Legislation & Standards

Hills products and services all comply with current DVLA legislation and British Standards. The DVLA provide the licence plate number and set requirements on how the registration number must be displayed on the plate. The current British Standard sets the physical characteristics of a number plate. These characteristic requirements are based on visibility, strength and reflectivity. Our in house production systems and printing equipment offered to our customers is tailored to produce legal number plates for the UK.
DVLA Legislation

The DVLA provide instructions for number plate suppliers, manufacturers and customers buying licence plates for their vehicles on how the registration number must be displayed. Motorists driving with illegal number plates could be fined up to £1,000 and face an M.O.T failure.

  • More information on DVLA number plate legislation is available here.
DVLA, RNPS – Register of Number Plate Suppliers

The Register of Number Plate Suppliers are a department of the DVLA who administer and monitor businesses that manufacture licence plates. You must be registered with the RNPS if you are making number plates for vehicles that are being sold in a B2C market and if you’re selling number plates to the public.

  • More information on the DVLA, Register of Number Plate Suppliers can be found here.
Responsibility of a number plate supplier

As a number plate supplier you are required to see identification of the person buying a licence plate and documents that show proof of entitlement of the registration number. You must keep an electronic or hard copy of the reference numbers of these documents for three years. Below is a guide that provides information on record keeping and a record keeping template that can be used as a database.

British Standard BSAU145d

In 2001 a new British Standard for number plates was introduced, BSAU145d. Number plates manufactured to the current British Standard should have the BSAU145d mark on the bottom right of the plate. This certifies the licence plate has been made to comply with requirements set by the current British Standard, it is a legal plate and fit for purpose.

British Standard BS AU 145e

In January 2021 the new E standard, BS AU 145e was introduced. Number plate suppliers have until 31st August 2021 to ensure the plates they supply meet this new standard. Read more…

BNMA – British Number Plate Manufacturers Association

Hills are proud members of The British Number Plate Manufacturers Association (BNMA). The BNMA are an organisation that represents 95% of the UK’s major number plate component, manufacturers and distributors. They are the industry’s link to the UK government’s Department of Transport and the DVLA.

  • More information on the British Number Plate Manufacturers Association can be found here.
What is a legal number plate?
What is an illegal number plate?
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