How to change your name on a V5C log book

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.