V5C Document Reference Number: Where to Find It on Your UK Logbook (with Photos)

Quick answer: your V5C document reference number is the 11-digit number on the front page of the logbook, in the box labelled "Document reference number". If you do not have the logbook, DVLA also accepts the 12-digit number on the green V5C/2 new keeper slip and the 16-digit number on a V11 tax reminder, but which one works depends on what you are trying to do.

The V5C document reference number is the most-Googled and most-misunderstood feature of the UK logbook. It's not a serial number for the car, that's the VIN. It's a serial number for the document. Once you see this distinction, every "why does it keep changing?" question answers itself.

Quick answer. Your V5C document reference number is the 11-digit number on the front page of the logbook, in the box labelled "Document reference number". Which number DVLA will accept then depends on which document you're actually holding.

If you have the paper V5C logbook

DVLA prints the 11-digit document reference number on the front page of the V5C, in the box labelled "Document reference number". DVLA's own SORN service asks for "the 11 digit reference number from the front of your registration certificate", and its private sale service illustrates the number sitting under the "Registered keeper" heading, so the front page is the right place to look.

It's digits only, with no letters and no dashes. It isn't the registration number on the number plate, and it isn't the VIN. It's printed as part of the certificate, so anything handwritten, or on a label stuck to the document, isn't it. DVLA's services always ask for the number from the latest V5C, which is why a reissued certificate supersedes the old number. That's covered in all seven reasons DVLA reissues your V5C.

If you only have the green new keeper slip (V5C/2)

DVLA prints a 12-digit document reference number on the front of the green "new keeper" slip (V5C/2).

Use that 12-digit number, not the seller's 11-digit V5C number, to tax the car in your name before your own V5C arrives. Once your V5C turns up, switch to the 11-digit number on it. Keep the slip rather than binning it, because if you end up applying for your own V5C by post, gov.uk says that if you do not send in the new keeper slip from the most recent V5C you'll have to pay £25. There's more on the slip in what the green V5C/2 new keeper slip does.

If you have no logbook and no green slip

If you're the registered keeper and can't find your logbook, you can tax the vehicle or declare SORN using the 16-digit reference number printed on the front of your DVLA vehicle tax reminder (V11). The reminder can also arrive as an email or a text message, and DVLA says the number is on the front of the V11 letter or the email reminder.

A V11 is printed in the registered keeper's name, so if you've just bought the car you won't have one either. What you do next depends on which of those two you are.

• You're the registered keeper. Apply for a replacement V5C online and tax the vehicle in the same journey. gov.uk says the replacement usually costs £25 and usually arrives within 5 to 7 working days.
• You've just bought the car and have no slip. You can't tax it yet. gov.uk says "If you're the new keeper, you cannot tax your vehicle without a new keeper slip. You'll need to apply for a new V5C by post." That means form V62 with £25, and the V5C usually takes about 4 weeks. A Post Office branch that deals with vehicle tax may be able to take the V62 and tax the vehicle at the same time.

Both routes are set out in how to tax a car without the logbook and applying for a replacement V5C.

Which number does what

Two things the table doesn't cover. Applying for a replacement V5C uses none of these reference numbers (gov.uk: Vehicle log book (V5C)). And DVLA's free vehicle enquiry service asks for "the vehicle's registration number (number plate)" and nothing else, so you can't use it to check whether a document reference number is genuine (gov.uk: Get vehicle information from DVLA). It does show the last log book (V5C) issue date, which is the check worth doing in a private sale before any money changes hands. There's more in what DVLA lets you check online for free.

Notes on the table.

• Taxing. DVLA lists "the 11 digit reference number from your V5C (if you're the current keeper)" and "the 12 digit reference number from the new keeper slip if you've just bought the car (and do not have a V5C in your name yet)" at gov.uk: Tax your vehicle without a V11 reminder. The tax service itself says the V5C "must be in your name", at gov.uk: Tax your vehicle.
• SORN. The two DVLA sources don't agree here, so treat this row with care. gov.uk: Make a SORN says you can apply online if the vehicle is registered in your name, names only the 11-digit V5C number and the 16-digit reminder number, and tells anyone else to send the filled in part of the log book with a V890 form by post. DVLA's own SORN service at sorn.service.gov.uk nonetheless offers a "New keeper (using V5C/2 new keeper supplement document reference number)" option. If the online route turns you away, the postal V890 is the one the guidance backs.
• Telling DVLA you've sold it. Every online route at gov.uk: Sold or bought a vehicle asks for "the 11 digit reference number from the latest vehicle log book (V5C)", and the service can't be used at all if you don't have a log book. Sell a vehicle without one and you have to write to DVLA instead. The whole handover is covered in telling DVLA you have sold the vehicle.

