Both me & my wife have old style paper driving licenses that expire when we are 70. We have not had reminders to change them to photo style driving licenses.
I have seen today that people with photo driving licenses where the photo is over 10 years old are liable for a fine for having an out of date license.
My question is are our old paper style licenses still acceptable or should they be changed to photo style licenses?
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If you have UK passports you should be able to "import" the photos whilst applying on-line for a Photocard. I did mine few months ago. I didn't pay anything but my postcode had changed so it may have been classified as an address change.
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The photo type licence normally has a life of 10 years. Check the expiry date.
My licence needs to be renewed every three years on medical grounds- doubt that I will need a new photograph every 10 years.Been renewed several times since 1995.
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I wasn't entirely clear in my original post.
We have never has photo style driving licenses because we have never had reminders from the DVLA to change from our old paper style licenses to the new photo style licenses.
Are we ok without the new photo licenses or should we get them changed?
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are our old paper style licenses still acceptable
I hope so, that's what I've got (somewhere, anyway, I think I saw it in a box of papers around 2001).
Edited by FotheringtonThomas on 12/09/2008 at 14:00
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The paper ones are still valid. But any alterations required will mean a change to the photo card type.
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Yes - check the expiry dates - however I "folded" because a friend had trouble with an US hire company with a paper licence. My Photocard has a renewal date 10 years in the future but my entitlements run until 2029. If you have any doubt about the validity of your licence phone the DVLA, they are very helpful- part of my reluctance to convert was that certain motorcyclists had had their entitlements "disappeared" but I made a reassuring phone call where they checked my record online. You need proper advice. Let us know anyway !
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I haven't got mine yet. The DVLA is still faffing about my pacemaker. However I made the application just in time, so am allowed to drive although I currently have no physical licence in my possession.
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Yes - check the expiry dates - however I "folded" because a friend had trouble with an US hire company with a paper licence.
That's strange. We were over in the US in June and hired from Hertz with our paper licences with no problem. It's on their web site which I had checked beforehand so would have been able to point them to that if there had been any problem.
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"That's strange"
He flew into an airport where not many Brits fly into - I think it was a case of xenophobia more than actual company policy - he has a "way" about him which may irritate some ex-colonials :-) . I didn't want to risk it that's all as neither Mrs P had a Photocard licence and didn't want to chance it seeing as our holiday was a motor based holiday.
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Straight from the horse's mouth (aka DVLA) ~ paper licences are still valid. See tinyurl.com/0
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still got a paper licence and hired cars allover the world including allover the states and never had a problem
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although the queue to buy your raffle ticket to get beer at music festivals in the states always ask to see your licence before they will sell you a raffle ticket (so they can check ur old enough) always blagged my way through with a british accent as my licence dont have a photo anyways
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If you are in any way at all out of the ordinary - i.e. have additional classes on your licence such as motorcycle and car - take a photocopy before you send a paper licence away
There have been quite a large number of reported cases of a motorcycle class being "lost" during the change from paper to photocard. In many cases no appeal is allowed and tests have to be take again - this includes serving police motocycle riders and approved trainers.
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