Do number plates need the supplier name and postcode in Northern Ireland?

GOV.UK requires number plates to be marked to show who supplied them and to carry the applicable British Standard number; for plates fitted after 1 September 2021 that standard is BS AU 145e.

DfI’s NI MOT guidance specifically says the supplier name/postcode and BSAU marking are not inspection items, which is different from saying the supply requirement does not exist. A plate can therefore raise a legal-supply issue even if that marking alone is not an MOT rejection item.

Use a registered number plate supplier and keep the plate receipt if there is any doubt about compliance.

For NI motorists it helps to separate the registration number from the physical number plate. DVLA controls the legal registration entitlement and transfers; DfI/DVA applies NI vehicle-test standards to the plate that is actually fitted. Owning a V750 or V778 does not let you display the mark until it has been assigned, while a correctly assigned mark can still be illegal if the acrylic plate is wrongly spaced, obscured or made to the wrong specification. For the vehicle or licence holder, this means plates first fitted under the modern standard are required by the number-plate supply rules to carry supplier identification and the relevant British Standard marking, although DfI notes those markings are not themselves part of the NI MOT inspection. Where dates, categories or vehicle status matter, keep the original paperwork because those details can change the result.