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Use SFTP to send data

SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) allows vehicle manufacturers to send a daily CSV file containing recall data to DVSA over a secure connection. Your organisation can use software known as an SFTP client to send the files.

You should only use SFTP temporarily if you can adopt the API. Only the API allows you to update your data in real-time.

Warning You can only send up to 3.5 million VINs using SFTP. If your dataset is likely to be larger, use the API instead.

Contents

  1. How SFTP works
  2. Getting started
  3. Data specification
  4. Error handling

How SFTP works

Vehicle manufacturer:

  1. Creates a daily CSV file containing all outstanding recalls
  2. Connects securely to the DVSA SFTP server using SSH keys
  3. Transfers the file to the SFTP server

DVSA Vehicle Recalls Service:

  1. Saves the CSV file, scans for viruses and validates the data
  2. Adds new recalls to the database
  3. Marks vehicles no longer found in the CSV file as fixed
  4. Displays the outstanding recalls on MOT digital services

Getting started

DVSA will contact you to onboard to the service.

Before you can onboard, you need to:

  • provide a team email address
  • generate SSH keys

The team email address is used to contact your organisation if there are technical issues with the service, so it should not belong to only one individual.

SSH keys authenticate users when connecting to an SFTP server, like a username and password. Your organisation will generate a public and private key pair. DVSA will store your public key on the SFTP server and grant you access if you can prove you have the corresponding private key.

After you are onboarded, DVSA will provide your username and the SFTP endpoint.

Data specification

Send your recall data to DVSA every day in a single CSV file. The file must have a .csv extension using UTF-8 encoding and there should be no spaces in the file name.

Do not send multiple files at the same time.

The data should be in the exact format shown below:

Data Element Description Example
VIN Vehicle Identification Number JN3MS37A9PW212345
Manufacturer Recall Campaign Reference Manufacturer’s internal reference number for the recall campaign Varies across manufacturers
DVSA Campaign Reference Reference number supplied by DVSA for the recall campaign R/2022/123
Recall Campaign Start Date Launch date of the recall YYYY-MM-DD

Constraints

Field Constraint Required
vin Cannot be empty Yes
manufacturerCampaignReference Cannot be empty

Maximum 50 characters long

Allowed characters:
a-z, A-Z, 0-9, -, _, \, /		 Yes
dvsaCampaignReference Maximum 50 characters long

Allowed characters:
a-z, A-Z, 0-9, -, _, \, /		 No
recallCampaignStartDate Cannot be empty Yes

Only send data for vehicles with recalls that are currently outstanding. Vehicles with recalls that are now fixed should be removed from the file.

Example CSV File

The CSV file must contain 4 column headers. The columns should be in the exact order shown below:

VIN ManufacturerRecallCampaignReference DVSACampaignReference RecallCampaignStartDate
LH7PRODCJEE012345 ABCCARS123 R/2026/123 2026-12-01
17748U47X15831234 ABCVANS124 R/2026/124 2026-12-02
ABCCCX5RZUDE1234 ABCTRUCKS125 R/2026/125 2026-12-03
CSVR5SJ62XBY12345 ABCBUSES126 R/2026/126 2026-12-04

Error handling

If there is an issue with your file, DVSA will send an automated email to the team email address you provided when onboarding.

Error reasons

You will receive an email if your file has failed to process for the following reasons:

Error Description
Incorrect date format The Recall Campaign Start Date is not in the format YYYY-MM-DD
Wrong encoding format The format of the file is not set to Unicode (UTF-8)
Missing column headers The file is missing some or all of the column headers. All column headers are mandatory, including the DVSA Campaign Reference
Columns in the wrong order The column headers must be in the exact order specified above
Wrong file extension The file extension needs to be .csv (not case-sensitive)
Missing required fields Some or all of the required fields have been left blank. The mandatory fields are VIN, Manufacturer Recall Campaign Reference, and Recall Campaign Start Date
Multiple files uploaded You have sent another file while your previous file is still being processed. To avoid this error, only one file should be sent per day
Infected file The file has failed anti-virus scanning
Manufacturer Recall Campaign Reference too long The Manufacturer Campaign Reference is longer than 50 characters
DVSA Recall Campaign Reference too long The DVSA Campaign Reference is longer than 50 characters
Invalid Manufacturer Recall Campaign Reference The Manufacturer Campaign Reference contains invalid characters
Invalid DVSA Recall Campaign Reference The DVSA Campaign Reference contains invalid characters