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Vehicle Registration Certificate V5C A Driver's Guide

Vehicle Registration Certificate V5C A Driver's Guide

Vehicle Registration Certificate V5C A Guide For Drivers

This guide has been prepared by Sandwell Automatic Driving School, and is intended to provide general information to help drivers to understand the Vehicle Registration Certificate, V5C, and to stay legal; whilst every effort has been made to ensure that the information is accurate and up to date, it is not intended to be a legal guide.

The Vehicle Registration Certificate is also known as:

The Vehicle Registration Certificate is an official document that is issued by DVLA and records details of the vehicle and the registered keeper of the vehicle.

The V5C document does not prove ownership of a vehicle, but in many cases the owner will be the registered keeper.

The Registered Keeper of the vehicle is the person that will be contacted in relation to any official matter regarding the vehicle, this could include:

The V5C or Vehicle Registration Certificate shows details to identify the vehicle, including:

The Vehicle Registration Certificate is a useful document when arranging Road Tax for your vehicle, your car insurance company might want to see a copy, and it is an essential document when buying or selling a vehicle.

When a vehicle is sold there is a legal requirement on both the seller and buyer to notify DVLA that the owner and the registered keeper of the vehicle has changed, this can be done online or by using the relevant section of the V5C.


This guide has been prepared by Sandwell Automatic Driving School, and is intended to provide general information to help drivers to understand the Vehicle Registration Certificate, V5C, and to stay legal; whilst every effort has been made to ensure that the information is accurate and up to date, it is not intended to be a legal guide.

Pages in the Law and Documentation A Drivers Guide section of the Sandwell Automatic Driving School website:

Sections of the Sandwell Automatic Driving School website: