To sell a touring caravan in the UK you need the CRiS document, your service history, and any receipts, handbooks and keys that came with it. Add a settlement figure if there is finance outstanding.
None of it is a legal requirement. A caravan is not a car, so there is no V5C and no DVLA transfer to complete. But the paperwork decides how quickly your caravan sells and what you are offered for it — and a missing CRiS document does not stop the sale.
Key points
- CRiS is the touring caravan register, run by HPI and set up by the National Caravan Council in 1992. Statics are not covered.
- A caravan CRiS check is not proof of ownership. It records the registered keeper, exactly as a V5C does.
- You are not legally required to have the document, but without it a private sale is slower and the offers are lower.
- A lost document can be replaced, and a dealer sale can usually go ahead while you wait.
- Service history is worth real money. A stamped book removes the next buyer’s biggest doubt.
What paperwork you need to sell a caravan
These are the caravan documents to sell a touring van in the UK, in the order buyers care about them. Gather everything into one folder before you ask anyone for a figure. The most common problem in a caravan sale is not missing paperwork — it is finding out something is missing on the day of collection.
| Document | What it does | Without it |
|---|---|---|
| CRiS registration document | Records you as the keeper and links the caravan to its 17-digit number | Sale is slower, offers drop, private buyers walk away |
| Service history | Proves the caravan has been maintained | Value falls. Gaps matter more than stamps |
| Habitation check certificate | Shows damp and safety were inspected | Buyers assume the worst about damp |
| Finance settlement figure | Confirms what is owed and to whom | The sale cannot legally complete |
| Receipts for work done | Backs up repairs, replacements and upgrades | Improvements are taken on trust, so they count for less |
| Handbooks and manuals | Appliance instructions for the next owner | Minor, but their absence is noticed |
| Keys — all of them | Door, locker, hitch lock, wheel clamp, alarm fobs | Replacements cost money and come off the offer |
Not sure what your caravan is worth before you gather all this? Get a free caravan valuation — no obligation, and we will tell you which documents actually affect the figure.
What a caravan CRiS check is, and what it is not
CRiS stands for the Central Registration and Identification Scheme. It was launched in 1992 by the National Caravan Council, it is operated by HPI, and it is the UK’s central register for touring caravans.
Every touring caravan built since 1992 carries a unique 17-digit number. That number is etched into the windows, stamped on the chassis, and printed on a Touring Caravan Registration Document sent to the registered keeper.
Here is the part almost every website in this trade gets wrong. A caravan CRiS check does not prove you own the caravan. It records who the keeper is. That is the same distinction that applies to a car’s V5C, and ownership and keepership are not the same thing.
That sounds like a technicality. It is not, and it works in your favour. Because the document is evidence rather than authority, losing it does not remove your right to sell.
One more thing worth stating plainly: CRiS covers touring caravans. Static caravans and holiday homes are registered differently, usually through the park and the original purchase invoice. If you are selling a static, the CRiS process below does not apply to you.
Do I need CRiS to sell my caravan?
No. There is no legal requirement to hold a CRiS document, and no law stops you selling a caravan without one.
It still costs you. In practice, three things happen when the document is missing:
- Private buyers get nervous. They are being asked to hand over thousands of pounds with no record connecting you to the caravan.
- The sale takes longer. Every enquiry now includes a conversation about paperwork.
- Offers come in lower, because the buyer is pricing in a risk they cannot check.
Put simply, the document is not required — it is just worth having. Most sellers who cannot find theirs discover it is in a drawer at home rather than genuinely lost.
How to transfer CRiS when you sell your caravan
The transfer is straightforward and takes minutes.
- Find your 17-digit CRiS number. It is on the registration document, etched into the corners of the windows, and stamped on the chassis. All three should match.
- Check the caravan is registered to you. If you bought it second-hand and never transferred it, the record may still show the previous keeper. Sort this out before you advertise.
