Driving licence photo renewal

[Dryce]

My photo licence was due for renewal next month. £20 Grrrrr. Bit of a dilemma on whether to do it early or last minute as I use it as photo ID for travelling by air domestically as well as needing it for car rentals. Decided on balance better to get it done sooner.

Anyway it transpires that you can now get it renewed online.

• If you have a British passport and have renewed your passport within the last 5 years
• You have a Government gateway ID (the ID used for doing things like tax).
• You have to declare that you will send them back your old licence and couterpart cut in two.
• They say it takes 14 days.

So £20 poorer it took 6 working days to arrive.

They use the photo on file from your last passport.

Easy and fuss free compared with trying to sort out a new photo and making sure it's acceptable and then filling in paperwor and sending off or going to the post office.

 

[Simon_M]

They do it all at the post office too, take the photo and your signature - new licence in a week max.

 

[Dryce]

They do it all at the post office too, take the photo and your signature - new licence in a week max.

But an extra £4.50 (little grrrr) on top of the £20 (big Grrrrrr).

At least they sort out the licence photo for the fee. Last time round (wow another decade gone) it was just a checking service.

 

[gIzzE]

Driving licence photo renewal


They use the photo on file from your last passport.

Am I being a thick **** here, but what is the point of renewing the photo if they use one that might be 5 years old already?
The renewal is only every 10 years isn't it?

 

[Palfrem]

..and yet they still haven't insisted all those folk with the old paper licence get a photo one.

 

[artyman]

I still have my old paper jobby, I guess I will be forced into one of these new fangled plastic photo thingies in a couple of years when I have to certify I'm still sound of wind and limb.

 

[st13phil]

...when I have to certify I'm still sound of wind and limb.

Looks like you may be in trouble with that one

 

[WillDeBeest]

Yes, or if you change your address. But the passport photo thing is real: mine will be 15 years old when my photo licence expires. Of course, I don't look a day older now than when it was taken, but some people may not be so fortunate.

 

[TDE1]

Am I being a thick **** here, but what is the point of renewing the photo if they use one that might be 5 years old already?
The renewal is only every 10 years isn't it?

Wondered the same, gIzzE. I got mine done this year and was happy to tick the passport photo option. Passport is 9 years old. I had a full head of greyless hair then, no crow's feet, a healthy colour, and a look of naive enthusiasm. It bears no resemblance to my current visage.

Dreading renewing the passport next May. The photo will probably make me look unfit to leave the settee, let alone the UK

 

[gIzzE]

Wondered the same, gIzzE. I got mine done this year and was happy to tick the passport photo option. Passport is 9 years old. I had a full head of greyless hair then, no crow's feet, a healthy colour, and a look of naive enthusiasm. It bears no resemblance to my current visage.

Dreading renewing the passport next May. The photo will probably make me look unfit to leave the settee, let alone the UK

 

[Dryce]

Am I being a thick **** here, but what is the point of renewing the photo if they use one that might be 5 years old already?
The renewal is only every 10 years isn't it?

A procedural compromise I suspect. Somebody's thought up the procedure as an opportunity because they have the passport photos in a database. Making it within 2 years or 1 year may be a better idea but rather reduces the number of eligible applicants via this route.

A better long term solution would be to automatically issue a new licence when the passport is renewed so they run in sync.

 

[WOODYTHEWISE]

Are you saying the small red book type licence I have had since 1969 is no longer valid?

 

[Dryce]

Are you saying the small red book type licence I have had since 1969 is no longer valid?

Presumably it's valid until you are 70.

Plenty of people with the old single part non-photo licences - and they have no obligation to change them to photo licences unless they are reissued (change of address, health, etc),

The photo licences do expire after 10 years. So they have to be renewed. (They also renew the paper part).

 

[mapleleaf]

My wife renewed her photo on line too using the bio passport pic - quite impressive for a government department! had some security connection issues as our firewall was fighting with theirs - had to turn ours off to make the connection.