|  |     When I inported my bike from the States ... I was given a new number
    plate of the year of import (not it's age) .... it sold well, and I
    was a little dishonest about it's age ..... (he says now).
    
    I think now you will get a plate the age of the van ... but no the same
    number.
    
    When I bought my XJS, the private plate on it went on the the previous
    owners new car, and I have 'new' plates the age of the car for 6 weeks
    until I put my private reg on.
    
    I think you've lost your old reg for 'good'.
    Paul
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|  |     
    I believe that if you can show evidence of the year of manufacture, the
    car will be given a plate of the correct year. We brought a car back
    from Germany, and because the 'Fahrtzeugschein' (registration document)
    had year of manufacture on it, we were given a new 'D' registration
    number.
    
    Elaine 
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|  | If you want any chance of being able to re-register in Britain with your old
plates, write to DVLC yourself NOW and explain the situation.  They may be able
to help.
Prior to 1983, imported cars (and kit cars, and anything else being newly
registered in Britain) got a "current" registration, ie the same suffix letter
as was being put on new cars at the time.
Since 1983, cars are given a plate corresponding to the date of previous
registration in another country.  So my brother's 1969 Karmann got XXX 999 G
when it was imported to the UK last year.
If you can't produce documents showing a date of previous registration, you get
a Q plate.
So as long as you've still got the original registration document, you will be
able to get an "old" plate when you re-register in Britain.  But if the Swiss
bods took that (there's no reason why they should have done) and the Swiss 
document doesn't show the original date of registration, then you should write
to DVLC NOW and get a duplicate registration document (they issue these free,
for the benefit of people who lose them).  Otherwise you'll get plates
corresponding to the date on the Swiss documents when you re-register in
Britain (ie G or H prefix).
Whether you will be able to get your old plates back is very doubtful.
It is important that you conatact DVLC immediately, before they process the
export papers and delete your car from their records...
Scott
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