- Agree the sale and take the buyer’s details. Full name and address are needed for the transfer.
- Complete the transfer section of the Touring Caravan Registration Document, or notify CRiS through their website.
- Hand the document over on collection, along with the service history and keys.
- Keep a copy or a photo of the completed transfer for your own records.
A small administrative fee may apply. Check the current amount at cris.co.uk before you start, as fees change.
If the CRiS document is lost
A lost document can be replaced. Contact CRiS directly, confirm your identity as the registered keeper, and request a replacement
You usually do not need to wait for it if you are selling to a dealer. We can start the valuation, arrange collection and pay you while the replacement is in progress. Identity is confirmed from the etched number and the chassis stamping, not from the paper itself.
A private buyer will rarely be that relaxed, and it is hard to blame them.
Caravans built before 1992
If your caravan predates 1992, it has no CRiS registration, because the scheme did not exist when it was built. That is normal and it is not a problem you created.
For a pre-1992 caravan, identity rests on the chassis number, your original purchase paperwork, and a physical inspection. Older caravans do sell we buy them and the absence of CRiS is expected rather than suspicious. What matters more at that age is condition, damp readings and whether the chassis is sound.
What we check when we collect your caravan
Every caravan bought is checked the same way, and it takes about five minutes.
- The chassis number is read from the A-frame and compared against the registration document.
- The etched numbers in the windows are checked against both. All corners, not just the one nearest the door.
- Any mismatch stops the process until it is explained. A caravan whose numbers do not agree with each other has usually been re-identified, and that is a matter for the police rather than a valuation.
- The service history is read end to end, looking for gaps rather than stamps.
In seventeen years the overwhelming majority of caravans pass this without a second thought. The check exists so that the small number that do not are found before money changes hands, which protects you as much as us.
Selling to a dealer or selling privately the paperwork difference
Selling privately means you handle the identity checks, the payment risk and the transfer yourself. A dealer absorbs most of that.
| Selling to Samco | Selling privately | |
|---|---|---|
| Who verifies identity | We do | You and the buyer, between you |
| Missing CRiS document | Sale can proceed while a replacement is requested | Most buyers will wait or walk |
| Outstanding finance | {{CLIENT TO CONFIRM: do you settle finance directly?}} | You must settle before the sale completes |
| Bill of sale | Handled as part of our process | You write it, and you keep a copy |
| Payment risk | Bank transfer on collection | Yours to manage |
Neither route is wrong. Selling privately can return more money if you have the time and the paperwork is in order. If it is not, a dealer sale removes most of the friction.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need the CRiS document to sell my caravan?
No. There is no legal requirement to hold one, and no law prevents a sale without it. It does make the sale slower and usually reduces what you are offered, because a private buyer cannot verify the caravan’s history without it. A replacement can be requested from CRiS if yours is lost.
What if I have lost the CRiS document?
Contact CRiS and request a replacement as the registered keeper. Selling to a dealer, the sale can usually go ahead while the replacement is processed, because identity is confirmed from the etched window numbers and the chassis stamping. A private buyer will normally want to see the document first.
Does a CRiS check prove I own the caravan?
No, and this catches a lot of sellers out. A caravan CRiS check records the registered keeper, in the same way a V5C does for a car. It is strong evidence of your connection to the caravan, not proof of legal title. That is exactly why a missing document does not remove your right to sell.
Do static caravans have a CRiS document?
No. CRiS covers touring caravans. Statics and holiday homes are identified through the original purchase invoice, the manufacturer’s serial or chassis number, and the park’s own paperwork. Do not assume a static should have a CRiS document — check what came with it when you bought it.
Does service history really affect what I am offered?
Yes, and more than most sellers expect. A stamped service book and a recent habitation check remove the next buyer’s biggest doubt, which is damp. Gaps matter more than stamps a caravan serviced every year until three years ago raises a question that a consistently serviced one does not.