Check your driving licence discussion

sarahg1969

SCO wrote: »

From the AA website:

Having a licence which has not been updated will pose problems, particularly if you want to hire a car, or if you have to prove your entitlement to drive to your employer.
It could also lead to a fine of up to £1000 although we have had no reports of this happening for failing to update a photocard.

Not clearly written, if you don't understand the penalties, but this relates to the photocard, and not the licence itself. Failing to update your photocard does not affect your entitlement to drive. You will still have a licence to drive. Someone may one day be fined up to £1,000 (but as far as I'm aware, it's not happened yet).

Driving without a licence is an entirely separate, and endorsable offence.

mcjordi

just to let you all know i got my license back this morning.. all fine and dandy

used the post office service on the 8th december and got it back today (14th) so factor in the weekend and time at the post office its only taken 3 working days

grummpy

photocards another back door tax.£20 demand with menace reason for renewal not valid.women charge appearance all the time[dye/cut/grow hair] men shave/have beards go bald and people lose weight.driving licences are valid untill you are 70 unless revoked.not all driver have a photocard only issued to new drivers since 1997 0r if you have changed your name or address and told dvla.the £20 will raise £ 20,000,000 cash per year from 10,000,000 British drivers.:mad:

Flyboy152

grummpy wrote: »

photocards another back door tax.£20 demand with menace reason for renewal not valid.women charge appearance all the time[dye/cut/grow hair] men shave/have beards go bald and people lose weight.driving licences are valid untill you are 70 unless revoked.not all driver have a photocard only issued to new drivers since 1997 0r if you have changed your name or address and told dvla.the £20 will raise £ 20,000,000 cash per year from 10,000,000 British drivers.:mad:

What profit does the DVLA make out of the twenty pounds you pay for your new licence?

Gordon_Hose

AFAIK it's free to change your address or name! You only need to pay when updating the photograph.

Even then it's £2 a year.

DDLondon

FINES AND THE DVLA
I just phoned the DVLA and asked whether someone would be fined by the DVLA if they sent a license in for renewal that had been out of date for several years, either due to a name change or an address change. The guy stated categorically 2 or 3 times that the DVLA is not an enforcement agency, so they will not fine you if you send your license in for renewal even if it is several years out of date. He said the police could fine you, but the DVLA won't.

Presumably the police would only be likely to fine you if they stopped you whilst driving and discovered your license to be out of date. Also, it may invalidate your insurance - I certainly wouldn't want to risk that! My understanding is that is illegal to hold an out of date license, and that if it is out of date you should either update it or surrender it to the DVLA. I guess if you don't drive you are very unlikely ever to be prosecuted and fined, unless in really bizarre and unfortunate circumstances!

Rover_Driver

A licence, unless it's a short term one, is valid until you are 70.
The photocard however, has to be renewed every 10 years.
Two different matters.

DVLA are correct, enforcement of driving licence offences are dealt with by Police.

allthatmularky

Right this is a strange one but looking for some help on this.
I don't even know if this situation is true or not - but a little worried so that's why I'm asking.

Someone who I know as a friend is in their early eighties - they were struggling to provide photo id and I suggested a driving licence since they would have to have a photo licence since they would have had to apply for a licence when they turned 70. I think the photo id licences appeared around 1998?
However, they claim not to have a photo licence or been sent any reminders by the DVLA at 70 nor for the 3 year periods since. I'm just a little concerned that they are driving without a valid licence.

This worry is compounded by the fact that they would be uninsured - I know for a fact that they are insured - but worried that the licence situation would invalidate any insurance.
Added to this - would they if they need to rectify this situation need to take a test to prove they were capable of driving?

oswjapan

My situation is a total PICKLE! I'm sending out an appeal for anyone who might be able to help me understand what to do.

PLEASE HELP!

The background..

I got my photo license in 1998
In 2002 I moved to Japan and have lived here ever since - I did not think to change the address on my license.
I was able to convert my UK license for a Japanese one and for two years drove with that.
However since 2004 I have not driven. I put my UK license away and forgot about it.

Now however, I am planning to return to the UK but when I went to find my photo-card license I could not find it anywhere. It is completely lost..

I need to renew my license but it is now 4 years overdue for the photo update, is registered to an address I have not lived at for ten years, is lost and I live outside the UK!

Surely this must be the mother of all complicated driver license renewal problems!

Is there anyone who can suggest a way to deal with this and get my license back?

Many thanks

Stephen_Leak

For the record, I've just advised my new address AND changed my old paper licence for a new photo ID one online.

As I already have a new style passport, they could use its photograph and I didn't have to get a new one, get it countersigned, etc. etc. The only potential disadvantage of this is that the photograph will expire sooner than a new one.

As an aside, I noted that a "minister of religion" is an acceptable countersignatory. As a fully paid up, certified and ordained minister of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, can I now do this?

Anyway, the DVLA and Direct.gov websites - both modern day successors to Dickens' Circumlocution Office - led me to believe that this would cost me £20. However, the system took the application without asking me for any payment.

I haven't received my new licence yet, but they haven't contacted me asking for £20 either. I'll try to remember to keep you posted.