Driving licence changes from January 1, 2015

Obsolete from 01/01/15

by Pete Barden • November 21, 2014 

The tax disc has just gone paperless and now your driving licence is going to follow suit. Here’s some important info that all drivers need to know about what’s going to happen. The driving licence changes come into effect on January 1, 2015.

It’s also a good opportunity to give your driving licence a full health check with the APH driving clinic. Join us for a thorough examination that could help beat the pain of big fines.

 Driving licence changes – we answer your questions

Here’s our at-a-glance guide to all you need know about the changes coming to a driving licence near you.

What is changing?
If you have a photocard licence, the paper counterpart that goes with it is being abolished from the start of 2015.

When is this happening?
The changes take effect from January 1, 2015

Do I need to do anything?
Luckily, this does not require any direct action from you – providing your licence details are all up to date and correct.

I have an old-style pink or green paper licence – going?
No. These remain perfectly legal. When they run out you will get a new photocard, though, but until then there is no need to change. Keeping the old-style version will save you cash because you won’t have to update your photo every 10 years. If you do want to upgrade, though, this can be done for free if changing your address, name or adding an entitlement. Otherwise, with no change of details, it’ll cost you £17.00 by post or £14.00 for online renewals.

How can I see information about my licence now?
The paper counterpart of your driving licence can be used to tell you how many penalty points you have, when they expire, what classes of vehicles you can drive and when the licence itself will need replacing. While most of this info is also available on the photocard, the DVLA has launched the online ‘View Driving Record’ service, which lets you view all the information you need by entering your driving licence number, national insurance number and postcode.
View Driving Record: See your details here

What about employers or car hire firms who need to see this information, too?
Interested parties – such as employers and holiday hire car firms – will want to see the paper counterpart to check your driving history or entitlements, so to prepare for the abolition of the paper counterpart, the DVLA is developing a new online service to reveal real-time driving data to parties who have a genuine reason to see it. The information will only be provided with the knowledge of the licence holder.

How can I change my address?
The paper counterpart allows you to change your address, so abolishing it will remove the ability to do this. Not a problem, use the DVLA’s online service to change your address details.
Change your address: Update your driving licence here 

Is that all?
Yep! It’s not a huge change, but remaining up to date with these changes will ensure you avoid any problems when hiring a car or checking your validity to drive other types of vehicles.

In fact, many motorists will find the change helpful by cutting the amount of documents they need to carry while travelling both in the UK and abroad.