Got a plastic driving licence issued in 1998 or 1999? Renew your photo now!

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Former_MSE_Natasha
Former_MSE_Natasha Posts: 672 Forumite
edited 17 May 2016 at 2:08PM in Motoring
MoneySavingExpert Insert May 16:

Is your Driving Licence valid? Check our Is your Driving Licence valid? guide to see.

Updated 21 October 2008
What's this about?
Plastic driving licences replaced paper versions in 1998. The rules say photos must be renewed every 10 years costing £17.50 or it becomes invalid and you could be slapped with a £1,000 fine.
Around 400,000 licences will expire this year and next, so check your licence now to see when you're due to update it with a new photo.
Check your licence now!
The DVLA will be sending reminders to licence holders around two months before their 10-year anniversary yet, just in case one doesn't reach you, check the date in section 4b on the front of your licence (inc. provisionals) yourself now.
If your expiry date is in 2008, renew your licence straight away. Either order a renewal pack from the DVLA or pick up the form D1 'application for a driving licences' from your nearest Post Office.
Those with expiry dates in 2009 should make a firm note in their diary and keep an eye out for renewal packs in the coming months.
Ignore the licence expiry date at the back of the card - many people confuse this with the photo renewal date - as this will be the day before your 70th birthday.
You're not affected if you have a paper licence

If you still have a paper licence you won't be affected by this, but if you ever need to update your information (for example an address change) you'll be 'upgraded' to a photo licence and will have to bear this 10-year rule in mind.
Related Guides: Cheap Car Insurance, Cheap MOTs, Cheap Roadside Recovery


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Comments

  • Asaad
    Asaad Posts: 77 Forumite
    I've been Money Tipped!
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    my dad recently got points on his paper licence but they neva told him he had to get photocard 1. they just have written on his old licence.. hmmm:confused:
  • wildshot
    wildshot Posts: 13 Forumite
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    Looks like I expected another government body money raising scheme. There's no way it costs £17.50 for them to process and issue new cards on such a grand scale. We pay road tax and tax on insurance and petrol, why do we have to pay for new photo cards, they should be free.
  • imbrennan
    imbrennan Posts: 4 Newbie
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    "Those with expiry dates in 1999 should make a firm note in their diary and keep an eye out for renewal packs in the coming months."

    I guess you really meant expiry dates in 2009!
  • northernlass_2
    northernlass_2 Posts: 907 Forumite
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker
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    Asaad wrote: »
    my dad recently got points on his paper licence but they neva told him he had to get photocard 1. they just have written on his old licence.. hmmm:confused:
    same as my dad, they just wrote in the endorsements section on his paper licence.
    DFW red and green member
    Doing my best to lose weight and save money
  • man_in_black_3
    man_in_black_3 Posts: 4 Newbie
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    more ways of conning money from the masses, £17.50 what a rip, reminds you of bank charges, totally over priced. rip off goverments.
  • tessy_t
    tessy_t Posts: 91 Forumite
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker
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    I can shared an idea of why it costs so much to renew licences, it's because DVLA have a massively overpriced contract with IT consultants IBM, they have been paying them millions of pounds for the last 5 years and the contract has just been renewed for another three years so more of our tax payers money going to a profit driven company called IBM.
  • TheToothfairy_3
    TheToothfairy_3 Posts: 39 Forumite
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    This is interesting because my licence was one of the ones issued in 1999.
    I sent it to the DVLA to have my surname updated (which they do for free) in 2006 after I got married but they didn't require a new photo.
    I've just checked the date in section 4b and it shows that I don't need to update my photo now until 2016 - so my picture is going to be valid for 17 years!
  • karendb
    karendb Posts: 313 Forumite
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    Asaad wrote: »
    my dad recently got points on his paper licence but they neva told him he had to get photocard 1. they just have written on his old licence.. hmmm:confused:

    Same here - I still have a paper licence from 1991 and it says it's valid till 2031! I had to send it off earlier this year for a "speeding" offence and they just wrote on the licence.

    I think at the moment you are not required to have a photo licence. However, if you do have one, it's got to be kept updated.
    I would love to be lazy but can't find the time:exclamati
  • Charis
    Charis Posts: 1,302 Forumite
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker
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    karendb wrote: »
    Same here - I still have a paper licence from 1991 and it says it's valid till 2031! I had to send it off earlier this year for a "speeding" offence and they just wrote on the licence.

    I think at the moment you are not required to have a photo licence. However, if you do have one, it's got to be kept updated.

    When I moved house and wanted to change the address I was required to get a photo and was issued a plastic licence.
  • pinkpong
    pinkpong Posts: 247 Forumite
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    I still have a paper one from 1995 . Do I need to change it for the plastic one? I wasn`t aware that we had to do this.
This discussion has been closed.
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