Declaration of Legality
Aztec Plates is a DVLA-registered number plate supplier. Every road legal plate we manufacture is fully compliant with UK law.
Legal Compliance
Aztec Plates is registered with the DVLA as a number plate supplier under The Vehicles Crime (Regulation of Registration Plate Suppliers) Regulations 2008, detailed in Statutory Instrument 2008 No.1715, under the powers of The Vehicles (Crimes) Act 2001.
Our road legal number plates are certified to meet the BSAU 145e standard using BSI-tested materials and are fully compliant with The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001 (Statutory Instrument 2001 No.561) and the most recent amendment, The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 (Statutory Instrument 2021 No.831).
The information on this page covers road legal Premium Printed plates only. It does not cover show plates, 3D Gel, 4D, or 5D plates, which are manufactured for display purposes and are not road legal.
UK Number Plate Rules
All number plates displayed on a vehicle used on public roads in the UK must comply with the following rules as set out by the DVLA and the British Standard BSAU 145e.
Your plates must:
- Be made from a reflective material
- Display black characters on a white background (front plate)
- Display black characters on a yellow background (rear plate)
- Not have a background pattern
- Be marked to show who supplied the number plate
- Be marked with British Standard number BS AU 145e (for plates fitted after 1 September 2021)
- Have characters that are a single shade of black (plates fitted after 1 September 2021)
Your plates can also:
- Have raised characters — this includes 3D gel, 4D acrylic, and 5D gel styles, all of which are road legal provided they meet the BSAU 145e standard
- Display certain flags, symbols and identifiers
- Display a green flash on the left side, if you have a zero-emission vehicle
Motorcycles & Motor Tricycles
Motorcycles and motor tricycles registered on or after 1 September 2001 must only display a number plate at the rear of the vehicle. If registered before 1 September 2001, a front plate may also be displayed but is not required. Motorcycle number plate characters should be arranged on 2 lines.
Towing a Trailer
Your trailer must display the same registration number as the towing vehicle. If towing more than one trailer, the number plate must be fixed to the rearmost trailer. For trailers taken abroad that require registration, the trailer registration plate must be fixed to the rear (or both sides if the rear is not possible), as far from the towing vehicle's plate as possible.
Documentation We Require
In order to manufacture road legal number plates, we are legally required to see and record a minimum of two pieces of documentation — one to prove your identity, and one to prove your entitlement to the registration number.
Proof of Entitlement
- Registration Certificate (V5C)
- Green New Keeper Slip (V5C/2)
- Certificate of Entitlement (V750)
- Retention Document (V778)
- Tax Reminder Form (V11)
- Temporary Registration Certificate (V379)
- Number Plate Authorisation Certificate (V948/EV948)
- Lease or Hire Company Letter of Authorisation quoting V5C number
- Record of Insurer's Name, Reference & Policy Number
- Fleet Operator's View Vehicle Records (VVR)
Proof of Identity
- Valid Driving Licence
- Valid Passport
- National Identity Card issued by Government
- Utility Bill showing Name and Address
- Bank or Building Society Statement showing Name and Address
- Debit or Credit Card
- Police Warrant Card
- Armed Forces Identity Card
Legal Character Spacing
To manufacture road legal plates with the required legal markings, we comply with the minimum spacing requirements set out in The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001 and its 2002 and 2021 amendments.
Standard UK Cars
- Letter height79mm
- Letter width50mm (10mm for 1 or I)
- Stroke width14mm
- Character spacing11mm
- Vertical spacing19mm
- Margins (top, bottom, sides)11mm
Motorcycles
- Letter height64mm
- Letter width44mm (10mm for 1 or I)
- Character spacing10mm
- Vertical spacing13mm
- Margins (top, bottom, sides)11mm
Imported Vehicles (JDM / US)
- Letter height64mm
- Letter width44mm (10mm for 1 or I)
- Character spacing10mm
- Vertical spacing5mm minimum
- Top and side margins5mm minimum
- Bottom margin13mm minimum
Legal Markings
All road legal number plates in the UK must display legal markings printed in the bottom margin of the plate. These markings must be a minimum of 3mm high. A plate without legal markings is not road legal, and displaying one on a public road may result in a fine of up to £1,000 and an MOT failure.
Required markings on every road legal plate:
- Supplier name and postcode
- BSAU 145e Kitemark
Questions About Your Plates?
If you have any questions about the legality of your plates, or if you have been stopped by police or failed an MOT inspection relating to one of our plates, please get in touch and we will do everything we can to help.