Term & Conditions

Please read these Terms and Conditions carefully as they contain important information about your rights and obligations when you buy a vehicle registration mark or use any of our services.

Together with our Privacy Policy they govern our relationship with you.

INTRODUCTION

Who we are, what we do, and what this document is.

Big-reg.co.uk website is owned and operated by Big Reg Limited. Our registered office is 11 Southfield Road, Balloch, Cumbernauld, G68 9DQ. Our Company Registration number is SC690212, and UK VAT Number is 437 1450 08.

Big Reg Limited deals in the ‘Rights to display’ vehicle Registration Marks. These rights are the tradable commodities which are ultimately controlled by the DVLA.

This version of terms is dated 1 st December 2023. We may update these terms from time to time at our discretion.

You may make a copy of this document for reference. This document is called the 'Terms'. It is a legally binding agreement between any user of our services (whether online or offline), by you, the ‘Customer‘ and Big Reg, the ‘Company’. It is the legal rules that govern our relationship. If you do not agree to the ‘Terms’, then you may not use the Big Reg website or services.

DEFINITIONS USED IN THIS DOCUMENT

The ‘Company’ referred to here is Big Reg Limited, also trading in the name of Big Reg.

In the Company’s business contracts the ‘Purchaser’ referred to is the person or organisation wishing to acquire the rights to a vehicle Registration Mark via the Company, either for themselves or for another, in exchange for a monetary consideration. The Purchaser is the person who states they are placing the order and creates a contract with the Company. All subsequent communication will be between the Company and the Purchaser.

Government Registration Mark certificates that mention the ‘Purchaser or Grantee’ describe other persons, as they are formed by separate contracts (more below).

The ‘Seller’ referred to here is the person or organisation wishing to dispose of the rights to a Registration Mark.

The ‘Keeper’ is the person who is using/keeping the vehicle and is noted on the V5C Registration Certificate. The Keeper is not necessarily the owner of the vehicle.

The ‘Nominee’ is the person whose name appears on the V750 Certificate of Entitlement or V778 Retention Document as the person or company able to use the registration in addition to the Purchaser or Grantee. If the registration is to be assigned to a brand-new vehicle, the Nominee name will need to match that of the registered Keeper.

The ‘Cardholder’ is the person or company to which a payment card has been issued and is personally named on that card.

The ‘Donor Vehicle’ is the vehicle from which the Registration Mark is being Transferred. 

The ‘Recipient vehicle’ is the vehicle to which the Registration Mark is being Transferred or assigned.

The ‘Assignment’ is the moving of the vehicle Registration Mark from an official Government certificate (such as a V750 Certificate of Entitlement or V778 Certificate of Retention) to a suitable vehicle.

The ‘Transfer’ refers to the process of moving a vehicle Registration Mark between vehicles.

The ‘Retention’ refers to the process of moving a vehicle Registration Mark from a vehicle onto a V778 Certificate of Retention (holding document).

DVLA is an initialism describing the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency which is the Government agency ultimately controlling these matters.

The ‘Registration Mark’ is the unique letter and number combination, issued and authorised by DVLA Swansea, which is to be displayed in order to identify the vehicle.

The Company deals in the ‘Rights to display’ vehicle Registration Marks. These rights are the tradable commodities which are ultimately controlled by the DVLA. DVLA official documents give control of rights to Registration Marks to the ‘Keeper’ of a vehicle whose name is printed on the V5C Registration Certificate, or the ‘Purchaser’ or ‘Grantee’ or ‘Nominee’ named on a Registration Mark certificate such as a V750 Certificate of Entitlement or V778 Certificate of Retention.

The ‘Featured Registrations’ on the Company website are Registration Marks owned by the Company or owned by clients.

The Company agrees to provide these transferable rights, in exchange for cleared funds, to the named person or entity chosen by the Purchaser. Once the original owner of the rights has assigned or transferred this right to a suitable vehicle officially kept by that new person or entity then the Keeper of that vehicle will have future control over that Registration Mark. This is in accordance with the rules and provisions of the DVLA Cherished Transfer Scheme.