If you want the rest of the certificate explained box by box, read every section of the V5C decoded.

"My document reference number doesn't match", common cases

If gov.uk says your number is wrong:

1. You're using an old V5C. Most common cause. The most recent V5C is the only valid one. Older copies (even from earlier this year) are inactive.
2. The V5C you have hasn't been processed yet. If you've just received a new V5C, allow 24-48 hours for DVLA systems to update.
3. You're typing a V5C number when the system expects a V5C/2. Buyer's first time taxing, make sure the system knows you're a new keeper without a full V5C yet.
4. Misread digits. 0 vs O, 1 vs I, 6 vs G, common in handwriting but the V5C is printed; double-check.

Document reference number on imported vehicles

Imported vehicles registered for the first time on UK plates receive a fresh V5C with a new reference number on first registration. Subsequent reissues follow the standard pattern. The previous overseas registration is recorded in V5C section 3 but doesn't influence the document reference number.

Fraud and reference numbers

Cloned V5Cs are real, and a cloned logbook carries a reference number that does not match DVLA records. You cannot check a document reference number directly: DVLA's free vehicle enquiry service asks for the registration number only. What it does give you is the date the last V5C was issued, and that is the check worth doing before any money changes hands.

• Go to gov.uk and open the free vehicle enquiry service, then enter the registration number.
• Compare the "last log book (V5C) issue date" it returns with the issue date printed on the document in front of you.
• If the service shows a later issue date, the V5C you are holding has been superseded. If the vehicle details do not agree with the car, do not buy.

Common mistakes

1. Using an old V5C reference number after change of address, old copies are inactive
2. Mixing up V5C and V5C/2 numbers, different lengths, different uses
3. Trying to tax with the V5C/2 after the full V5C has arrived (the V5C/2 is now invalid)
4. Buying a V5C-less car on the assumption "it'll come in the post", without a V5C/2 from the seller, you can't tax

FAQs

Where do I find my V5C document reference number?

Your V5C document reference number is the 11-digit number on the front page of the logbook, in the box labelled "Document reference number". It's digits only, with no letters. DVLA's private sale service shows it sitting under the "Registered keeper" heading.

Where can I find my V5C number without the logbook?

For taxing and SORN, DVLA accepts the 16-digit number on your vehicle tax reminder or the 12-digit number on the green new keeper slip. The 11-digit number itself is printed only on the V5C, and no online DVLA service will look it up. To tell DVLA you've sold the vehicle there's no substitute.

Where is the 16-digit reference number on my tax reminder?

The 16-digit reference number is printed on the front of your DVLA vehicle tax reminder (V11). The reminder can also arrive as an email or a text message, and DVLA says the number is on the front of the V11 letter or the email reminder.

What is the 12-digit reference number on a V5C?

The 12-digit reference number isn't on the V5C itself. It's on the green V5C/2 new keeper slip, printed on the front of the slip. The V5C carries an 11-digit number. Use the 12-digit slip number to tax a car you've just bought, before your own V5C arrives.

Why is my V5C/2 reference number not being accepted?

A V5C/2 has to come from the most recent V5C, so a slip torn from a superseded certificate won't be accepted. Check the last log book (V5C) issue date on DVLA's free vehicle enquiry service against the date on your slip. A seller's 11-digit number won't work in its place either, because the V5C has to be in your name.

Is the V5C number the same as the registration number or the VIN?

No. The registration number is the one on the number plate, and the VIN is stamped on the vehicle. Neither can be used to tax the vehicle, declare SORN or tell DVLA you've sold it. Only the 11-digit V5C number is accepted for telling DVLA you've sold the vehicle.

Can I check that a V5C reference number is genuine?

DVLA's free vehicle enquiry service can't validate a document reference number, because it asks for the registration number only. What it does show is the last log book (V5C) issue date, so if that's later than the issue date on the document in front of you, the V5C has been superseded.

Related guides

• What is a V5C logbook? UK Complete Guide
• Lost V5C? Here's exactly what to do
• V62 form: how to apply for a replacement V5C
• How to transfer a V5C when selling your car
• V5C red flags: 8 signs the logbook isn't genuine

Sources and further reading

• gov.uk: Vehicle log book (V5C)
• gov.uk: Tax your vehicle
• gov.uk: Get vehicle information from DVLA
• gov.uk: Tax your vehicle without a V11 reminder
• gov.uk: Make a SORN
• gov.uk: Sold or bought a vehicle

Last reviewed 2026-04-28 by Jamie Dawson, Editor. Corrections: corrections@logbook.co.uk

Beyond the V5C: see every type of UK logbook explained: from fire safety to flight logs.