Seized vehicles

Valid photo ID 

One of the following:

• passport
• driving licence
• EU national identity card
• immigration document
• Freedom Pass
• Citizencard
• Digital Tacho card
• Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) card
• a recognisable and verifiable government agency identification card, such as identification cards provided to members of the armed forces and veterans

We won't accept the following as a valid form of ID:

• student cards
• identity cards issued by an employer
• cash and carry cards
• club membership cards
• debit or credit cards

Your driving licence must be either:

• a UK photo card driving licence; if you have the old paper licence you need to bring your passport or another verifiable form of photo ID (one from the proof of identity list above)
• an EU/EEA photo card driving licence along with a passport or EU/EAA identity card
• a non-EU/EEA driving licence together with an International Driving Permit or an official translation, plus a passport or other evidence of immigration status and date of arrival in the UK

If you've already given your valid driving licence to us as a form of photo ID, you don't need to produce any additional photo ID or driving documents (subject to the CBT certificate requirement).

Provisional driving licence holders

If you’re driving under a provisional licence you must bring someone who is 21 or over.

The person accompanying you must also (all the following apply):

• be qualified to drive the type of vehicle you're driving, for example, they must have a manual car licence if they're supervising someone in a manual car

• have held a full driving licence for at least three years (from the UK, the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein)

• not currently be banned from driving

Make sure you have L plates on the vehicle or bring a set with you to collect the vehicle.

Compulsory Basic Training (CBT)

If you're a learner reclaiming a motorcycle you'll need to produce the original copy at the police pound. We don't accept photocopies or photographs.

If you've lost your CBT certificate, further guidance can be found on the Replace a lost or stolen motorcycle CBT certificate page on the government website.

Registered keepers

You must bring

• the full and current vehicle registration logbook (V5C) in your name, showing you as the registered keeper at the time of seizure; and
• proof of address to match the registered address

If the registered keeper can't produce a full V5C, we require:

• a second document showing proof of name and address that match the details on the register; and
• if the registered keeper wasn't driving at the time of seizure, the driver should also attend with photo ID to confirm the owner and keeper details.

New keepers

You must bring

• an unaltered and ‘in date’ new keeper supplement (V5C/2), showing you as the registered keeper at the time of seizure; and
• a verifiable bill of sale and two documents showing proof of name and address to match the bill of sale; or
• a verification email from DVLA's online system confirming a change to the registered keeper. Where this email confirmation and/or change to the registered keeper can't be reasonably matched to the claimant, further verification, such as the production of a V5C or V5C/2, may be requested.
  
  

New keepers – post seizure

• You must attend with the registered keeper or owner of the vehicle at the time of seizure. Both parties must be able to satisfy their entitlement to the vehicle in accordance with the proof of ownership requirements listed above.

If a vehicle ‘in trade’ has been driven on the road without a valid trade licence displayed it must be registered to the owner immediately. The pound staff will send the relevant documents to DVLA on your behalf.

You must produce a valid certificate of motor insurance that permits the release of a vehicle impounded by a government authority before your vehicle will be released, even if you don’t intend to drive it on a public road.

We’ll accept:

• a physical copy of the document
• electronic copies of the certificate on your mobile device - you'll be required to send us a copy by email
• copies sent by email, if they've come directly from your insurer

We won't accept public liability insurance or vehicles listed on home insurance policies.

Please make sure you've declared all the relevant facts to your insurer, including:

• correct registered keeper details
• any motoring convictions in the last five years
• any claimable incidents within the last five years, whether a claim was made or not
• any relevant medical conditions or disability
• correct address
• correct date of birth
• correct occupation

If you took out the policy after the vehicle was seized then you must also declare relevant pending convictions.

It's a serious criminal offence to fail to declare the correct material facts or to give false information when getting insurance. This can render your insurance void.

We may share information with your insurer or the Motor Insurers' Bureau if we suspect an offence.

Short-term insurance or temporary cover (for a period of up to 30 days) may not be valid to reclaim a seized vehicle. Please check the wording on the certificate or cover note. If in doubt, contact your insurer before you come to the pound. 

If we're not satisfied that your insurance is valid for the release of your seized (often referred to as impounded) vehicle, we may ask you to provide written confirmation from your insurer.

A motor trader can't release a seized vehicle on your behalf. A motor trade policy will only permit the release of a vehicle that was:

• the property of the motor trader
• in their custody and control at the time of seizure

Unless the vehicle is being removed from the pound on a recovery truck it will need either:

• a valid MOT (depending on the age of the vehicle), or
• evidence of a pre-booked MOT appointment from the relevant garage

The current registered keeper is responsible for taxing a vehicle. The road tax is not transferred when the vehicle is sold to a new keeper.

If the vehicle's excise duty has expired, the vehicle may be seized again by DVLA if it's driven or parked on a public road.

The Met are a Devolved Powers Partner for the DVLA and are authorised to seize and impound untaxed vehicles at cost to the owner and/or registered keeper.

This legal requirement to attend the pound in person to prove ownership and pay the charges will only be waived if you can provide evidence that:

• you're out of the country (for example, a copy of flight tickets)
• you're in custody
• you're in hospital
• you're immobile due to age, injury or disability
• there are compelling medical or compassionate circumstances that stop you being able to attend the pound in person

If any of the above circumstances apply to you, the third party collecting the vehicle on your behalf must attend the pound with:

• the evidence of the valid reason why you can't attend in person
• a letter of authority – a letter signed by you authorising the third party to collect the vehicle on your behalf
• a copy of your passport or driving licence as proof of your identity and signature

If you can attend the pound in person to establish your ownership but you can't drive the vehicle yourself, you may nominate someone to collect it on your behalf.

The third party must pay the charges and have:

• a letter of authority – a letter signed by you authorising the third party to collect the vehicle on your behalf
• a copy of your passport or driving licence as proof of your identity and signature

If your vehicle is being collected by another person on your behalf, that person must hold a valid driving licence and a valid certificate of motor insurance that allows them to reclaim the seized vehicle from a police pound.

Valid motor insurance for third party collection

The nominated driver should normally be named as an additional driver on the registered keeper's own motor insurance policy. Please contact your insurer before coming to the pound if you're in any doubt. If there’s any doubt about the validity of the insurance, the pound staff may ask you to get confirmation from your insurer that the relevant material facts have been declared.

If you’ve insured the vehicle yourself but you don’t hold a valid driving licence or you’re not fit to drive, your insurance policy may not be valid.

If the nominated driver insures the vehicle but they haven’t informed the insurer that they’re not the owner or registered keeper, their insurance policy may not be valid.

The legal requirement for the impounded vehicle to have valid motor insurance before it leaves the pound applies in all cases, even if a recovery operator is collecting the vehicle from the pound on your behalf.