The ‘Number Plates’ or ‘Licence Plates’ are the physical plastic (acrylic) or metal plates which will be fixed to the vehicle displaying the Registration Mark.

The ‘DVLA Cherished Transfer Scheme’ is the scheme, which the Government Department for Transport has created through the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to allow the public to transfer the rights to Vehicle Registration Marks upon compliance with specific rules and payments of prescribed fees.

The ‘Government registration fees’ are fees payable to the DVLA for the Assignment, Retention and Transfer of vehicle Registration Marks. They do not presently attract VAT.

The ‘MoT’ is the test to check a vehicle meets road safety and environmental standards. Vehicles registered in mainland UK require an MoT certificate once they are 3 years old, whilst cars and motorcycles registered in Northern Ireland require one once they are 4 years old. The Company agrees to supply vehicle Registration Marks and ancillary products and services, subject to availability, value added tax (where applicable) and payment of Government fees, at all times.

Please note: all fees and payments noted herein are subject to change.

The Company sell Registration Marks owned by Clients, previously unissued Government stock, and stock owned by the Company.

1.  Featured Registrations on the Company website are Registration Marks owned by the Company or owned by Clients. The Purchaser must check availability of all Featured Registrations prior to placing an order. All Featured Registrations are sold subject to availability. Registration availability and prices shown throughout the Company website are subject to change without notice. For clarification, any order for a Featured Registration is not deemed to be accepted by the Company until all aspects of the order including price and availability have been checked and confirmed by the Company.
2. All other Registrations on the website is unissued stock which the government owns, we make these Registration Marks available for the Purchaser to buy and be the first owner. These Registration Marks are available to buy instantly without checking availability.

THE ORDERING AND PAYMENT PROCESS

1.  Purchasing or buying a Registration Mark will give the Purchaser (or a nominee of their choice) the rights to display the Registration Mark on an eligible vehicle. Any reference to ‘own‘ or ‘owning‘ a registration number, we mean the person who will have the sole rights at the time to display the Registration Mark in compliance with current UK Government Regulations.
2. When the Purchaser finds the Registration Mark they want to order, it is the Purchasers responsibility to check the receiving vehicle is an appropriate age to receive the registration number. Most Registration Marks carry an age identifier, this is the date the registration was released. The DVLA does not allow newer registrations to be transferred to older vehicles, you can't make your vehicle appear newer than it actually is. The Purchaser can check their V5C vehicle log book (or registration document) for the age of their vehicle prior to order. If you are unsure, you can check our transfer age rules page on our website or call us for further information.
3. The Purchaser can place an order online or over the telephone. The order must be accompanied by full payment of the total purchase price. The total purchase price includes VAT where appropriate and all standard UK government fees. Payment by Finance is not currently available.
4. The receipt of full payment is considered to form the basis of a binding agreement to proceed with the purchase. The payment guarantees that the Company will not sell the Registration Mark to anyone else, but it does not prevent the donor selling the Registration Mark independently or withdrawing it from sale. The transfer and/or assignment cannot commence until full payment is received by the Company.
5. The majority of Featured Registration Marks displayed upon our website are owned by Clients, also known as the Seller, they are therefore, subject to availability. The Company will only agree to supply a Registration Mark after it has checked full availability with the selling Client.
6. The Company supply registrations from various sources, the Company cannot be held responsible should the Seller of the registration change their mind in respect of selling. The Company cannot be held responsible for any disappointment or losses relating to the Seller declining to sell for whatever reason. If the sale does not proceed for any reason of failure on the part of a Seller, then a full refund will be given to the Purchaser.
7. The Company accepts most modern and traditional methods of payment, employing the highest level of security checking available. If the Company suspects that an order has been fraudulently placed then it reserves the right to cancel the order and inform the police without further notice.
8. On receipt of full payment, the Company will act immediately and in good faith upon the Purchaser’s instructions, which will include the provision of bespoke services, so the order cannot usually be cancelled or amended by the Purchaser after this point.
9. The Purchaser understands and agrees that they are to be bound by the rules and provisions of the Government DVLA Cherished Transfer Scheme. The Company operate their business in full compliance with the rules of this scheme.

