle as salvage and the purchaser may repair it and put it back on the road.

Stolen Vehicles

If your vehicle is stolen and has not been recovered after a year, you can apply to have its registration number re-assigned to your replacement vehicle, providing certain conditions are met. In order to qualify for the concession, the theft must have been notified to the police and recorded at DVLA as stolen for at least 12 months.

In addition, at the time of the theft the vehicle must have had a current test certificate (e.g. MOT) and have tax. The DVLA will also require a letter from your insurers confirming that they have no objection to the number being re-issued (This must be provided because once insurers have settled your claim, they have a rightful claim to the vehicle should it be recovered).

To apply, you will need to write, quoting the registration number and the Police Crime Reference number, to Personalised Registrations, DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1DS

To sell a registration number, you will need to have the letter from DVLA stating that you now have the right to assign the registration number.

DVLA Inspections

From time to time, the Department for Transport will ask that a vehicle is inspected prior to the approval of a transfer to remove or a assign a registration number. These are rare, and there is no suggestion in advance which vehicles may be inspected. This is more common for donor vehicles (the vehicle from which the registration number is being removed).

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) have the right to inspect any vehicle for the purpose of identifying it and ensuring that the details held on DVLA's records are accurate.

If called for an inspection, it is your responsibility to arrange for your vehicle to be taken for the inspection. The inspection consists of both a visual inspection of the vehicle and an inspection of the vehicle record and the accompanying documentation.

If the vehicle does not have current MOT and TAX, then it cannot be driven on the public highway and would have to be trailered (with all four wheels off the ground). This would be at your own expense.

Protect the Rights to Your Registration

Many people lose the right to sell their own registrations, simply because they don't know the Department for Transport rules. Read the following information carefully. If you consider your registration is valuable or worth selling, protect it now, otherwise it may be claimed back by the Department for Transport.

A registration can either be stored on a vehicle or on a Retention Document.

If your registration is currently on a vehicle, you will only be able to sell and transfer it if the vehicle is currently taxed at the time the transfer application is placed with DVLA.

If you have any queries, call the DVLA on 0300 7906802.

Applications will also be considered if the application to transfer the number is placed within FIVE years of the most recent TAX expiry date and provided there has been no change of keeper since the tax expired and SORN was declared. (Note: In order for a vehicle to qualify for the concession, there must be no break between the expiry date of the licence and the commencement of SORN. In circumstances where the vehicle has had a change of keeper, the vehicle will need to be re-taxed by the new keeper in order to qualify for transfer).

Once you have sold, scrapped or permanently exported the vehicle, you cannot transfer the registration.

It therefore follows that if you are thinking about selling, scrapping or exporting the vehicle, you should consider transferring the registration off FIRST. This can be done by YOU, simply by applying to the DVLA. You then have ten years to find a recipient vehicle for your registration (this is renewable). The DVLA will ask you to pay the £80 assignment fee up front, at the point you apply to put your registration on retention.

To apply to put your registration number onto retention you can apply online. You'll need the 11 digit document reference number from the latest V5C vehicle registration certificate (logbook) and a valid credit or debit card for the £80 fee. The registration number will be retained in the name of the registered keeper.
NOTE: If you are in the process of buying or selling a number with Ace Registrations Ltd, you should ask before making an online application, as this may delay or void transfers which are already in progress.

The DVLA guarantee to refund the £80 assignment fee if you do not assign or transfer the registration at all, after the ten year period has elapsed. Alternatively, you can renew the Retention Document for a further ten years