From June 8, paper licences no longer issued and will cease to be valid
As part of the government’s Red Tape Challenge initiative to remove unnecessary burden, it has been confirmed by Ministers that from June 8, 2015, DVLA will no longer issue the paper counterpart to the photocard driving licence. This means from that date, existing paper counterparts will no longer be valid.
Drivers have been advised to destroy their counterpart after this date.
Drivers who hold a paper only driving licence (issued before the photocard was introduced in 1998) should note that it remains valid and should not be destroyed.
Drivers will be able to check their driver record with the View Driving Licence service, which allows GB driving licence holders to view their driving record online. The service is free and available 24/7. Drivers can check what type of vehicles they can drive and any endorsements (penalty points) they may have after inputting their driving licence number, National Insurance number and the postcode on the driving licence.
Driving licence holders can also check the details on their driving record by phone or post.
The DVLA is currently developing two new digital enquiry services to assist employers, car hire companies, and anyone else who currently checks the paper counterpart. The first service is ‘Share Driving Licence’ which will provide an online alternative for those who currently have a business need to check the information displayed on the driving licence counterpart. Share Driving Licence will be a free, 24/7 service and is currently scheduled to be available in Spring 2015.
The second service is ‘Access to Driver Data’ which will provide real-time driving licence data via a business-to-business interface (or API). Access to this service will be subject to users agreeing contractual terms and connection and enquiry costs are currently under consideration. The service is currently scheduled to be available in summer 2015.
