Old UK driving licence
 

I was sorting through a box of old documents in the basement yesterday and came across my old UK driving licence - the old green paper one without a photo. It states that it is valid until the day before my 70th birthday (which admittedly is only 3 years away!) and the address on it is of the house I sold over 30 years ago before emigrating.

Question is - is it still valid for driving in the UK?

Re: Old UK driving licence
 

The original British paper driving licence is still valid to use in the UK and other countries and to exchange in Australia, as long as the details are still correct.

You can exchange your old paper driving licence for a photocard driving licence online, but at a cost of £20. These new licences are only valid for 10 years, and MUST be renewed.

But:
One important note on the www.gov.uk/exchange-paper-driving-licence website says:

While waiting for a new photo licence you can still drive on your old licence as long as it was issued after 1 January 1976.

Re: Old UK driving licence
 

The photocard section is only valid for 10 years - the paper counterpart remains valid until the day before your 70th birthday, and is a full licence in its own right should your photograph expire.


S

Re: Old UK driving licence
 

More than two million motorists are unwittingly getting behind the wheel with an out-of-date driving licence.

One in 12 drivers admits they have not renewed their photo-card for at least a decade and are therefore driving without a valid licence.

Although the DVLA recommends a fine of £1,000 for those caught driving with an invalid licence the police have the discretion to fine what they see fit.

Since 2010 some 734,000 drivers have been caught driving with an out-of-date licence and have paid out £41million in fines, averaging around £56 a time.

Nowhere on the new photo licence does it tell the motorist that the cards must be renewed.

The ten-year photocard licences will become mandatory in 2015 when the paper licences are officially phased out.
A quarter of drivers are still using the old-style paper licences.

Re: Old UK driving licence
 

Interesting. when I did the new Photo Licence training while I was in the cops, they taught us that it was only the photo that expired and that the paper counterpart remained valid for driving - that was the reason why they issued the paper counterpart. Maybe it's changed since I did that.

Looking at the DVLA website, it looks like licence validity is only available from the time that your application is approved - Does this mean that if you renew a long standing UK licence within a year before moving to Aus that you could end up on P plates when you get here? Or does the date of first licence still stand?


S

Re: Old UK driving licence
 

I have a feeling that they are changing it carefully and slowly, without too much detail, or complaints. Maybe hoping we all reach 70 before we realise... :D

I think that by 2015, all licences may have to be the photo type, as they say the paper counterpart is being done away with.

I would hope that there would be something that says how long you have held the original licence on the new one. I am pretty sure they did that when they changed from the pink (or was it red) licence to the large green paper one.
Will be worth keeping a copy of the old licence with dates just in case.

Re: Old UK driving licence
 

It was red with a nice stiff cover (like a current passport) and plenty of blank pages for court endorsements! Not that I ever had any!

The slip of paper you got from the driving test examiner to put inside your provisional licence until you exchanged it for a full one was (I think) pink.

Re: Old UK driving licence
 

Looks like the counterpart is on its way out next year:

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-new...paper-licences


S

Re: Old UK driving licence
 

That's right, I can now picture mine :) And that slip.

http://www.britzinoz.com/wp-content/...-licence-s.jpg

Re: Old UK driving licence
 

Finally! They should really also make it a requirement to have the licence on you when driving as well. The "must report to a police station within x days" if you don't have it when stopped by police is really a hangover from the past.

Re: Old UK driving licence
 

But is it possible to renew an old UK license without a UK address?

Re: Old UK driving licence
 

Very unlikely. I get the impression that you would need a UK address, relative etc.

But it isn't overly important as we can easily swap an Australian licence for a UK one if we go back.

Re: Old UK driving licence
 

If you want a GB licence, a U.K. address in itself isn't enough - an address in Northern Ireland won't work since NI has its own licences.

Declaring oneself resident at a relative's address (if this isn't the case) constitutes a false claim and is probably illegal. In addition, as HMRC gets more organised in enforcing tax residency, holding a GB or NI driving licence is likely to be something that could lead to a determination that you are tax resident or domiciled in the United Kingdom. Which is something you normally don't want if your home is elsewhere.

Re: Old UK driving licence
 

No. the DVLA will only post to a UK address.

Re: Old UK driving licence
 

They won't post to Northern Ireland (which is part of the United Kingdom).