Car documents are vital and require careful management. Misplacing essential papers like your driver’s license, car registration, insurance documents, MOT certificate, or logbook can be frustrating, particularly when selling your vehicle. 

However, it’s typically not a cause for alarm. Knowing where to obtain duplicates of these documents means you can usually have them reissued within a few weeks. Below is the comprehensive manual for replacing your car documents in the event of loss or damage, which may prove necessary when selling your car.

Lost your V5C logbook?

To replace a lost V5C logbook, you can request a duplicate through the gov.uk website, but it won’t include any updated details. If updates are needed, such as your name, address, vehicle information, or ownership details, you must complete form V62 online to receive an updated logbook by mail.

However, if you only require a straightforward duplicate, you can easily apply online with the vehicle registration number, VIN/chassis number, and the name and postcode listed on your logbook. The replacement logbook incurs a fee of £25 and will be mailed to the address on record with the DVLA, arriving withing five working days.

Lost your car’s insurance certificate?

For a replacement insurance certificate, it’s typically advisable to contact your insurer directly and request one from them. If you’re uncertain about your insurer, you can check your bank statements, review your emails, or visit the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) website at mib.org.uk to request a duplicate certificate through a Data Subject Access Request form.

The MIB maintains records for all insured vehicles in the UK. Generally, there’s a small administrative fee for processing the replacement, ranging from approximately £7.50 to £30 depending on your insurer.

Lost your driver’s license?

If you need to replace your full or provisional driving license, you can conveniently do so online through the gov.uk website. If there’s a chance your license was stolen, it’s crucial to report it to the police to prevent potential identity theft. To obtain a replacement license, you must be a resident of GB (with a separate service available in Northern Ireland) and not disqualified from driving. You’ll need to provide addresses where you’ve lived for the past three years, along with your driving license number, National Insurance Number, and passport number if available.

The replacement license carries a fee of £20 payable by MasterCard, Visa, Electron, or Delta debit or credit cars, similar to the process of updating your license. The DVLA will use your existing photo for the replacement, but if your appearance has significantly changed, you must notify them to arrange for a new photo. If you locate your lost license after applying for a replacement, you must return the old license to the DVLA via their head office in Swansea.

Lost your MOT certificate?

If you’ve misplaced or damaged your original MOT certificate, you can easily obtain a replacement online for free through the gov.uk website. To apply, you’ll need to provide your car’s registration number and the 11-digit number from your V5C logbook. 

However, note that this online service is not applicable for heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), trailers, or public service vehicles (PSVs). For these, you’ll need to submit a document replacement form specific to each vehicel type. If you require the MOT certificate urgently or prefer to handle it in person, you can also request a replacement from any MOT center, regardless of where your MOTs were conducted. You’ll need to provide your registration number and V5C logbook reference number, and the MOT center may charge a fee of up to £10 for this service.