Cherished Number Plates

New Registration Numbers | Transferring a Number | Holding onto a Number | Where to Go

Overview

A cherished number plate is a "chosen" registration number, rather than a standard issue "next number in line".

The cost for a a cherished number plate is £67.

New Registration Numbers

To obtain a new cherished registration number, please download the Cherished Number Plates list, select the number that you would like, then contact us on 698525 to confirm and retain the numbers for 48 hours.

Transferring a Number

You can transfer a number plate from one vehicle to another by re-registering the first vehicle with another number (which might be a standard £9 issue, or indeed another Cherished Registration Number). If the first vehicle has been scrapped or exported, you can simply reuse the number plate.

Holding onto a Number

If you are not ready to use the Cherished Registration Number immediately you may, instead, put the number on retention by purchasing a Reserved Number Certificate (at a cost of £67). This Certificate is valid for one year from the date of issue. The Certificate can be renewed a year later if necessary (at a cost of £10.00). However, please note that if the renewal lapses the Cherished Number reservation would not be retained and it could be taken up by someone else. It is your responsibility to ensure that you don’t let the reservation lapse.

The Reserved Number Certificate is an important document and should be kept in a safe place. The certificate will not be replaced if it is lost. When you are ready to put the number onto a vehicle the Reserved Number Certificate must be produced with the appropriate registration documents. The Certificate is your proof that the number has already been reserved by you, and paid for. Please note that the person whose name appears on the Reserved Number Certificate must be the same as the name into which the vehicle is registered, unless the retention has been signed over to another person. (There is a place on the Certificate, which can be filled in and signed as appropriate, if the retention is being signed over).

Please note that a Cherished Number can also be placed "on hold" for 48 hours only, at no cost. In order to retain the number however, the fee of £67 would then become payable, as outlined above.

Where to obtain a Reserved Number Certificate, or to register a vehicle with a Cherished Number

Isle of Man Post, i.e. Manx re-registrations, vehicles imported from England, Scotland and Wales and new vehicles imported from the UK, deals with most vehicle registrations. The contact telephone number is 698525.

The registration of commercial vehicles over 24000kgs in weight, PSV's, taxis and vehicles imported from outside England, Scotland and Wales are carried out by the Department of Transport at the Sea Terminal Building in Douglas. Their contact telephone number is 686837.

The exporting and scrapping of vehicles is also dealt with by the Department of Transport. It is possible to buy a Reserved Number Certificate from them, at the time of scrapping or exporting the previous vehicle. If you do wish to retain a registration number from a scrapped or exported vehicle you need to do this at the same time; otherwise it immediately becomes available for use by another person.

Downloadable Documents