Retaining an age related number (UK only)
Important advice notes for retaining an original number or obtaining an age related one (UK only)
Having a registration number on a machine without supporting documents is not proof that this number ever belonged to the machine. It is up to you to provide proof of entitlement, not the Club. We authenticate your valid claim as required by the DVLA.
The REOC has no information linking the factory dispatch records to registration numbers. Machines were registered after they left the factory not before.
Before claiming a lost registration number, or applying for an age-related one, you will need to be aware that the scheme is applicable to machines that are complete and can be inspected as such when necessary.
If you have an un-restored machine it is worth seeking advice on the potential for registration before you start the rebuild. Only original matched pairings of frame and engine number will be accepted by the DVLA for the retention of an original lapsed registration. Asking first may well avoid an unnecessary refusal to validate your claim, as well as saving you money.
It is perfectly acceptable to accompany your application with a V112 (Declaration of exemption from MOT) form.
All successful applications will require an official document bearing both the original registration plus the frame number. Obviously an original log book is the best proof. If seeking to obtain Borough Council records as validation; please be aware that not all Council had the foresight to record VIN numbers. Some state only make and registration. This situation varies county to county. Caveat – check first.
All printed log books, even the very early ones, will be held within the DVLA records. As such your claim should be a straight forward update request.
UK Age Related Registration
If you cannot provide the necessary proof that the registration number on your vehicle belongs to it, or in cases where the machine does not have a known number, you will have to accept an age related registration number. If you have built the machine from various spare parts, you will need to send a completed V627/1 form in addition to the digital photos. Where numbered major components are identifiable a dating certificate will be issued for you to send to the DVLA along with the paperwork and payment required.
Recently the DVLA has instigated a system to avoid the unpopular Q plate registrations. In some cases they require the addition of a 16 digit frame number, to a rebuilt or parts built machine, as identification. Such machines will require an annual MOT regardless of their being over the 40 year exemption threshold. Caveat – check first.
Indian Domestic Model Imports
If you have privately imported (or purchased) a domestic market Indian built machine, we may not be able to help you in registering it here in the UK or even overseas. In many cases records were not maintained when the Indian manufacturing plant was relocated. We can check against our considerable database for comparable machines identifications and will try to help where possible.
In India, there is a cottage industry restoring supposedly early machines, as people will pay an inflated price for them on the export market. This is easily done because of the ready availability of brand new spares, the bikes not being changed very much over a long period of time. Any Indian paperwork that may come with such a machine will not be accepted by the DVLA here in the UK. It is assumed that this will apply in other countries with your respective vehicle licensing department. If we are unable to verify a year of manufacture, registration of your machine may be declined altogether, or in the UK you may be required to apply a sixteen digit ID number to the frame.
The DVLA points system also applies to these imported machines. Over the years subtle changes in machine construction have helped to identify the year of manufacture. Regardless of that fact, of all the applications we receive, machines that fall into this category are the most likely to be fraudulent. Caveat – check first