[Closed] Bye bye paper counterpart - driving licence goes photocard only

I've still only got the paper bit never had a photo one.

Interesting - I thought you needed both parts for driving in France?

[quote=wwaswas a dit]Interesting - I thought you needed both parts for driving in France?

you currently need both bits for driving in the UK - I guess the requirement for France is based on the fact that you must have the full licence which means having the paper bit too?

Just reminds me of that spell where they ****ed up their records and my paper licence had different entitlements to my plastic one. (lots of motorbike entitlements fell off people who had both A and B licences, some people who couldn't prove their entitlements were told to resit tests)

Always confuses Jonny foreigner when I present my paper only license! 😀

I've only got the paper part too, never had a photo card.

Mad Pierre - Member

I've still only got the paper bit never had a photo one.

Me too

nbt - Member

you currently need both bits for driving in the UK

Do you?

Only if you have both MrOvershoot. If you've only got the paper one that's all you need. (UK and abroad)

sorry, I meant you had to physically carry them with you in France. No need to have your licence on you in the uk.

Thank God ! Very irratating as I had to pay for a replacement paper part as I could not rent cars in the UK without it. Have never been asked for the paper part when renting in Europe but always asked in the UK.

ok - but I think that the requirement is franceis just that if you;re driving, you have your licence with you (and a breathalyser and warning triangkle and stuff in your car) - just like in 'murica. Over here we don't have that, you can take your licence to the police station later if required

sorry, I meant you had to physically carry them with you in France

Dunno what the legal wording is but I've been pulled 4 or 5 times over the years in France and all they ever want is my passport.

Ahh thanks I thought I had been blissfully driving around breaking the law for a moment.

When my mum lived in France she had a mare of a time getting her UK driving licence updated when she remarried as she had no UK home!

Thanks for posting that - no paper licence, no tax disk - yeah!

NBT, I believe that bit about you being allowed to ride a moped is what they call granddad privileges! 😉

@nbt - yes its the law in France to have driving licence, proof of vehicle ownership and insurance (the French provide little cards for these which people keep in their cars or even display in the windscreen). It's the law in France to carry ID (your ID card or passport) with you at all times.

If I remember correctly, the photo card came in the year I passed my test. After I passed. So I haven't got one either. I'm keeping it real with my sheet of paper.

Ya, got stopped last year but did not carry anything on me. Just told the police to check their database. They did and everything was alright otherwise I would have to go to the nearest police station to show them my driving license. 🙂

With iPhone generation they should not have a problem calling DVLA etc to verify ...

Dunno what the legal wording is but I've been pulled 4 or 5 times over the years in France and all they ever want is my [s]passport[/s] [u]Euros[/u].

🙂

When my mum lived in France she had a mare of a time getting her UK driving licence updated when she remarried as she had no UK home!

You dont need a UK home, just an address to send it to. I've been using my mum's address for the last 30 years. They must be wondering when I'm ever going to leave home !

The DVLA got a problem with trees now????

You can check out your driving licence details online too. I wasn't awer that I can reide a moped with no further test needed at all, and I can ride ANY SIZE motorbike on my provisional licence it says...

Just in case you try it you've slightly misunderstood it. I'm not 100% on the moped but I think you still need a CBT test (if you're getting on a bit this might be wrong)

But you can only provisionally ride any sized motorbike, I.e. You need to be with an instructor.

On the plus side mine says 0 points. Woo

When I was last government sponsored for MTB I had to attend an A4e centre. The young lady asked for my licence. I handed over the pink paper one I have had for 20+ years and was asked for the rest of it. I had to explain about paper licences, I felt old!

Just in case you try it you've slightly misunderstood it. I'm not 100% on the moped but I think you still need a CBT test (if you're getting on a bit this might be wrong)

I passed my driving test in 2000 and could ride a moped with no CBT. I wouldn't though!

Young labourer on site went for his theory test two weeks ago, forgot his paper licence. Result was no test and a had to pay the fee again. I found it unbelievable that in this "modern" age you still need a bit of paper to allow you to take the test.

Good. I can rent a car pretty much anywhere in the world with just a photo card licence and a credit card except for the UK.

DrJ - Member
You dont need a UK home, just an address to send it to. I've been using my mum's address for the last 30 years. They must be wondering when I'm ever going to leave home !

Oh don't worry she used my address eventually!(they probably thought poor sod his mum has moved back in)

But at first she got some jobsworth statto who just kept saying if its not your place of residence then its not your address 🙄

I dunno why you're rolling your eyes or calling them a jobsworth. You're not allowed a UK licence if you don't live in the UK.

Konabunny, says who? I kept my uk license while abroad for several years. You are supposed to update the address, but they won't accept a foreign address, so I couldn't. I also got a foreign license, but I don't believe that my uk one has become invalid.

[url= https://www.gov.uk/change-address-driving-licence#before-you-start ]https://www.gov.uk/change-address-driving-licence#before-you-start[/url]

You’ll need to: ...
be a resident of Great Britain

...
If you’re moving abroad, you can’t register your new address on your British driving licence. Contact the driving licence authority in your new country of residence.

You are supposed to update the address, but they won't accept a foreign address

seems like less of a jobsworth civil servant and more like a LAWBREAKING CIVILIAN. I am paging Judge Dredd.

Please state which law renders my license invalid. I'm well aware that there is official advice to get a license in your new country of residence - an international driving permit and UK license is only usable for up to one year, so anyone driving abroad long-term needs to do this, but if you aren't driving abroad, you don't need a foreign licence, and even if you get one, that doesn't mean the UK one is revoked. I'm not aware of any reason why my current UK license should have lost its validity due to my living abroad.

Government are saying shred it and the aa are saying keep it. To hire a car abroad now you need a code from the dvla website which only lasts 72 hours