Driver and Vehicle Standards Department

The DVS Department registers new vehicles to the Islands, conducts driving tests and carries out inspections of vehicles brought into the island and of suspected defective vehicles, usually at the request of the Police.

If you are having a problem with your vehicle, you can’t take it to DVS to be tested.

If you think you have been sold a dangerous vehicle, you should contact the police for advice.

Driver and Vehicle Standards (gov.je)

Transfer of ownership

Please see Changing your vehicle’s registration details (gov.je)

Car ownership

The person named on the registration document is known as the registered owner of the vehicle. The person named on the registration document of a vehicle is not necessarily the legal owner of the vehicle, because of the registration document is not proof of ownership. For example, if a car is bought on hire purchase, the owner of the vehicle is the finance company until the final payment has been made, however, the car is usually registered in the name of the buyer.

Change of owner’s name or address

If you are changing your name or address, you must notify the Vehicle Registrations office within seven days of the change on form VRD 1. Failure to notify the Department is an offence and you may be fined.

Change of vehicle particulars

Any changes to a vehicle’s particulars should be notified to the registration office within seven days of the changes to the particulars. These might include a change of colour.

Notification of vehicle being permanently exported or scrapped

If your vehicle is to be scrapped or exported, you need to complete Document VRD 1 which must be received at the registrations office within seven days of the scrapping or export of the vehicle.

Importation of vehicle by person moving to Jersey

Please see Moving to Jersey: Register your vehicle (gov.je)

Searching the Register

If a vehicle is illegally parked on your private land, it may be possible in exceptional circumstances to get details of the registered owner by writing to the DVS Department setting out the time and date of the offence and the registration number, make and model of the vehicle, the address of where the abandoned vehicle has been parked and detail the steps you have taken so far to locate the owner. You should send photographs of the vehicle too. You will need to provide a recent utility bill to prove that you are the owner/tenant of the land where the vehicle is parked.

If the information you are to be given is to be stored on a computer, you must be registered under the Data Protection (Jersey) Law, 2018. There is a search fee per vehicle.