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Taking your vehicle abroad for more than 12 months (permanent export)

If you are taking your vehicle out of Great Britain permanently you must notify DVLA. If you have a registration document (V5) you can do this by completing section C to show the intended date of export. The V5 should then be returned to DVLA or to a DVLA local office. In its place you will receive a certificate of permanent export (V561) as confirmation of your vehicle's registration.

If you have a registration certificate (V5C) then you must notify export on the purple section (V5C/4). You must take your registration certificate with you as you may have to hand it over to the relevant authority when the vehicle is registered abroad.

Further information on this subject, including advice on taking a vehicle to Northern Ireland, can be found in leaflet V526 'Taking your vehicle out of the country'.

• Download V526 - Taking a vehicle out of the country (PDF, 158K)
• Find your nearest DVLA local office

Taking your vehicle abroad for less than 12 months (temporary export)

If you are taking your vehicle out of the country for less than 12 months you must make sure you take your registration document (V5) or certificate (V5C) with you. If you do not have one, you should apply to a DVLA local office on form V62, available from Post Office® branches, DVLA local office or download on the vehicle forms link below. The registration certificate may take up to 14 days to arrive. If you need to travel during this time you will need to apply for temporary registration certificate. You should apply well before your journey, as there could be delays of up to 14 days in issuing the certificate if you are not already recorded as the vehicle keeper. There is a fee for this service.

You should make sure that you meet any international and national conditions for licensing and taxation. Further information can be found in leaflet V526 'Taking your vehicle out of the country.'

• Download V526 - Taking a vehicle out of the country (PDF, 158K)
• Find your nearest DVLA local office

Taking a hired vehicle abroad

If you are in possession of a leased, hired or rented vehicle the registration certificate will normally be held securely by the company that supplied the vehicle. When travelling abroad it is important that drivers are able to produce documentation to show they are authorised to be in possession of the vehicle. The vehicle on-hire certificate (VE 103) has been developed to satisfy this requirement. The certificate, which is subject to a small administrative fee, may be obtained from the following organisations:

More details about how to obtain the VE 103 and its benefits may be found on the websites of the above issuing authorities.