RETURNS, REFUNDS AND EXCHANGES

1. Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations (formerly called the Distance Selling Regulations), the Company must inform all Purchasers that the Company’s service begins immediately upon a payment being taken. As the Company supplies bespoke services and customised goods, no cooling off period or refunds are given as the Company enters into a legally binding contracts with the DVLA and third parties on the Purchaser’s behalf, which cannot be changed or cancelled.
2. The Company cannot accept applications to cancel the purchase of pre-owned Featured Registration Marks. If a Purchaser feels they have made an error and wishes to change their mind about the purchase of a pre-owned Featured Registration Mark then normally the only remedy will be for the Purchaser to instruct the Company to offer the Registration Mark for resale. No refunds will be given by the Company.
3. Applications to cancel newly issued registrations (unissued government stock) will be passed onto the DVLA for their consideration, but only if the request is submitted to the company in writing, within 5 days of initial purchase, and the registration is unused and still on its original certificate. All applications to cancel must be submitted to admin@big-reg.co.uk. Upon receipt of a cancellation request, the company will inform the purchaser of the correct cancellation charge fee of which the purchaser has to reply to confirm acceptance before the application to the DVLA is made. Our cancellation fee is £75 / 15% of the purchase price (whichever is greater), plus the cost of any goods and/or services already purchased on the Purchaser’s behalf. It is the responsibility of the purchaser to ensure the Company receive the cancellation request, and to contact the Company should no response be received. Once we have submitted an application to the DVLA for consideration, it will be their sole discretion to cancel the registration mark purchased. Please be aware that, if agreed, the refund may take around 28 days to reach the Purchaser’s account from date of acceptance of cancellation. Any acrylic number plates supplied by the Company must be returned, in order to qualify for a cancellation as the purchaser will no longer be legally entitled to hold them.
4. The Company will always provide a full refund to Purchasers who suffer a failed purchase, Transfer or Assignment due to a fault on behalf of the Seller or the Company. However, the Company’s liability will be limited to this full refund and not extended to claims for damages, interest on monies lodged with us, consequential loss, expenses or other disappointment.
5. The Company reserves the right to only make refund payments using the same method that the payments were originally made by the Purchaser.
6. Where the payment to be refunded originates from an overseas source (i.e. outside the British Isles), then for security reasons and to provide compliance with Anti Money Laundering recommendations, the Company reserves the right to make the refund by way of a cheque which can be deposited into a British bank account.

