Tell DVSA you are closing your MOT centre
How to tell the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) that you're closing one or more of the MOT centres in your business.
Applies to England, Scotland and Wales
You can only close an MOT centre if you hold one of the following roles:
- authorised examiner principal (AEP) – one of the business owners or directors
- authorised examiner designated manager (AEDM) – the person who oversees the management, operation and quality of all MOTs in the business
Tell DVSA you are closing
Fill in the online form to tell DVSA you’re closing one or more of your MOT centres.
You need:
- your authorised examiner (AE) number
- the MOT centre numbers of all the centres you’re closing (sometimes called a vehicle testing station number or VTS number)
- the date you want to close your centre
What happens next
Once the centre has closed, DVSA will remove any roles assigned to this centre.
You need to:
- destroy your certificate of authorisation (VT9) securely, for example by shredding it – do not send it back to DVSA
- cancel your Direct Debit to buy MOT slots if you have one set up
Get a refund for unused MOT slots
If you closed all the MOT centres in your business
You will automatically get a refund for any unused slots if you’ve closed all the MOT centres in your business.
If you paid for your slots by credit or debit card, you’ll get a refund to the card you used.
If you paid for your slots by direct debit, cheque or postal order, DVSA will send your refund by cheque to your business address.
It can take up to 28 days to process your refund.
If other MOT centres in your business are still open
You will not automatically get a refund for unused test slots if other MOT centres in your business are still open. The slots will stay in your account for your other MOT centres to use.
You can apply for a refund and reduce your MOT slot balance if your balance is too high.
If you want to reopen the MOT centre
When an MOT centre has been closed, it’s classed as ‘surrendered’ for a year.
This means you can more easily reopen the centre within a year if:
- you still have the right to use it
- the site plans and layout of the building have not changed
If you want to open it after a year, you need to open it as a new MOT centre.
Fill in the MOT centre application form to ask for it to be reopened in either case.
Last updated 1 February 2024 + show all updates
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Replaced the email address to close your MOT centre with a link to an online form. Added information about getting a refund for unused MOT test slots.
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First published.