advertisement


Contacting the DVLA - paper to photocard driving licence

Sue Pertwee-Tyr

Accuphase all the way down
Bit of a saga, apologies, I'll try to be brief.

I still have a paper driving licence. I resisted the change for a number of reasons: firstly, mine is valid until age 70 without a 10 year renewal fee; secondly, when the photocard licences came out (with paper supplement) there were many stories of new licences being issued which 'lost' entitlement to drive certain classes, such as minibuses, and motorcycles. In the case of the bike licence, if you couldn't produce a valid pass certificate, there was no way to reinstate the class to your licence and you'd have to resit the test. Bugger that for a game of soldiers, so I kept my paper licence.

A few years on, and our postcode changed due to changes in administration and a new postcode district. I informed the DVLA and all my car documents bear the correct address, but the paper driving licence never got updated, for reasons I'm not clear about they never arranged a fresh one or asked me to upgrade to a photocard one. Because of the reasons above, I never pursued it. (It's been back to DVLA at least twice since then, to have speeding endorsements added).

So, now that photo ID is becoming more useful and I don't want to have to carry my passport around (in case I lose it), I thought I'd change to a photocard licence, because my new passport has a digital image on file and they can use the same one. Also, now that I've passed 60, that annoying 10 year renewal fee will be a thing in my future anyway.

Tried online, but it has a meltdown when I try to input my 'old' postcode as printed on the licence (as requested by the online form) because it can't find it. Clearly the data has been updated. So try again, and when it asks for the address as printed on the licence, input the updated postcode. More meltdown.

Abandon attempt to apply online and call the number. Go through the options menu, and reach the point where a recorded voice tells me they're all very busy and can't take my call, and drop the line.

So, try to email. Go through the pre-email pages (why TF can't they just give you a ****ing email address) filling in the various data fields. Input licence number, fine, input date of birth, fine, input postcode... meltdown.

So it seems I can't contact the DVLA. I may have to write to them!

Any pitfalls fishies can see before I do that? Am I likely to find myself devoid of any driving privileges because my paper licence and actual postcode don't marry up, even though the DVLA has known my correct address and postcode for decades? Should I just let sleeping dogs lie?
 
Do you have the same problem when getting a code for renting a car? That would be a buegger as I think that only works online.

The sooner we have passports and driving licences in digital format the better, like our credit cards.
 
Do you have the same problem when getting a code for renting a car? That would be a buegger as I think that only works online.

The sooner we have passports and driving licences in digital format the better, like our credit cards.
Nope, no problem. Hired a van about a year ago, no issues at all, which is another good reason why I'm confident they have the correct details (thanks for reminding me!). It was the fact that my new, blue, post-Brexit passport (hurrah!) is digital, and the DVLA state they will use your digitised passport photo, that triggered my into trying to join the 21st century with the DVLA.

Perhaps my mistake was in trying to take the question about the address as 'printed' on the licence too literally and I've upset the system by inadvertently putting in 'inconsistent' postcode data. I'll maybe take @stevec67 's advice and persis, leave it a week or two and try again, and make no mention of the old postcode.
 
You can also try this service to check they have the correct details, https://www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence, unless you already used this when renting.
I tried that today, just to see if I could verify the postcode on their record. More meltdown ensued. I wonder if I just caught the DVLA system on a particularly meltdowny day. Perhaps they're under cyberattack by them pesky Russians, or summat.

Edit: no issues reported today, but some history of recent flakiness: DVLA Website | Down Today
 
I tried that today, just to see if I could verify the postcode on their record. More meltdown ensued. I wonder if I just caught the DVLA system on a particularly meltdowny day. Perhaps they're under cyberattack by them pesky Russians, or summat.

Edit: no issues reported today, but some history of recent flakiness: DVLA Website | Down Today

DVLA website worked perfectly for me about an hour ago to assign a retained plate to my car.
 
I did this few years ago (4 or 5), an identical situation. Dead easy. Persist, I didn't even have to pay a fee. My new licence came back with all my entitlements intact (moped, road roller, lawnmower, sack barrow).
And the same situation for me in 2017, but with a twist that prompted a call to DVLA. There was no problem getting to them then. It has been reported that they have had staffing problems from pandemic-related absences but I think this ought to be better by now. So I would support "persist".

I actually ended up with a greater entitlement than I have had since 1979. I have a weakened right leg from a mild dose of polio in 1959 which is visible (including to the examiner) but no big problem in real life. My paper license was marked "restricted" and I have for a long time only been licenced to drive a car and a motor tricycle.

After applying online and returning my paper licence with the fee for the photo licence I got a letter from the DVLA medical section assuming vehicle modifications were essential and asking for details. I wrote explaining my situation saying I did not need modifications. Shortly afterwards I noticed that my fee had been refunded and I was concerned that this might mean some refusal. A call to DVLA was quickly answered and I found there was actually no problem. The licence came through the post a few days later with the three-wheel restriction on motorcycles still there but with what looks like all other "normal" permitted categories added.
 


advertisement


Back
Top