Sounds like a weird question, you passed your driving test so your driving license must be valid…right? Well, believe it or not there are lots of reasons why your license may no longer be valid, some you might not even have thought of… The good news is that it only takes a few minutes to check.
Did you know?
Having an invalid license could put you at risk of a £1,000 fine, and the DVLA has estimated there could be over two million people at risk.
Things to look out for to avoid a potential fine?
Renew, renew, renew:
A lot of drivers don’t realise that the new photocard licenses have an expiry date, and need to be renewed every ten years. You can check on the front, it’s the date next to section 4b. You can do this online via the Gov.uk website, and costs £14 (there is a postal option which is slightly more expensive at £17), and don’t forget a current photo!
Address yourself:
Your license is a record of your personal details so it’s only right that it contains the correct address. If you move it’s important that you also amend your license, but the good news is that this is free and can also be done via the Gov.uk website, with no limit on the number of changes if you end up moving a lot
What’s that name again?
If you change your name then, like address, you should change your license. Direct Line has found that 3% of married people have the wrong name on their license, which, like address and an out of date license, risks that dreaded £1,000 fine. This is a little more involved as you’ll need to complete a D1 form (you can get this from the Post Office or the Gov.uk website) and send it together with proof of the change. And don’t forget, you’ll need to change your V5C registration document for your car too!
