Vehicle ownership

Find further information on buying and selling vehicles and what you need to do when you change your name or address and what is required when you scrap or export a vehicle.

Please note that there is a fee of £34.00 to transfer a vehicle to a new registered keeper.

Details of all fees in relation to Driver and Vehicle Licensing, including retention of registration marks, can be found here:

Buying and selling a vehicle
If a vehicle is bought or sold, either the buyer or seller of the Alderney registered vehicle you must, within 2 weeks of the vehicle changing hands, submit notification of change of ownership to the General Office.
You will need:
Vehicle Registration Certificate (VRC) completed on the back with the new owners details (name, date of birth and address) and both the old and new keeper's signatures. The bottom cut-off section may be retained as a receipt.
If instead you still have an old, green, cardboard log book, this must be submitted along with a completed "transfer of keeper" form signed by both buyer and seller.
Fee of £34.00. (This can be paid by either the buyer or seller but must accompany the application to transfer ownership.)
The new VRC/log book will be sent to the new registered keeper (buyer) providing a local address is given.
Please note:
If the vehicle is leaving Alderney / a non-Alderney address is provided for the new keeper, please see Exporting a Vehicle.
Registering a new/imported vehicle from the UK
Importing a Vehicle
If a vehicle is being permanently imported from the UK into Alderney by a permanent Alderney resident, it may be driven in Alderney for up to 48 hours after taking ownership of the vehicle. After this time it must not be circulated locally and should be kept on private land until it is registered in Alderney.
If a vehicle is being imported by a person taking up residence in the island, it may be driven in Alderney for up to 7 days after arriving. After this time it must not be circulated locally and should be kept on private land until it is registered in Alderney.
A person found guilty on summary conviction of driving an unregistered motor vehicle is liable to a fine not exceeding £2,000, or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 months, or to both a fine and imprisonment.
To Register a vehicle in Alderney the following criteria has to be met:
If your vehicle is over 7'6¾" in width and/or over 31' in length then it is classed as an oversize vehicle in Alderney. Please be aware that these vehicles cannot be freely circulated around the Island. You will have to apply for an oversize vehicle permit from the General Office.
The registered owner of the vehicle must be a resident of Alderney or own a property on the island.
The vehicle must be primarily for circulation on the roads of Alderney.
The vehicle must have been declared at, and cleared through, Alderney Border Agency. Click here for further information.
The vehicle must be in Alderney.
At the time of registration you will have to produce:
A completed application to register a vehicle form.
If the vehicle is used - the current registration document / log book. (If this is unavailable, apply for a Certificate of Export from the jurisdiction has come from.) If you are buying a second hand vehicle from the UK, please make sure you keep the whole of the V5C (UK registration document) as you will need it to register the vehicle here. DO NOT send the V5C in to the DVLA in the UK as they may not return it and they will not issue a Certificate of Export in its place. We CANNOT register the vehicle in Guernsey if you do not have the whole V5C.
If the vehicle is new and has never been registered - The vehicle's security form (V55/1-4) must be surrendered. This document is produced by the vehicle manufacturer.
If yours is not the name on the current vehicle document then continuity of registered ownership must be shown, such as a bill of sale/invoice from the previous keeper.
The weight of the vehicle must be provided (Mass in Service). This can either be found on the current registration document or V55/1-4 as Mass in Service, or in the vehicle's manual. If the weight is not found, the vehicle must be weighed before it is registered.
A one-off registration fee of £55.00 is payable on all first-time registrations in Alderney.
Scrapping a vehicle
To scrap a vehicle you must visit the General Office and complete an application form. You will then be issued with a scrapping voucher which you must take with your vehicle to the Impot. There is no charge.
You will need to:
Surrender the vehicle's Vehicle Registration Certificate (log book), with the relevant section on the back completed.
Alternatively, complete a notification form if the vehicle's log book is unavailable.
Confirm whether or not your wish to retain the vehicle's registration number (£110.00 fee)
Please note if a vehicle has been sold/given away for spares see Buying & Selling a Vehicle section above.
If the vehicle is to be scrapped off-island please see Exporting a vehicle.
Please note that unless we are notified by you that you have scrapped or exported your vehicle, it will remain in your name until we have received the relevant paperwork.
Importing a vehicle
If you plan to bring a vehicle to Alderney you will need to obtain a Vehicle Import Licence.
If the vehicle is to be on island permanently please complete an  Application for Vehicle Import 2019 [254kb]
If the vehicle is to be on island temporarily (ie holiday) please complete an  Application for Temporary Vehicle Import [279kb]
Any vehicle that arrives in Alderney without a permit will be detained by Customs until an application form is completed, fee paid and permit issued.
Please return the completed form to the at the General Office.
Payment can be made in cash, cheque (payable to the 'States of Alderney'), debit or credit card. We do not take American Express.
If a vehicle is being permanently imported from the UK into Alderney by a permanent Alderney resident, it may be driven in Alderney for up to 48 hours after taking ownership of the vehicle. After this time it must not be circulated locally and should be kept on private land until it is registered in Alderney.
If a vehicle is being imported by a person taking up residence in the island, it may be driven in Alderney for up to 7 days after arriving. After this time it must not be circulated locally and should be kept on private land until it is registered in Alderney.
A person found guilty on summary conviction of driving an unregistered motor vehicle is liable to a fine not exceeding £2,000, or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 months, or to both a fine and imprisonment