THE SUPPLY, TRANSFER AND ASSIGNMENT PROCESS

1. When the Purchaser buys the rights to display the Registration Mark, the Purchaser must choose one of the two transfer services provided by the Company.
   1. The fully managed ‘done-for-you’ transfer service (the Company handle all paperwork processing and coordinate the legal assignment to the vehicle on behalf of the Customer). Or
   2. The ‘do-it-yourself’ transfer service (The Company send the Purchaser a government holding certificate (V750 Certificate of Entitlement or V778 Certificate of Retention for the Purchaser to complete the transfer at a later date). The cost for each of these services is included in the total purchase price.
2. The company provide the ‘done-for-you’ and the ‘do-it-yourself’ transfer services free of charge to all Purchasers. The ‘done-for-you’ service requires the Company to carry out a substantial amount of administrative work on behalf of the Purchaser. The ‘do-it-yourself’ transfer service does not require the same amount of administration work. Whilst this service is less work for the Company, there is no refund of monies to the Purchaser when the ‘do-it-yourself’ transfer service option is chosen by the Purchaser. All administrative work is carried out as soon as the Purchaser’s instructions are received.
3. When the Purchaser chooses the done for you transfer service, the Purchaser must submit all relevant information / documentation to the Company within 4 weeks of purchase. If this is not received in time, or is incorrect in any way, the Company will be unable to conclude the transfer with the Government. After 4 weeks, the Company will issue the Government Holding Certificate to the Purchaser, it will then be the Purchasers responsibility to complete their own transfer.
4. When the Purchaser chooses the do-it-yourself transfer service, the rights to the registration will be supplied to the Customer on a government holding certificate. It is the Purchasers responsibility to transfer it to a vehicle before the expiry date of the Certificate. Occasionally the Company will be unable to supply pre-owned Featured Registrations on a holding certificate, the Company will notify the Purchaser of this requirement when the price and availability are being checked and confirmed by the Company. When the Company cannot supply the rights to the registration on a holding certificate, the Company will implement the done for you service and supply the registration on to a vehicle.
5. The contract is between the Company and the Purchaser whereby the Company agrees to acquire a vehicle Registration Mark as an agent for the Purchaser. For this reason, the V750 Certificate of Entitlement or V778 Certificate of Retention will list the Company name and address. The Company is not able to change the address on the certificate initially but once the Registration Mark has been assigned to a vehicle, the Company name and address will be on no future documentation.
6. All transfers of Registrations can take up to 12 weeks, although most are considerably shorter. Although we do often try to give you an idea at the ‘point of sale‘ of the timescale for a articular Registration transfer to be completed, this can vary due to unforeseen circumstances.  Where we are brokering a deal between you and a seller who owns a Featured Registration, the Registration is held by the seller (and not by us) until he transfers it, so slow action by the seller may occasionally cause delay. However, if a transfer is not able to be effected within 12 weeks of receipt by us of cleared funds and correct documentation from you, at your request, you may cancel the transaction and we will provide a full refund of all monies paid to us.
7. The Purchaser agrees to supply any documentation required by the Company in order to complete the Transfer / Assignment within 21 days unless otherwise agreed in writing by an authorised representative of the Company. The Purchaser agrees that if they delay the Transfer / Assignment in any way without such prior arrangement, then the Company will be entitled to reimbursement from the Purchaser for any additional fees incurred as a direct result, e.g. fees for placing the Registration Mark on to a Donor Vehicle. If the Purchaser is unable to supply documentation within the agreed time frame, then it will be necessary for the Company to provide a Donor Vehicle Service in order to place the Registration Mark on to a vehicle. In this case, the Purchaser will be liable to pay £120 (inc. VAT) for provision of the Donor Vehicle, the Government assignment fee of £80, plus any subsequent Government fees relating to the future Transfer / Assignment of the Registration Mark onto the Purchaser’s chosen vehicle. Payment of these fees is due within 21 days unless otherwise agreed in writing by an authorised representative of the Company. If the Purchaser fails to make these payments within the agreed time frame, they will forfeit their rights to the Registration Mark and they will not be entitled to any reimbursement of the monies or any other costs incurred in its purchase. The Company reserves the right to assume ownership of the rights to the Registration Mark in this instance.
8. The Purchaser understands that Registration Mark Transfers and Assignments can be refused, rejected or delayed by the Government for reasons beyond the control and responsibility of the Company and so, although rare, failures and delays can occur. Provided the Purchaser has complied with all requests for information, monies and documentation in a timely fashion as required by the Company, does not have any ‘open enforcement cases’ relating to the receiving vehicle and can be shown to not having contributed to the failure of a Transfer or Assignment in any way, they will receive a full refund, should a Transfer or Assignment failure occur. If a Purchaser has contributed to the failure, then the Company will not be able to offer the Purchaser any refunds whatsoever.
9. It is the responsibility of the Purchaser to inform the Company in writing of the Purchaser’s intention to Transfer or Retain a Registration Mark presently assigned to their receiving vehicle, prior to the commencement of the Transfer, and to submit the appropriate Transfer and administration fees. The Company cannot be held responsible for any loss due to the neglect of the Purchaser in this regard.
10. On very rare occasions, the Purchaser may be required to communicate with the Company or the DVLA in writing. By proceeding with the purchase, the Purchaser agrees to either fulfil this obligation or to nominate somebody else to do so, on his or her behalf.

