Trailer Registration for use abroad

Since we are due to leave the EU curtain regulations concerning the use of UK trailers in Europe came into force on 28th March 2019.

If you would like to use your trailer in most existing EU counties, for business and commercial purposes and its gross weight is over 750kg, you will need to register your trailer with DVLA.

This will also apply to all trailers over 3500kg.

These regulations do not apply to trailers that are to be used abroad for personal use, such as camping, house moving, etc. and the trailer has a gross weight of under 3500kg.

You can register your trailer voluntarily, even if you do not intend to use it abroad and it is over 750kg gross and you only use it for personal travel.

Countries affected

The countries that the registration applies to are those that have ratified the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic.

This includes these countries in the EU, EEA and Europe:

Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan,
Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria,
Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland,
France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary,
Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania,
Luxembourg, Macedonia, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro,
Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania,
Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia,
Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine

This means that these trailers making international journeys will need to:

• be registered with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)
• display their own registration plate (separate from the vehicle towing them)
• be able to present the Trailer Registration Certificate to a foreign authority on request

You do not need to register trailers that are only used in the UK or only used for journeys between the UK and Ireland.

Trailers do not need to be registered for use in Spain, Cyprus, or Malta. You will, however, need to register trailers if you drive them through any country listed above to reach these destinations.

Guidance about how to use the trailer registration scheme will be published shortly.

Prepare for trailer registration

You will be able to register:

• commercial trailers used internationally with a gross weight of over 750kg
• all trailers used internationally with a gross weight over 3,500kg

online with DVLA before 28 March 2019.

You can download the DVLA INF291 Vehicle Services booklet here

Apply to register your trailer.

To register you will need to know your trailer:

• manufacturer
• chassis number
• permissible maximum mass
• unladen mass

Once your trailer is registered we can supply your registration plate, you simply have to upload the Trailer Number Plate Authorisation Certificate which will be sent to you (within 5 working days of your receipt) or a copy of the Trailer Certificate when it arrives.

Purchase Trailer Registration Plate here.