Swansea is home to the headquarters and main office of the DVLA. In 2013, several local offices were closed down and now all DVLA proceedings are centralised from their Swansea office. This was done because the agency wanted to run a more efficient service, and by centralising things not only could they provide a better customer service, they could also make it more customer friendly, meaning that people could access their services at any place and any time. The DVLA knew it was time to take advantage of technology and their services are now more accessible to the public. The DVLA is split into different sections in Swansea, and the different departments have different addresses:

DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency)

Long View Road

Swansea

West Glamorgan

SA6 7JL

DVLA Personalised Registrations

Swansea

West Glamorgan

SA99 1DN

Driver’s Medical Enquiries

Swansea

West Glamorgan

SA99 1TU

Tax Enquiries and Vehicle Registration

Swansea

West Glamorgan

SA99 1AR

If you are unsure of which department you need to contact or visit, call 0844 453 0118.

About the Swansea office

The DVLA Swansea is based in a six-storey building in Clase, Swansea, it also has offices situated in Swansea Vale with it being such a big organisation. The work of the DVLA is fully centralised in Swansea after 39 of its other offices were closed down. The DVLA focuses a lot of its work online now with most transactions now being down over the phone, online or by post, rather than a face to face office meeting. As early as 2004, the DVLA introduced Electronic vehicle Licensing which allows customers to pay vehicle excise duty online and also over the phone. The post office also have a seven year contract with the DVLA as of 2012 which allows customers to tax their vehicles via the post office. There is also the option of a three year extension. The DVLA Swansea also processes personalised registration plates.

 Buying a personalised registration plate

You can buy a personalised registration plate online or at an auction. As this will now be the new identification for your vehicle, a few rules apply when choosing its design. You cannot make the vehicle look newer than it is eg. putting ’09’ on it when it was made in 2002, the plate must stay true to the car’s age. To buy the plate online, you must fill out an application on the DVLA website. The cost of a personalised registration plate is £80 plus VAT. There are over 45 million registration options to choose from. After you have purchased your number plate you will be sent a V750 Certificate of Entitlement to validate the registration.

You can also buy your personalised registration plate from an auction where you can bid online, or in person with prices starting from around £130. Auctions for personalised registrations are held around six times a year.

There is also the option to purchase your personalised plate privately from a dealer or otherwise. If you choose this option, ensure you receiver your certificate of entitlement.