Driving licence

aardvaak

My driving licence expires in December 2024 at the age of 70, how soon before should I apply for a new one?

Ebe_Scrooge

The official website says a replacement should arrive within 1 week : https://www.gov.uk/renew-driving-licence-at-70

But you can do it up to 90 days in advance of the expiry - so if you aim for a month or so before it expires, that should give you plenty of time.  Although, if your application has been completed and you're just waiting for the new licence to arrive, you can still carry on driving.  But to save any hassle, probably easiest just to do it a month or 2 before the expiry date.

Car_54

aardvaak said:

My driving licence expires in December 2024 at the age of 70, how soon before should I apply for a new one?

When you get the reminder. Mine arrived 2-3 months before expiry.

TooManyPoints

Although, if your application has been completed and you're just waiting for the new licence to arrive, you can still carry on driving.  

Just a point of detail, but it can be important. You must be sure that your application has been received by the DVLA. This is provided in Section 88(b) of the Road Traffic act (Exceptions to the need to hold a licence):

"a qualifying application by the driver for the grant of a licence to drive vehicles of that class....has been received [my emphasis] by the Secretary of State" 

Of course if you cannot contact the DVLA (as seems the case with most people at present) then you cannot be sure it has been received, unless you make the application online, when you get an acknowledgement. Things may be different by 2024.

lordmountararat

Also, be careful you don't lose the right to drive vehicles over 3500kg or tow. When I reached 70 and received my new licence it was restricted to fewer categories of vehicles.

aardvaak

Ebe_Scrooge said:

The official website says a replacement should arrive within 1 week : https://www.gov.uk/renew-driving-licence-at-70

But you can do it up to 90 days in advance of the expiry - so if you aim for a month or so before it expires, that should give you plenty of time.  Although, if your application has been completed and you're just waiting for the new licence to arrive, you can still carry on driving.  But to save any hassle, probably easiest just to do it a month or 2 before the expiry date.

Thank you for yours and all the replies - does this still apply as I don't have a photocard licence at present just paper?

AdrianC

aardvaak said:

Ebe_Scrooge said:

The official website says a replacement should arrive within 1 week : https://www.gov.uk/renew-driving-licence-at-70

But you can do it up to 90 days in advance of the expiry - so if you aim for a month or so before it expires, that should give you plenty of time.  Although, if your application has been completed and you're just waiting for the new licence to arrive, you can still carry on driving.  But to save any hassle, probably easiest just to do it a month or 2 before the expiry date.

Thank you for yours and all the replies - does this still apply as I don't have a photocard licence at present just paper?

Yes - unlike the expiry of a photocard itself, at 70 it is your right to drive which expires.

You will have a photocard after the renewal, because it's nearly a quarter of a century since DVLA last issued anything else.

Pollycat

Do you mean 2024?
Are you thinking about driving licence renewal almost 3-and-a-half years time in advance?

I was going to warn about the websites that offer 'value-add' services for arranging driving licence renewal - lots of threads on MSE - but who knows if that will be sorted in that timespan...

molerat

TooManyPoints said:

Just a point of detail, but it can be important. You must be sure that your application has been received by the DVLA. This is provided in Section 88(b) of the Road Traffic act (Exceptions to the need to hold a licence):

"a qualifying application by the driver for the grant of a licence to drive vehicles of that class....has been received [my emphasis] by the Secretary of State" 

Of course if you cannot contact the DVLA (as seems the case with most people at present) then you cannot be sure it has been received, unless you make the application online, when you get an acknowledgement. Things may be different by 2024.

Surely if posted with proof of posting it will, in law, have been received unless DVLA can prove otherwise.

Car_54

molerat said:

TooManyPoints said:

Just a point of detail, but it can be important. You must be sure that your application has been received by the DVLA. This is provided in Section 88(b) of the Road Traffic act (Exceptions to the need to hold a licence):

"a qualifying application by the driver for the grant of a licence to drive vehicles of that class....has been received [my emphasis] by the Secretary of State" 

Of course if you cannot contact the DVLA (as seems the case with most people at present) then you cannot be sure it has been received, unless you make the application online, when you get an acknowledgement. Things may be different by 2024.

Surely if posted with proof of posting it will, in law, have been received unless DVLA can prove otherwise.

AFAIK the only law to that effect is the Interpretation Act 1978, which applies only "Where an Act authorises or requires any document to be served by post ...". That has no relevance in any other case.

facade

Another possibility is to have a valid passport, then the application can be all online, DVLA making up the photocard using the passport photo on file. Who knows what will happen in the future, but at the moment online stuff is very quick, presumably because people aren't involved.

Expensive if it is just to get the driving licence, but without a photocard driving licence you pretty much need a passport anyway.