Where a Registration Mark is being held on an official government certificate, the Purchaser
understands that:-

• V750 and V778 certificates are valid for up to 10 years and require renewal before the expiry date printed on the certificate.
• The Company cannot be held responsible for any loss due to the failure of the Purchaser to assign to a vehicle before the expiry date on the certificate, or failure of the purchaser to renew / extend their certificate prior to the expiry date.
• The Purchasers chosen Registration Mark will initially be issued on a V750 or V778 Government certificate, ready for Assignment to a vehicle.

SUPPLY AND DELIVERY OF PLASTIC (ACRYLIC) NUMBER PLATES

1. The company will supply a set of road legal number plates FREE of charge for all Purchasers buying the rights to display a registration mark directly from the Company. The number plates will be made to strict legal guidelines, with no exceptions.
2.  The Company is a DVLA Registered Number Plate Supplier. To keep in line with the current legislation that covers manufacturers of number plates, the Company will need to see proof of identity (as outlined by the DVLA) before it can dispatch the Purchaser’s plates. The Company will request sight of such a document in the Purchaser’s written confirmation.
3. The Company will only make up and dispatch the number plates for delivery on receipt of the relevant documentation from the DVLA and the Customer
   1. A certificate of entitlement (V750), a retention document (V778), or notification from the DVLA of the registration’s successful transfer, and
   2. valid proof of identification from the Customer (as per item 2 above). The Company will email the Purchaser with confirmation of dispatch of all number plates.
4. The Company is keen to uphold the laws relating to the correct display of vehicle Registration Marks and reminds Purchasers that they should not buy such marks with the intention of miss-spacing or misrepresenting them on their number plates. The Company will not entertain any claims by Purchasers for refunds or compensation due to the confiscation of vehicle Registration Marks or fines by the Government for them breaking these laws. Similarly, the Company can only supply road-legal number plates using the correct fonts and character spacing. Illustrations of number plates provided on the Company website are for guidance only. Physical number plates provided by the Company will bear the company details and those of the manufacturer, in accordance with the law.
5. The Purchaser agrees to not display these new licence plates until a replacement V5 Registration Certificate or other DVLA document bearing the new Registration Mark is received.
6. All licence plates are dispatched using Royal Mail postal services, unless otherwise agreed. The Company will send email notification to the Purchaser on the day of dispatch.
7. The Customer must contact the Company within 7 days of dispatch if the plates have not been delivered or if there is a problem with the plates. The Company will not be able to replace plates if notified after this time.
8. If the Purchaser requests to cancel their order of a newly issued registration mark by the DVLA, the acrylic number plates will be withheld by the company to uphold the law. If the acrylic number plates have already been dispatched by the Company, they must be returned immediately by the Purchaser as they will no longer be legally entitled to hold them.
9. All number plates come with a manufacturer’s 1 year replacement guarantee, against defects introduced during production. Any claim must be accompanied by clear images of the fault or damage. The guarantee is voided: -
   1. a) if the number plates have been drilled through during fitment to the vehicle,
   2. b) if the number plates are the subject of vandalism or theft,
   3. c) if they are involved in an accident of any kind.

LIABILITY FOR ACTIONS OF THIRD-PARTY SUPPLIERS

The Company acts in good faith throughout the transaction and is beholden to the Seller for supplying documentation, the Government for carrying out the Transfer with due diligence, the postal service for delivering documentation accurately and electronic communication systems. Consequently, the Company cannot be held responsible for any disappointment due to a failure of performance on the part of such third parties or systems over which it has no control.

