subject: Driving Licence [print this page] Your driving licence, however embarrassing the photo may be, no doubt lives in your wallet, and is mainly used for identification purposes as and when it's needed.
But when does it expire? And do you even know that it does expire? The old paper licence didn't, but since the introduction of the plastic card style licence, there is now a built in expiry point. The DVLA should send you out new documents two months before your old licence expires, and you should receive your new information back long before the old one runs out. But this isn't always the case. When my renewal came through, I sent the documents out, recorded delivery to protect myself, and promptly forgot about it.
On the day my licence ran out, i suddenly remembered I hadn't received a new one. Oh Christ, i thought, as i spend a lot of my working week driving about, and am completely incapacitated without my four wheels. I duly called the DVLA, and was told they had never received my documents, and i wasn't legally allowed to drive. After a massive faff of sending the documents back and waiting for it to be processed, I got an email confirmation to say i could drive without receipt of my licence, to show any police man that may have stopped me.
Your must have a valid licence and Car Insurance to drive on the roads in the UK, as this is a legal requirement. If you don't you risk being banned from driving and a fine.
