Driving licence renewal: Motoring Motoring Discussion forum

Motoring Discussion > Driving licence renewal	Miscellaneous
Thread Author: bathtub tom	Replies: 16

Wed 5 Mar 25 22:05

Driving licence renewal - bathtub tom

I'm renewing my licence on-line and the final step states: "Before we can send you a driving licence you must return your current driving licence with this form. Please cut this into two parts."

Assuming they want the licence and not the form in two halves, do the DVLA really have staff putting together cut up licences and reading them before sending out new licences?

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Wed 5 Mar 25 22:51

Driving licence renewal - Bobby

Nope

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Thu 6 Mar 25 01:58

Driving licence renewal - martin aston

I seem to recall you used to be asked to send the old licence back, at your own expense, after receiving a new one. By requiring you to send it back with the application there will be a higher compliance.
I assume they want to keep expired licences out of circulation to avoid fraud. All the more so if the licence is being replaced due to change of address. In those cases the old licence is still “valid” date wise.
Being an honest citizen I am not sure what the fraudulent purposes might be but no doubt there are uses.

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Thu 6 Mar 25 07:22

Driving licence renewal - Rudedog

If you are applying online then you are still sending back at your own expense.

Unlike a passport renewal I suspect I wouldn't send it back recorded delivery - just bung it in a 2nd class envelope.

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Thu 6 Mar 25 07:46

Driving licence renewal - Falkirk Bairn

Cut it up and put a bit in your household waste and put the other pieces in a neighbours' bins.

If they come back on you you tell them that you posted it as required so it must have got lost in the post!

After all we all seem to lose mail at some point in the year.

No 2nd class stamp and 85p saved - a pint of petrol (4+ miles for me)

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Thu 6 Mar 25 08:49

Driving licence renewal - Zero

Still got all my old licences, not had the "where is your old license" police round yet.

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Thu 6 Mar 25 13:45

Driving licence renewal - zippy

Keep it.

There are several news stories of people getting new licences to find that categories have been removed and DVLA have refused to take a photocopy of the old licence as evidence.

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Thu 6 Mar 25 19:57

Driving licence renewal - BiggerBadderDave

I've just noticed my plastic licence expires in April but my paper licence, which I have in front on me, says 2037.

So if I'm a bit late updating my paperwork etc., (as I usually am), would I be licensed or illegal in May?

Is the plastic part just because they want to keep the picture of your face up-to-date every 10 years?

And if I would still be licensed until 2037 would rental companies just look at the plastic part and say 'computer says no'.

Just curious. I'll get it done but it has caused an argument with her indoors...

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Fri 21 Mar 25 15:29

Driving licence renewal - bathtub tom

Since sending off my licence renewal, I've been getting spam emails, purportedly, from DVLA, telling me: " your latest vehicle tax payment to the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) was unsuccessful."

They, stupidly, start the email with: "We hope this message finds you well". As if a government department would start an email with that!

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Fri 21 Mar 25 16:28

Driving licence renewal - Bromptonaut

Correlation is not causation.

I'd lay a bet that your application to DVLA and spam emails are not connected.

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Sat 22 Mar 25 09:25

Driving licence renewal - CGNorwich

Since we all have to tax a vehicle at least once a year such a scam email will coincide with the taxation of the vehicle for at least a twelfth of those targeted. Send out a million emails ( not difficult) and you will have a lot of people thinking that the letter is relevant and real.

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Sat 22 Mar 25 12:27

Driving licence renewal - bathtub tom

This appears to be as a result of a driving licence renewal. No mention is made of a specific VRN.

I did think of winding them up, by asking which vehicle it was for. I could give them numerous VRNs for old vehicles that no longer exist and others that are SORNed.

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Sat 22 Mar 25 12:37

Driving licence renewal - Bromptonaut

>> This appears to be as a result of a driving licence renewal. No mention is
>> made of a specific VRN.

I'm trying to understand how it would be a result of DL renewal unless there's a mole in DVLA passing data on.

Other possibility is that something in your own set up is sending email addresses and other stuff to the bad guys.

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Sat 22 Mar 25 13:08

Driving licence renewal - zippy

>>I'd lay a bet that your application to DVLA and spam emails are not connected.

Yes, very unlikely...

but

>> I'm trying to understand how it would be a result of DL renewal unless there's
>> a mole in DVLA passing data on.

With all the dodgy parking companies etc. who can access DVLA for data who knows if someone is harvesting the data once it gets to the parking firm? (Admittedly it costs for each enquiry but if the request is made as part of a parking infraction claim then the fee is paid anyway.)

Professional crooks also try and get bulk data from institutions. Some crooks were caught in London some years back trying to install keystroke loggers on a bank branch's computers under the guise of being routine maintenance.

It's also not unheard of to find "moles". Bank head offices have had staff coerced by criminals to take in memory sticks and download data. A few hundred pounds bribe is a lot of money in some countries and coercion has certainly happened in the UK.

Last edited by: zippy on Sat 22 Mar 25 at 13:09

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Sat 22 Mar 25 15:37

Driving licence renewal - Fullchat

The 'bay' is leaking like a sieve. Don't use often but the last three purchase have resulted in an attempt to get me to pay a surcharge on delivery because someone allegedly couldn't deliver it.

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Sat 22 Mar 25 17:01

Driving licence renewal - Zero

>> I'd lay a bet that your application to DVLA and spam emails are not connected.

Not at the DVLA end, at your PC end? who knows, a search for "driving license renewal" on your browser might be enough.

There havce been documented cases of civilian police staff accessing the required databases.

Last edited by: Zero on Sat 22 Mar 25 at 17:03

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Sat 22 Mar 25 16:59

Driving licence renewal - Zero

Havent sent mine, or any other back, still got my little red book around somewhere..

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