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Vehicle registration certificate (V5C)
The log book showing the registered keeper of the vehicle.
This is general information for UK goods-vehicle operators. It is not legal advice. Use the official source on this page, and your operator licence conditions, before you rely on it.
What it is
The V5C is the vehicle registration certificate, often called the log book. It shows the registered keeper. It does not prove that you are the licensed operator, and it is not proof of ownership by itself. Hire and lease companies are often the registered keeper while you are the operator who specifies the vehicle on your O licence.
Who holds it
The registered keeper holds the V5C. Operators who are not the keeper should still know who is, and be able to show the hiring or leasing agreement that puts the vehicle under their control.
At a visit
A roadside check may ask who the keeper is and whether the vehicle is specified on an operator licence. Mismatches between the V5C, the disc and the licence schedule need an explanation, not a guess.