How to change your name on a V5C log book

For a name change, DVLA tells you to complete and send the log book. Its online address-change service does not update your name. If both your name and address change, use the combined postal instructions. If the log book is missing, follow the V62 route instead.

The online address service excludes name changes. Choose the instructions for what is actually changing:

• Name only: follow the DVLA name-change steps. Marriage, divorce and spelling corrections have specific proof exceptions.
• Name and address: use the combined postal route, which asks for proof of the name change.
• Missing log book: use form V62 and the replacement fee; the online replacement service cannot change your details.

These routes update the vehicle record. Update your driving licence separately and use the free organiser to track both. Name-change and combined-route sources checked 6 October 2026.

Send the whole V5C using its name-change section, with a letter explaining the change. Include name-change proof such as a deed poll where required. GOV.UK exempts marriage, divorce and spelling corrections from that proof requirement. Read the current DVLA log-book instructions beside the document you hold; the sections differ between versions.

For the newer multi-coloured V5C, the name-change section is section 3. Older versions use section 6 and the signing/posting instructions in section 8. Write the full name, rather than initials. Check the receiving address printed on your actual document before posting.

GOV.UK also says the log book must have only one person’s name in it. If the registered keeper is a business, send proof of the business’s name change instead, such as a certificate of incorporation from Companies House.

Keep a private record of what you sent and when. This guide helps you prepare; it does not send an application to DVLA or replace the form’s instructions.

For the V5C update, GOV.UK says proof of the name change is not needed when it follows marriage or divorce, or corrects a name misspelt on the log book. Other name changes can need supporting evidence such as a deed poll.

GOV.UK’s name-change page does not mention civil partnership in that exemption. If your name changed on forming or ending a civil partnership, include your certificate or final order, or ask DVLA before posting.

That exemption concerns this particular DVLA log-book process. It does not determine what a bank, passport application or driving-licence application will require. Avoid buying paperwork just because another record-holder needed it for a different task.

It is usually free, and GOV.UK says it can take up to 6 weeks to get your new log book. Contact DVLA if it has not arrived after 4 weeks.

GOV.UK says damaged or altered cheques will not be accepted. You must have a UK address to apply for a replacement log book.

If the vehicle needs taxing in the next 4 weeks, GOV.UK says to tax it online before you send the log book, or take the log book to a Post Office that deals with vehicle tax.

At the Post Office you can change your details and tax the vehicle at the same time. Take evidence of a valid MOT, such as your MOT certificate or a screenshot of the vehicle’s MOT history. In Northern Ireland, take your latest MOT test certificate if the vehicle needs an annual MOT; it must be valid when the vehicle tax starts.

If you pay vehicle tax by Direct Debit, the Direct Debit record is separate from the log book. GOV.UK’s Direct Debit guidance says to call DVLA if you have married or divorced and want to update your details. If you changed your name by deed poll, write to DDC, DVLA, Swansea SA99 1ZZ with your address, date of birth, bank or building society name, account number and sort code, and a copy of your deed poll.

No. If you are the same registered keeper using a new name, follow the name-change route. Selling or transferring the vehicle to another person is a different process. GOV.UK tells users of an older V5C not to tick the new-keeper box for a name update.

This distinction matters after marriage, divorce or a household change: deciding who keeps or owns a vehicle is different from correcting the name of the same person. Identify what is actually changing before you complete the paperwork.

After a death, keeping a vehicle that was registered to the person who died is a change of keeper. GOV.UK’s bereavement guidance says to tell DVLA you are the new keeper and tax the vehicle in your own name straight away, because vehicle tax cannot be transferred. Our bereavement guide sets out those steps.

Use DVLA’s combined name-and-address instructions. Do not assume the online address-only service completes a name update too. Check the procedure against the version of the V5C you hold.

GOV.UK says you can only change your name and address together by post. Unlike the name-only page, the combined instructions ask you to include proof of your change of name, for example a marriage certificate or deed poll, and not to use a PO Box address. On an older log book, do not tick the new-keeper box.

Make a separate checklist for each vehicle registered to you. Also check your driving licence, insurance and any relevant finance account. A completed V5C request does not establish that those other records have been updated.

Only if the private number is not on a vehicle. If it is assigned to a vehicle, GOV.UK points you to the vehicle’s log book. If it is held on a V750 certificate of entitlement or a V778 retention document, change the name on that document by post.

GOV.UK’s personalised registration guidance says to send the V750 or V778 with a signed letter giving your new name. If you do not have the document, say so in the letter. Include a copy of your proof of name change, which can be:

• your marriage or civil partnership certificate;
• your divorce or end of civil partnership document (decree nisi, decree absolute, conditional order or final order);
• a deed poll.

Send it to DVLA Personalised Registrations, Swansea SA99 1DS. When the new V750 or V778 arrives, destroy the old documents: GOV.UK says they are no longer valid.

GOV.UK’s name-change guidance provides a lost-log-book route using form V62, an explanatory letter and the replacement fee. The current fee stated for that route is £25. Check the official instructions before paying or posting.

The V62 is a print-only form that must be posted to DVLA. GOV.UK’s online replacement service cannot be used if you need to change any details, including your name.

A missing log book is a different issue from a missing deed poll. Use our lost deed poll guide only if it is the name-change evidence you have lost. Do not pay an unnecessary document provider to replace something only DVLA can issue.

Yes, the driving licence and vehicle log book are separate records. Great Britain licence changes use the appropriate D1 or D2 application and supporting evidence; Northern Ireland licences use DVA’s process. Read our driving licence name-change guide for the distinction.

If a licence application needs the original document that you also plan to send with a V5C, organise the applications so you keep usable evidence available. Check whether each receiving service needs an original before deciding what to post.

Check the full name and address when the replacement V5C arrives. Compare them with your request and use DVLA’s official contact route if a detail is wrong or the document has not arrived within its stated timescale. Keep a note of the request until it is resolved.

The free name change organiser tracks the V5C, driving licence and other selected records separately. If you also receive benefits, report that change promptly rather than waiting for vehicle paperwork.

If your particular route needs an unenrolled deed poll, you can prepare one with the free template or choose optional personalised preparation for £14.99. A paid document does not submit the V5C request.