Thousands of driving licences expire

Unsuspecting motorists face £1,000 fines as thousands of photocard driving licences expire.

We show you what the law is and how to renew your licence.

The first batch of photo licences were issued in July 1998 and thousands have expired without licence holders realising.

The small print on each photocard licence states it expires after ten years and has to be renewed, but many motorists aren’t aware of the situation.

Official DVLA figures reveal that while 173,867 expired at the end of January, so far only 128,987 drivers have renewed, leaving 44,880 outstanding.

A total of 25 million new-style licences have been issued and there are 300,000 photocard licences due to expire over the coming year.

Last week Manchester United  star Carlos Tevez had his £140,000 Bentley seized after it was found he did not have a full UK driving licence, Greater Manchester Police said.

Look on the front of your photocard licence for the expiry date, shown as ‘item 4b’. You must renew your card before this date to avoid a maximum £1,000 fine

This is explained on the back of the card, which states '4b' means 'licence valid to'.

How do I renew my licence?

The DVLA will send you a renewal pack two months before your licence is due to expire.

You’ll need to fill in the form and enclose:

• A new passport-type photo of yourself
• Both parts of your driving licence – photocard and counterpart document
• A cheque or postal order for £17.50

The DVLA aim to send you your new licence within three weeks of receiving your renewal. A DVLA Spokesperson said:

"The DVLA has written to each and every person when their photocard driving licence is due for renewal on how to go about renewing it and the penalty for not doing so. Drivers are required by law to notify the DVLA if they change address.

"It is important that photocards are updated every ten years to ensure the Police and other enforcement agencies have the best possible tool to help them correctly identify whether a driving licence is being used fraudulently, and so help prevent driving licence impersonation stopping disqualified and perhaps dangerous drivers taking to our roads."

What happens if I don’t renew my licence?

Motorists who fail to renew their licences in time are allowed to continue driving. But the DVLA says they could be charged with 'failing to surrender their licence', an offence carrying a £1,000 fine.

What was the previous system?

Before photocard licences were introduced, old-style paper licences didn’t need to be renewed until the motorist reached the age of 70.

Is your driving licence out of date? Have your say on the Auto Trader Blog