Hi all

A discussion at work today, was about credit card drivers licences , yep riveting !!
yet when I announced I havnt got one just a pink paper one, it all went quite, and I was basicly told I don't have a driving licence as its law to have a credit card one ???

I am unable to find out if this is true, so please help !!

Steve

Don't think that's true unless your old license has an expiry date on it. If you get points or if it expires you will need to send in a verified photo.

Rubbish, there is no requirement to swap. But sometime next year if you need to change details you will have to change to a photo card.

You need to replace it if you move or when it expires but other than that it's completely valid - they don't know what they are talking about.

Here's some discussion from the (first link I found somewhere at least moderately authoritative)

http://www.policespecials.com/forum/index.php/topic/103271-old-without-a-photo-driving-licences/

DVLA web-site is no help as usual. but that could be because they get £25 for every photocard issued.

Do not think it's true either, when you pass your test you are licensed until you reach a ripe old age then you have to retake it unless you are a naughty boy or girl.

They usually get changed to credit card ones when you move house or collect some points.

After waiting for half an hour at a photo booth whilst a family got their passport snaps, I returned home to apply for a new photo driving license only to find out that if you have a recent passort they can use that photo from their archive.

I have an old style driving license, there is no address on it, but I have moved about 10 times since passing my test in 1981. Does this mean I should update my license?

Is that also the case for passports? I got my passport at another address, again there are no address details on it

Cheers
David

There's no requirement to change it and it doesn't expire until your 70, unlike the card ones that expire every 10 years. If you move address then the replacement you'll be issued with will be the card type. If you get points they'll be added (hand written) onto your existing paper one (they were on mine anyway).

I believe it is an offence to have a licence that isn't registered at your home address, that could be the 'against the law' bit they're talking about. My other half resisted for 20 years before finally admitting she lives with me and getting a photo licence.

Frustrating thing is the paper ones never expired (until old age) but the photo ones need to be renewed every 10 years. And there's a fee chargeable.

Wait till they figure out they can make money by requiring a new photo licence every 5 years!

Just to add:
It isn't the license that expires after 10 years. It's the photograph!
I got reported for 'not having a valid license' because one corner of my paper license was curled and you couldn't quite make out the numbers. You could read them on the other corners and on the main bit of the license but it seems that ALL the numbers have to be intact. It went to court and the judge just told me to get a new card type license....

I spent a year in Aus and I was involved in a three car accident on the motorway. Police turn up, and ask to see all our licences. I pull out my UK paper licence, two Australians have photo licences. Conversation went something like :-
Police Officer: <looking hard for a photo> Are you allowed to drive here on that?
Me: Oh yes!
PO: OK, right you are then.

quote:

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Originally posted by owelly
Just to add:
It isn't the license that expires after 10 years. It's the photograph!

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quote:

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Originally posted by Slimy38

quote:

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Originally posted by owelly
Just to add:
It isn't the license that expires after 10 years. It's the photograph!

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My card licence states 'Licence valid to' as the description for section 4b, and it's ten years after the 'Licence valid from'...

Although that's probably just really bad descriptions on the DVLA's part, I have no intention of retaking my test in 6 years time!!

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Categorically no, they're wrong, your license is valid even though it's a paper one. If you move house or get points, or change categories etc you have to update to the new type. When you update you will have to renew it each 10 years but if you look on the back of the card you'll see your license is valid until some stupid date in the future (mines 2051) but there's a "4b" date on teh front which is a renewal of image date.

Simples. How do people not know this? Does most of the population not read anything they get through the post when getting their license? I can understand if you're still running round on a paper license that you won't know this but your colleagues should know it.

[Edited on 15/5/14 by coyoteboy]

Thanks guys,

i will keep my paper license for a while then,



steve

quote:

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Originally posted by Slimy38
Frustrating thing is the paper ones never expired (until old age) but the photo ones need to be renewed every 10 years. And there's a fee chargeable.

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It is not a legal requirement to hold a photo card licence if you hold a paper counter-part, although if you do then it is a legal requirement to keep it updated when it expires.

Rubbish. Keep the paper one as long as you can . Plastic has to be renewed every ten yrs and costs 20quid
And if you get a producer . You still need the paper eliment to show them.


I only changed because I moved house and had to

Mitch

quote:

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Originally posted by mitch2b
You still need the paper eliment to show them.

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Had to change to a card type as I have recently moved, it was free as just a change of address and as said they used my passport photo so fairly painless. The confusing thing was I used to only be able to drive 3 classes of vehicles but now there is about 15! apparently it means the same.