Received the following this morning from our company travel advisor . . . might be of interest to anyone planning to hire a car while they’re abroad this summer:
“From 8th June, the paper counterpart to the photocard driving license will not be valid and will no longer be issued by the DVLA. Details of driving endorsements and fines, which were recorded on the paper counterpart, will be moved to a computerised system.
How does this affect you when hiring a car?
From 8th June, anyone wanting to hire a car abroad will need a code to give to the rental firm so they can see convictions for offenses like speeding. To obtain the code drivers will have to contact the DVLA before travelling. However, the code will only be valid for 72 hours, so anyone wanting to hire a car more than three days into their trip may need to generate a new code while they are abroad.
There are concerns that some car rental companies may not be aware of the changes initially, so it is advisable to also take the paper counterpart for the time being when hiring a car abroad.”