DVLA

Continuous Registration (CI)

There has been a legal requirement since January 1998, under DVLA’s system of Continuous Registration (CI), for the keeper of a vehicle to ensure that it is either taxed, or that a SORN declaration is made. Until this is the case, the vehicle cannot be kept on an enforceable area. Such untaxed vehicles do not need to be parked on the public road to attract enforcement action, following the introduction of expanded enforcement powers in the Finance Act 2008.

The change in the law gives authorised persons the power of entry to carry out the enforcement action of untaxed vehicles located in off-road ‘private land’ areas such as public house car parks, private and municipal car parks, retail car parks, un-adopted/privately maintained roads and Housing Association land.

Where's my car?

What happened?

Such vehicles can be removed without any prior requirement to notify a potential keeper. We are not privy to any DVLA held information relating to a vehicle’s keeper.

Please note that the DVLA authorise vehicles for uplift prior to their impounding and that we are procedurally obliged to notify both DVLA and Merseyside Police of a vehicle’s seizure.

What can I do?

There are options.

Vehicles can only be released to their keeper upon the production of a current V5C registration document, photographic proof of identification and full payment of the prescribed DVLA release fee.

If, at the point of collection, the vehicle still remains untaxed or SORN’d, an additional ‘Surety’ amount of £160 must be paid in addition to the accrued DVLA release fee. A refund of this £160 Surety amount is available by Company Cheque only if the vehicle is subsequently taxed after the release of the vehicle and evidence provided in person before the expiry of the 14th calendar day after the date of the release. The date of release is counted as day 1.

What happens next?

If unreleased...

The DVLA will authorise the destruction of a vehicle if it is not collected within their prescribed period. Destruction of the vehicle is unequivocal and final.

Irrespective of whether an impounded vehicle is collected by its keeper or destroyed, the DVLA may seek to additionally issue a fine and/ or obtain back tax. This is issued directly by DVLA and not Robcliffe Limited and any query relating to this must be made with the DVLA Enforcement Centre directly.

Please note that our opening hours relating to any DVLA enquiry are from
09:00 to 16:00 Monday through to Thursday and that we close at 15:30 on a Friday. Please note also that we are closed Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays. We emphasise that these DVLA opening hours differ from our company 24 hour recovery service or vehicle workshop opening times.