Are you planning to trail your boat from the UK to the European Continent?
Since August 26, 2025, the DVLA has advised UK trailer owners to register any trailer over 750kg gross weight* before travelling to or through most of Europe (apart from Ireland, Cyprus, Malta and Spain) where you will be expected to carry a trailer registration certificate, to show to foreign authorities on request. Go to https://www.gov.uk/register-trailer-to-take-abroad the cost is £26.
The trailer should also have it's own registration plate at the back of the trailer, separate from your towing vehicle’s number plate. Plates can only be made by a registered number plate supplier (RNPS). Take your trailer registration certificate to a registered RNPS, see list at gov.uk/number-plate-supplier (note not all suppliers make trailer plates).
You should display a UK sticker on your trailer, as well as your tow vehicle.
To register your trailer you will need the Vehicle Identification Number as shown on the VIN plate attach to the trailer by the trailer manufacturer. If your trailer is old or self-built you may need an Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA) https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-individual-vehicle-approval-iva-trailers which requires an application form and a trailer inspection but this process appears to be for commercial trailers and it is not clear if this also applies to leisure trailers since August 2025. Please email me for the latest advice.
The post-Brexit arrangement that allowed non-commercial trailers to operate without separate registration expired in August 2025. The chances of being stopped and checked is unknown, but if you are not prepared it may spoil your trip.
* Gross Trailer Weight (GTW), or Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM) for a trailer, is the maximum safe total weight of the trailer including its entire load, boat, fuel, and any equipment.
Colin Stroud, OGA Secretary
February 5, 2026
