What should I do if one of my number plates is lost or falls off in Northern Ireland?

If one of your number plates is lost or falls off in Northern Ireland, arrange a legal replacement before using the vehicle normally. UK number-plate rules apply in Northern Ireland, and the registration mark must be displayed correctly on the vehicle. Driving with a missing or incorrectly displayed plate can lead to enforcement and can also cause an MOT failure.

A replacement plate must be made by a registered number plate supplier. The supplier will need original documents proving your identity and your entitlement to use the registration number. GOV.UK specifically lists the V5C or V5CNI, the green new-keeper slip, V750 or V750NI entitlement certificates and certain other official documents as acceptable proof of entitlement. That is particularly relevant in Northern Ireland because older NI vehicle documents can carry NI-specific document references.

Do not make a temporary handwritten plate, alter the spacing, or buy an untraceable show plate and assume it is road-legal. The replacement must meet the legal requirements for reflective material, character style, spacing and supplier/British Standard markings that apply to the vehicle.

If the plate appears to have been stolen rather than simply lost, treat that as a separate theft issue and report it to PSNI because stolen plates can be used for vehicle cloning or other offences. If it simply detached, check the remaining plate and fixings as well so the same problem does not happen again.