Certificate of Destruction: What It Is and When You Get It

A Certificate of Destruction is the document that shows your car was handed over to be scrapped. This guide explains who issues it, when it should arrive, which vehicles get one, and what to do if yours does not turn up.

Facts checked against GOV.UK and the law on 28 October 2026.

What a Certificate of Destruction is

A Certificate of Destruction (often shortened to CoD) is issued when a vehicle has been completely scrapped at an authorised treatment facility. GOV.UK describes it as proof that you have handed the vehicle over for scrap (GOV.UK: where you can scrap your vehicle).

It matters because, without it, GOV.UK says you could still be liable for traffic offence penalties and vehicle tax. If a speeding notice or a tax letter later arrives for the registration, the certificate is the document that shows the car had already gone for scrap.

Who issues it

Only an authorised treatment facility (ATF) can issue one. ATFs are sometimes called scrapyards, breaker's yards or dismantlers, and GOV.UK says it is illegal to scrap a vehicle anywhere else. You can look up ATFs on the official lists through GOV.UK: find a vehicle scrapyard, which links to separate registers for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

With Scrap A Car For Cash, the roles are split. We take your enquiry and pass it to an affiliated collection company that covers your area. That company values the car, collects it and pays you. If the car is then completely scrapped, that happens at an ATF, and the ATF issues the certificate. The full sequence is on how it works.

When it should arrive, and for which vehicles

GOV.UK says the ATF will give you a Certificate of Destruction within 7 days if it completely scraps one of these:

a car;
a light van;
a 3-wheeled motor vehicle (but not a motor tricycle).

Other types of vehicle, such as motorcycles, do not get a certificate. If you are chasing one, it helps to know the name of the facility the car is going to. Ask the collection company on the day if you are not sure.

When there is no certificate: repaired and resold

When an ATF receives a vehicle, GOV.UK says it can decide to either completely scrap it, or repair it and sell it. If it repairs and sells the vehicle, you do not get a Certificate of Destruction. The car carries on with a new keeper.

The two outcomes also differ in how you can be paid:

Outcome	Certificate of Destruction	Payment (England and Wales)
Completely scrapped	Yes, within 7 days (cars, light vans, 3-wheelers)	Not in cash: bank transfer or cheque
Repaired and sold	No	Any method

Either way, the step that ends your responsibility on DVLA's records is telling DVLA the car has gone. If you would rather weigh up selling a car that still has life in it, see scrap or sell your car.

The certificate does not tell DVLA for you

The certificate and the DVLA notification are two separate things. GOV.UK's scrapping steps are: give the ATF the V5C but keep the yellow ‘sell, transfer or part-exchange your vehicle to the motor trade’ section, then tell DVLA you have taken the vehicle to an ATF. You can be fined £1,000 if you do not (GOV.UK: how to scrap your vehicle).

When you tell DVLA, you get a letter confirming you are no longer the keeper and a refund cheque for any full months of tax left. Together with the certificate, that letter is your record. See how to tell DVLA you scrapped your car and vehicle tax refunds after scrapping.

If your certificate does not arrive

GOV.UK does not set out a procedure for a missing certificate, so these are practical steps:

Check whether the car was completely scrapped at all. If it was repaired and resold, no certificate is due.
Contact the collection company. Its details are on your quote. Ask for the name and address of the ATF the car went to, and whether it was scrapped or resold.
Contact that ATF directly with the registration number and the collection date.
Check the ATF is on the official register using GOV.UK: find a vehicle scrapyard.
Make sure you have told DVLA, and keep the confirmation letter alongside your copy of the written contract from collection day.

Special cases

You took parts off first

GOV.UK allows you to remove parts to repair another vehicle you own, as long as you do it without polluting, for example by stopping oil and other fluids soaking into the ground or entering drains. Declare the car off the road while you do it. The ATF can charge a fee if essential parts such as the engine, gearbox, bodywork or wheels have been removed, so mention any missing parts when you enquire (GOV.UK: how to scrap your vehicle).

An insurance write-off

When an insurer writes a car off, GOV.UK says the insurer will usually deal with getting it scrapped, and you send the V5C to the insurer rather than to an ATF. Category A and B vehicles cannot be repaired. See insurance write-offs.

A car registered abroad

A vehicle registered outside the UK must still be scrapped at an ATF here, and you get a Certificate of Destruction for it. GOV.UK says it is then your responsibility to tell the driving authority in the country where it is registered that it has been scrapped.

Keep it safe

GOV.UK does not say how long to keep the certificate, so keep it with your other vehicle records. A photo or scan stored somewhere separate is a sensible backup. If a penalty notice for the old registration turns up months later, the certificate, the DVLA letter and your written contract between them show when the car left your hands.

Have other questions about the day itself? See free scrap car collection and the FAQs.

Questions people ask

Who gives me the Certificate of Destruction?

The authorised treatment facility (ATF) that completely scraps the vehicle. Neither the website you enquired through nor a collection driver issues it.

How long does a Certificate of Destruction take?

GOV.UK says the ATF will give you one within 7 days if it completely scraps a car, light van or 3-wheeled motor vehicle.

Why did I not get a Certificate of Destruction?

The most common reason is that the ATF repaired and sold the vehicle rather than destroying it, which it is allowed to do. Certificates are also not issued for vehicle types other than cars, light vans and 3-wheeled motor vehicles (motor tricycles excluded).

Do I still need to tell DVLA if I have a Certificate of Destruction?

Yes. Telling DVLA is a separate duty for the keeper. GOV.UK says you can be fined £1,000 if you do not tell DVLA the vehicle has gone to an ATF.

Can a scrapped car be put back on the road?

Not once it has been completely scrapped. That is the point of the certificate. A vehicle the ATF chooses to repair and resell is a different outcome, and no certificate is issued for it.

Sources

Who does what

Scrap A Car For Cash (operated by Lead Stack Ltd, company number 15877625) takes your enquiry and passes it to an affiliated vehicle collection company that covers your area.
The collection company values the vehicle, collects it free of charge and pays you on collection, in line with the terms you agree with them.
If the vehicle is completely scrapped, that happens at an authorised treatment facility (ATF), which gives you a Certificate of Destruction. A vehicle that is repaired and resold instead does not get one.

More detail: how it works and our terms and conditions.

Get a free valuation

Enter the registration and postcode, or call us, and the collection company covering your area will contact you with a free, no-obligation valuation.

Get a free valuation Call free: 0800 002 9733

We take enquiries from across England, Scotland and Wales — see the areas we cover.