Why do I have to provide the original physical documents when having plates made up?

When you purchase your new number plates from a legally operating Registered Number Plate Supplier, you will find they will ask you to provide you with the original documents proving your entitlement to the registration and proving your identity/address.

This is because the laws surrounding the production of number plates state that only the original documents are acceptable proof. Photocopies and digital copies are not acceptable proof in the eyes of the DVLA, presumably because these could be digitally altered.

If a Registered Number Plate Supplier is not requesting your original documents, and is accepting images of the documents, they are technically operating illegally. This may be due to ignorance of the law, or a conscious decision as the laws seem rather outdated for the modern day.

If a number plate supplier is caught accepting copies of documents, such as photographs, they could be subject to a significant fine, and a ban from producing number plates, by the DVLA.