Check your driving licence online.

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Some of you who follow my posts may recall that a while ago I mentioned that my driving licence doesn't exist online :eek:.


I think it was AdrianC suggested that it needed sorting in case I got stopped and had no licence record, I thought it best to leave that particular can of worms unopened until I could afford not to drive, in case they insisted I do another test or something, as there is no way I can prove passing my tests now........



Anyway, I sorted it out.


Turns out HMRC had my date of birth wrong (typo), and you have to authenticate your driving licence number against your National Insurance number online. So I was trying to authenticate my driving licence against someone with the same name but different date of birth.




When HMRC accepted certified copies of my birth certificate & passport and corrected their typo, it worked!


So I do in fact have an online driving licence, it even has the correct groups and expiry date


Oh I found out my DOB was wrong at HMRC when I tried to contact them, and they refused to talk to me as I couldn't give my date of birth........

AdrianC

Glad it's sorted!

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Yes, it was nothing to do with DVLA at the end. I even contacted them twice, and just got told to wait a bit longer as they were in the process of transferring paper to com-puh-tah.


If I hadn't have had cause to contact HMRC I'd never have sorted it. HMRC never tell you what they think your birthday is.........




Anyway, if your driving licence can't be found and you get errors, check your date of birth at HMRC.

Jackmydad

That bit about HMRC and the birth date thing really did make me laugh out loud then!

I expect their Babbage Difference engine is missing a gear for that problem.

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Jackmydad wrote: »

That bit about HMRC and the birth date thing really did make me laugh out loud then!

It is funny, after the event, it is like some Marx brothers sketch, HMRC insisted that it isn't possible for them to be wrong, and it was me.


I even checked my birth certificate to see if I had the wrong year or something!!!!!


Now that everything is on com-puh-tah, if you can't log in with your birthday etc., you are scuppered. Infuriatingly, when you ring them, they make you listen to messages detailing how to use the interweb, and urge you to hang up and go there- when I'm ringing because the interweb doesn't work!

Mrs_TRM

Hi,

Came across this post as I was recently told by hmrc that my date of birth is wrong.

Can I ask, how did you go about getting copies of your birth certificate and passport certified? Does this have to be done by a solicitor?

Thanks in advance!!!

Car_54

Mrs_TRM wrote: »

Hi,

Came across this post as I was recently told by hmrc that my date of birth is wrong.

Can I ask, how did you go about getting copies of your birth certificate and passport certified? Does this have to be done by a solicitor?

Thanks in advance!!!

See https://www.gov.uk/certifying-a-document


Solicitor or bank is probably easiest, if only because it's routine for them.

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I got a friend who is a teacher to do it. The real human that I spoke to at HMRC actually told me I didn't need get them certified, but it was no trouble- they just write the "I certify that this is a true copy of a document seen by me" date it and add their occupation and address.

I sent a copy of my passport too as I only have the "free" birth certificate, that says BOY, place of registration and date of birth. (which apparently isn't good enough for identification purposes......)

If you need a new full birth certificate, go to the registry office, do NOT use the online services that look like they are a Government service, they take longer and add on a huge surcharge.

I heard nothing from HMRC for about 6 weeks, then I got my copies back with a "We are dealing with your query" slip, and heard nothing more until I tried to log onto HMRC a few weeks later and it worked.


If you are going to have to pay someone to certify your copy, you could just buy a new birth certificate from the registry office and send the old one to HMRC - you have to collect it as they insist on using some £10 courier to post it out, HMRC send it back anyway.


I have the HMRC address for the right department if you need it

AdrianC

facade wrote: »

...I only have the "free" birth certificate, that says BOY, place of registration and date of birth. (which apparently isn't good enough for identification purposes......)

Makes you wonder why they don't put photos on, doesn't it?

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AdrianC wrote: »

Makes you wonder why they don't put photos on, doesn't it?

:rotfl::rotfl:


Seriously, I fail to see how having the names and occupation of my parents and a bit more decoration means that the "full" birth certificate is a better way to prove my identity than the "free" one. :mad:


In The Olden Days, when I was born, the registration fee for a free certificate was all my parents could afford, and I an sure there are many thousands more like me.