Key points
- Only suppliers on the DVLA Register of Number Plate Suppliers can legally make road number plates
- Registration has been required since 2003 in England and Wales and since 2008 in Scotland and Northern Ireland
- DVLA registers suppliers. It does not approve individual plates
- A registered supplier must check your identity and entitlement and keep records for 3 years
- Road plates must meet BS AU 145e and show the supplier's name and postcode
- Check any supplier with the GOV.UK number plate supplier finder
- Supplying plates without registering can bring a fine of up to £5,000
DVLA Registered Number Plate Supplier
REGUP is a DVLA registered number plate supplier. That means we are on the DVLA Register of Number Plate Suppliers, we check every customer's identity and entitlement before making a plate, we keep the records the law requires, and every road plate we supply meets BS AU 145e. You design your plates in our number plate builder and we make and deliver them anywhere in the UK, so the nearest registered number plate maker is never further away than your letterbox.
Our registration
Detail | REGUP |
|---|---|
DVLA Register of Number Plate Suppliers | Registration number [RNPS number to confirm] |
Company | REGUP, registered in Scotland, company number SC836719 |
Address | 24 Fleming Avenue, Clydebank, G81 1AJ |
Contact | contact@regup.co.uk |
Standard | Every road plate made to BS AU 145e and marked with our name and postcode |
What a DVLA Registered Number Plate Supplier Must Do
Registration has been a legal requirement for number plate suppliers in England and Wales since 2003, and in Scotland and Northern Ireland since 2008. Being on the register comes with fixed duties:
Duty | What it means for you |
|---|---|
Check identity and entitlement | We see proof of your name and address and proof you are entitled to the registration before making a road plate |
Record every sale | We record the registration, your name and address, your entitlement and a reference number taken from your documents |
Keep records for 3 years | The records can be inspected by DVLA, the police and Trading Standards |
Supply plates to the British Standard | Every road plate meets BS AU 145e and shows the supplier name and postcode |
Keep registration details up to date | Changes to the business must be reported to DVLA within 28 days |
The penalties are real: supplying plates without registering can bring a fine of up to £5,000, supplying plates that do not meet the standard up to £2,500, and failing to keep records up to £1,000 plus suspension from the register. The documents you need guide lists every document we can accept.
DVLA Approved Number Plates: What the Phrase Really Means
You will see "DVLA approved number plates" on many sites, but DVLA does not approve individual plates. It registers the suppliers who make them. A plate is road legal when it is made by a registered supplier, meets BS AU 145e and follows the display rules for colour, font, size and spacing. So when a seller says its number plates are DVLA approved, the useful questions are whether it is on the register and whether it checks your documents.
How to Check a Number Plate Supplier Is Registered
Search for registered suppliers near any postcode with the GOV.UK number plate supplier finder
Ask the seller for its RNPS registration number and business address
Look at the bottom of a plate it has made: the supplier name and postcode should be printed there, with the BS AU 145e mark
Expect to be asked for documents. A seller that makes road plates without them is breaking the rules
Warning signs include no business address, no request for documents, tinted or ghost plates sold for road use, and plates with no supplier name on them.
Number Plate Maker Near Me: Local Shop or Online Supplier
Searching for a car number plate maker near me usually turns up motor factors, car accessory shops and some garages. Any of them can make road plates if they are registered. The difference is in how you get the plate:
Local number plate shop | REGUP online | |
|---|---|---|
Documents | Shown in person at the counter | Provided at checkout and approved before production |
Styles | Usually standard printed plates | Standard 2D, 3D gel and four 4D finishes |
Preview | Rarely | Live preview of your exact registration |
Price | Often given at the counter | Shown in full before you pay, from £13.49 |
Timing | Can be made while you wait if in stock | Delivered to your door, with priority delivery for urgent orders |
If you need a plate fitted within the hour, a local registered shop is the fastest route. For any other finish, a fair comparison of price, or a plate delivered to your home, ordering from a registered supplier online gets the same legal plate without the trip.
Where to Get Number Plates Made
You can get a number plate made at any business on the DVLA register: an online supplier, a motor factor, a car accessory shop or a dealer that holds its own registration. Wherever you go, bring or provide the same two documents and check the finished plate carries the supplier name, postcode and BS AU 145e. Where to get a new number plate quickly depends on the reason:
Lost, stolen, faded or damaged plates: replacement number plates
A new finish or a flag: custom number plates
A motorbike: motorcycle number plates
Just the price comparison: buy number plates online
Number Plate Manufacturers and Number Plate Suppliers
The two words get mixed up. Number plate manufacturers make the components, such as the reflective sheet and the plate material, to BS AU 145e, and their mark appears with the standard in the bottom right corner of the plate. The registered number plate supplier, sometimes called a licence plate supplier, makes up the finished plate with your registration, checks your documents and prints its own name and postcode along the bottom, as the British Number Plate Manufacturers Association explains. Our guide to how number plates are made follows a plate from sheet to finished product.
Who We Are
REGUP is a UK vehicle data company based in Clydebank, on the edge of Glasgow, and registered in Scotland. Drivers already use us to run a free car check before buying a vehicle. Number plates are the natural next step: the same registration you check is the one you plate, made by a registered supplier and delivered anywhere in the UK.