V62 Form: How to Replace Your V5C Logbook in the UK

What the V5C logbook is and why it matters

The V5C is the vehicle registration certificate issued by DVLA, commonly called the logbook. It records the registered keeper of a vehicle, which is the person responsible for taxing it and keeping DVLA informed of changes. The registered keeper is not necessarily the legal owner. A car can be owned by one person and kept by another, so the name on the V5C does not prove who owns the vehicle.

DVLA holds this record so it knows who is answerable for a vehicle on the road. The V5C is required for taxing a vehicle online, and it is useful when selling a car, because the seller uses it to pass on the new keeper slip. It also helps when checking a vehicle's background, alongside tools such as a free MOT history check. If you are buying, it is worth understanding what a V5C is and why it matters when buying a car before money changes hands.

When you need a replacement V5C

A V5C replacement is needed in three main situations. The first is when the original has been lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed. A lost V5C logbook should be reported and replaced rather than ignored, because the document carries the keeper's details.

The second is when certain details on the V5C need to be updated, such as a change of address or a change to the vehicle's details. The third is when you are a new keeper and did not receive the V5C in your name after buying a vehicle.

How you apply depends on whether any details need changing. That single question decides whether you can use the faster online service or must apply for a V5C by post.

The V62 form explained

The V62 form is the application for a vehicle registration certificate. It is the route to use when the online and phone services are not suitable, most often because details need to be changed. Download and fill in the V62 form from the GOV.UK publication page, then send it to DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1DD.

By post, a replacement usually costs £25, paid by cheque or postal order made payable to "DVLA, Swansea", and the V5C normally arrives within 4 weeks. Use the V62 by post when you need to change vehicle details on the V5C, when you did not get a V5C for your new vehicle, or when you do not have a V5C and took the vehicle out of the UK.

The key distinction is speed. The online service at get-duplicate-vehicle-log-book.service.gov.uk costs £25 and delivers within 5 to 7 working days, but it only works when no details need changing. It also cannot be used if you do not have the vehicle in your possession, if you have already sent the V5C to DVLA for changes, if the vehicle is part of the DVLA fleet scheme, or if it is registered abroad. There is no refund once the online service is used, for example if you later find the original V5C. The phone route has the same conditions, cost and timescale, and DVLA can be contacted through gov.uk/contact-the-dvla.

New keeper without a V5C

If you bought a vehicle and have not received the V5C in your name, you can apply for a V5C as the new keeper. Download and fill in a V62 form and send it to DVLA with the green "new keeper" slip, also called Section 10, given to you by the seller.

1. Find the green new keeper slip from the seller.
2. Check the date on the slip matches the last V5C issue date shown on the DVLA vehicle enquiry service at gov.uk/get-vehicle-information-from-dvla. The slip must be from the most recent V5C.
3. Complete the V62 form and post it to DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1DD with the slip.

If you provide the correct, most recent new keeper slip, there is no charge. If you cannot provide it, you must pay £25. This is the main difference between a free new keeper V5C application and a paid one.

Practical tips and the 6-week rule

Keep a note of when you applied. If you applied online, contact DVLA if the V5C has not arrived within 2 weeks. If you applied by post, contact DVLA if it has not arrived within 4 weeks. Under the 6-week rule, if your V5C has not arrived after 6 weeks and you have not notified DVLA, you must pay £25 for a replacement, even if the delay was not your fault.

You may also be able to tax a vehicle at a Post Office and apply for a new V5C at the same time. Complete a V62 form, take it with £25 to a branch that deals with vehicle tax, and check beforehand at postoffice.co.uk/branch-finder that the branch offers the service. If you simply want to check if a vehicle is taxed, that can be done online without a V5C.