Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 section 27

Sale of rights to particular registration marks

Section 27 establishes the framework under which the Secretary of State can sell rights to personalised or cherished registration marks, including how those rights are priced, exercised, transferred to nominees, and managed.

• The Secretary of State may sell rights to unassigned or withdrawn registration marks, setting prices or reserve prices as seen fit, with sales conducted directly or through authorised agents.
• A purchased right entitles the buyer (or a nominated person) to have the chosen registration mark assigned to a vehicle registered under the Act, subject to prescribed conditions and within a set time period that can be extended on payment of a fee.
• These rights are non-transferable (except by operation of law, such as inheritance), but the buyer can nominate or change a nominee to receive the mark, and the Secretary of State can revoke a right for special reasons or in prescribed circumstances.
• The Secretary of State retains full powers over the registration mark after assignment, including the ability to withdraw or reallocate it, and may waive fees for extensions or nominations where appropriate.

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