GOVERNMENT RULES AND REGULATIONS

1. Should the Purchaser choose to Transfer or Retain their Registration Mark in the future, Government transfer fees apply and must be paid by the Purchaser. Presently the DVLA fee for A vehicle to vehicle transfer is £80 and the retention fee from a vehicle onto a holding certificate is £80 (the fee for the next assignment). Presently there is no VAT charged on Government transfer fees.
2. In accordance with the rules and conditions of the DVLA Cherished Transfer Scheme, all transfer or assignment fees must be paid by the Purchaser at the time of placing an order to purchase the rights to a Registration Mark.
3. Government rules are very clear, you may not transfer a registration mark associated with a younger year than that of the recipient vehicle. In summary, you cannot make a vehicle “appear newer” by assigning a newer registration mark. However, a dateless registration can be assigned to a vehicle of any age. The Company website alerts Purchasers to this fact and explains the Transfer regulations for each Registration Mark viewed to help prevent mistakes being made by Purchasers.
4. All Purchasers should check the registration documents for their vehicle or use the government online vehicle checking service (this is free to use), if they are not sure when their chosen vehicle was first registered.
5. To assign a registration mark to a vehicle, the vehicle must be of a type which requires (or will require, depending on the age of the vehicle) a MoT test or Goods Vehicle Test (GVT) certificate. Non-testable vehicles such as tractors, steamrollers and milk floats, are outside the scope of the DVLA Cherished Transfer Scheme. The Company will not be held responsible for refunds or failures if the Purchaser purchases the rights to a Registration Mark for a vehicle, which cannot be included in the DVLA Cherished Transfer Scheme.
6. The government will not authorise transfers or assignments if the identity or age of the receiving vehicle is unclear from the registration and chassis records, and they do not allow Transfers or Assignments to or from Q registered vehicles.
7. Any eligible vehicle wishing to receive a new Registration Mark must have a valid MoT (where applicable) and be taxed in accordance with Government regulations at the time of Transfer. Un-taxed vehicles will not be able to receive a new Registration Mark unless they are tax exempt or have a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) in force at the time of the application to assign. Any unexplained gaps in the tax periods which are not covered by a SORN, will delay or prevent a Transfer or Assignment. The Company will not be held responsible for being unable to assign a Registration Mark due to MoT or TAX issues with the vehicle.

1. If the Purchaser is planning to assign the Registration Mark to a vehicle not owned by them, or registered to them, the Company recommends that unless the Purchaser is gifting it to the registered keeper of the said vehicle, they draw up a contract to secure or clarify ownership of the Registration Mark. Once a Registration Mark is on a vehicle, unless there is a contract to prove otherwise, the Registration Mark will become the possession of the registered Keeper and the Purchaser will lose all legal rights to that Registration Mark.
2. The Purchaser must have permission from the registered Keeper of the vehicle to which the Registration Mark is to be assigned in order for the Registration Mark to be changed. This relates especially to leased vehicles or those owned by finance companies. The Company cannot be held accountable if the Purchaser fails to get adequate written permission from the Registered Keeper.

CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS

We operate an internal complaints procedure. If you have any queries or require clarification regarding any aspect of your purchase, these can be addressed immediately by telephoning the Company during office hours, or contact us via the contact form on our website.

If you would like to make a formal complaint, we request that you do so in writing, either by email or letter, so that we can fully and accurately investigate your case. We aim to acknowledge formal complaints within 48 hours of receipt, and to respond within 7 working days. All complaints will be dealt with by a Company Director.

OTHER IMPORTANT TERMS

The Company is legally bound to protect its personnel from harassment and abuse and any behaviour, which may cause them, alarm or distress. The Company therefore reserves the right to cancel its contract and refuse to have dealings with, any Purchaser who is abusive or aggressive towards its personnel, either verbally or in writing.

Please note: all fees and payments noted in these Terms and Conditions are subject to change. 

The Purchaser is reminded that their statutory rights are not affected in any way by the Company’s Terms and Conditions.