Having held my Ye Olde Paper driving licence for the past 30 years in an unblemished, unchanged way, I have just requested a photo licence online so I have some form of easily carried photo ID for when I hand in my warrant card (and apply for any driving related jobs if I have too)…….painless application process as my passport has not long been renewed but feels a bit wrong doing it…..Even the plastic wallet the original is in is still in one piece and DVLA want me to cut the licence in half and return it to them…..I know, I know, its their property, but its nigh on an antique in my eyes.
Tried to convince the wife to move with the times but she thinks I am mad for having done it 🙂
Any other STW’ers with unblemished antiques, would you give up your pride and swap for a plastic one?

If you really don’t want to just say it’s been lost and that’s why you want a new one.
Probably breaks all sorts of rules but I’m sure no-one will ever know 😉

Still only have a paper one, but it’s far from unblemished! Was asked for photo ID in ASDA last week (I’m 41 FFS) only thing I had was my British cycling race licence, which they thankfully accepted.

what andrewh said. Just dont send it in.

Any other STW’ers with unblemished antiques

I have to carry the paper bit of my photo licence all the time I hire a lot of vehicles, within a short time it looks like an ancient treasure map and after a couple of years it eventally falls apart, so when hire co’s ask top see my license I have to piece it together like a jigsaw on the desk.

One time a tool hire place took a photo copy of it as part of paperwork for a hire. Checking through all the paperwork they’d given me as I was leaving I realised I didn’t have my license.They were sure they’d given it to me but after a search of the office it became apparent that they’d left it in the photocopier and the next person to use it saw all this green/brown bits of torn paper in there and just chucked it in the bin

I’ve still got my original paper licence as i passed my test at 9.45am on the morning of my 17th birthday so i wanted to keep it for sentimental reasons, i just said i had lost my original licence and got a plastic crap photo-card a few years ago.

If you really don’t want to just say it’s been lost and that’s why you want a new one.

He he, that’s what I did last year 🙂

I thought one day it would be considered interesting to someone looking through my old paperwork after I died in a wing suit accident at the age of 105 🙂

Alas when I filled in the application online, to get it done fully online, you need all sorts of numbers off your current driving licence that you would only have if you had it in your hands at the time of filling in the online application. Plus as I am still a serving officer (for another 117 working days)I filled the forms in as would be expected so will have to cut it in half and return it. 😥
You watch me get some points now 😆

“It must have got lost in the post, I sent it off weeks ago”

???

Having just read one of the other threads on the chat forum, I wouldnt even consider it 😆
See the liberties you civilian types can get up to, a trail of collars to be felt for theft of government property….dont answer the door….. 😆

Make sure that you take a photo copy if you do send it in. DVLA have been known to remove driving entitlement when replacing paper with plastic.

But they won’t accept a photocopy as prove of your previous entitlements. The only way to be safe is to keep your existing licence, by declaring it lost, until the new one arrives. I didn’t lose entitlements but did have a licence sent to me with all my details but a picture of a blonde lady. That took some sorting out.

I’ve moved house in the last year and lost the paper copy if my photo ID. Despite the fact they fine you £5000 for having the wrong address on your licence, I find the process of changing my address almost impossible.

I think a lost licence application is about to occur.

why would you want a photo one – no advantage over the old one, infact they are worse as you need to update the photo every 10 years at considerable cost to yourself

my paper thing gave up the ghost last month it was in a dozen pieces held together by fast yellowing sellotape ( other sticky products are available)

it was painless getting the new one sorted.. mine also got lost in the post as i definately posted it officer..

Good tip re the photocopy Sandwich, I may just hang on to the paper one till the new one arrives just in case I need to produce it for any reason.
I have been looking at jobs post my current employment and a lot that involve driving ask for the post holder to have a photo driving licence. Its also beneficial when driving abroad too which I plan to be doing a fair bit of after October till I/if I have to, get a job.
Its actually one of the first steps I have taken towards post retirement organisation too as I said before for handy photo ID too.
Had the email this morning stating should be with me in two weeks….never know mine may come with a photo of a thin bloke on 😆

Always copy your license before sending it too the dvla, they’re shit.
I heard a story about a motorbike cop who sent his license too the dvla and it came back with no bike entitlement. Dvla refused to admit any mistake, despite evidence, and he had to retake his test….. 😯

Mine got swapped for a new one when I passed my Direct Access motorbike thing about 15 years ago.

years ago you used to be able to get a replacement licence on trust that you had actually lost your original then use one for points and the other for showing.Happy days.

I still have my original although we’re moving house in a few months so it looks like I’ll have to get a photo id one.

This makes me sad.

why would you want a photo one – no advantage over the old one, infact they are worse as you need to update the photo every 10 years at considerable cost to yourself

Daft question, of course it has every advantage over the old one, it has your chuffing photo on it! Without a photo, how on earth could you prove that the piece of paper in your hand actually belongs to you?
Or have you never, ever, been asked to provide clear, unambiguous ID? I have, and a driving licence, which fits neatly into my Jimi wallet, is far better than a folded bit of paper in a cheap plastic wallet that won’t comfortably fit into a regular wallet.
And having to update the photo every ten years? Deary me, what an absolute chore that is, really! 🙄
Oh, and I still have my very first licence, a neat little red book, with card covers.

Updated my address recently. they weren’t clear when to send the old one, so I waiting (a few days) for the new one to come, checked it was ok, then sent the old cut up one back. Didn’t seem to cause any problems.

IA, thats good I was wondering whether they held back on the dispatch of the new licence pending return of the old one.