Exporting a vehicle
If the vehicle is to be sold or scrapped off-island:
Surrender the vehicle's Vehicle Registration Certificate (log book) with the relevant section on the back completed.
If the log book is unavailable or you hold an old, green log book you will need to complete a notification form.
You must state that the vehicle is Exported.
Confirm whether or not you wish to retain the vehicle's registration number (£110.00 fee).
A Certificate of Export can be requested for a fee of £17.00 should it be required if the Vehicle Registration Certificate can't be found. Alternatively, the Vehicle Registration Certificate can be given directly to the new owner to use to re-register the vehicle off Island.
Please note that unless we are notified by you that you have scrapped or exported your vehicle, it will remain in your name until we have received the relevant paperwork.
Change of name or address
Vehicles Registration Documents
Submit all Vehicle Registration Documents and/or old 'green' Log Books with the section on the back of the certificate filled in with your new name and/or address and signed.
You must submit proof of change of name (marriage certificate, deed poll, divorce papers).
If you are unable to find a Vehicle Registration Certificate or Log Book you will be required to apply for a duplicate and pay the necessary fee.
There is no fee for changing your name and/or address.
Driving Licence
Submit both the card and paper counterpart of your licence (both full and provisional licences if applicable) with your new name and/or address completed on the back of the paper counterpart. If you cannot supply the paper part of your driving licence, please complete the following form:   Change of Details Form (Lost Counterpart) [158kb] . If you have lost the card part of your licence you will have to apply for a duplicate driving licence.
If you have not been ID checked previously, you will need to bring your passport or a completed Identity Verification Form. (If a check has already been carried out a date will have been inserted at No14 on the back of the plastic part of your licence)
If you have changed your name, provide proof e.g. marriage certificate, deed poll or divorce papers.
There is no fee.
Duplicate Vehicle Registration Certificate
Complete the application form for a duplicate Vehicle Registration Certificate (logbook) here.
The fee of £17.00 should be included.
Exchange a registration number
If you want to transfer a registration number from a vehicle you own to a new vehicle you are registering at the same time, you will need to bring in the original vehicle's Vehicle Registration Certificate, a completed 'Exchange of Registration Mark' form and the details of the new vehicle, along with the exchange of registration mark fee of £55 and the first registration fee of £55 (a total of £110). Please note that the vehicle may also be subject to a one-off First Registration Duty
If you want to exchange of registration mark between two vehicles that are currently Guernsey registered, you will require the Vehicle Registration Certificate for each vehicle along with two 'Exchange of Registration Mark' forms (one for each vehicle). There will be a single fee of £110.
When exchanging numbers between three of more vehicles, there is a charge of £55 for each vehicle (eg: an exchange between three vehicles would be £165, and between four vehicles would be £220).
Further advice and assistance is available by contacting the General Office on 820000.
Retaining a registration number
You can retain a registration number you hold for up to a year until you are ready to assign to a vehicle for a fee of £110. (This fee includes assigning it to a vehicle at a later date) This period can be extend for another year for a further fee of £110, however, this must be applied for before the expiry of the original period of retention.
You will need to produce the registration document of the vehicle from which you are retaining the number and a completed 'Exchange of Registration Mark' form.
The number can be reserved and a Certificate of Retention issued to you as proof of the number being held.  A new number will then be issued to the original vehicle and a new vehicle registration certificate produced.
When retaining a number, it may only be retained in the name of the registered keeper of the original vehicle. Similarly, when the number is assigned to another vehicle the vehicle must be registered in that name also.
The holder of any retained registration number may, free of charge, at any time during the period of the validity of a Certificate of Retention, transfer in writing, the right of that certificate to his/her spouse. The spouse may have to pay a fee of £55 to have the mark assigned to their vehicle.
Further advice and assistance is available by contacting the General Office on 820000.
Using a retained registration number
If you want to use your retained registration number for a new vehicle being registered for the first time in Guernsey, you must bring in your Retention Certificate along with the documentation for the vehicle and the first time registration fee of £55. If you have lost the retention certificate you can apply for a duplicate request form here. Please note that the vehicle may also be subject to a one-off First Registration Duty
If you want to assign the retained registration number to a vehicle you already own you must bring in the Certificate of Retention, along a completed 'Exchange of Registration Mark' form and the documentation for the vehicle to DVL Bulwer Avenue Office. If you have lost the retention certificate you can find an application form for a duplicate document here.
The holder of any retained registration number may, free of charge, at any time during the period of the validity of a Certificate of Retention, transfer in writing, the right of that certificate to his/her spouse. The spouse may have to pay a fee of £55 to have the mark assigned to their vehicle.
Further advice and assistance is available by contacting the General Office on 820000.
Payment
Payment for the services provided can be made in cash, cheque (payable to the 'States of Guernsey'), debit or credit card at the General Office.

Downloads

Application for Temporary Vehicle Import 2019 Application for Vehicle Import 2019