Driving Licence Photograph

[dartagnon]

Received a letter from the DVLA informing me that the photograph on my Driving Licence is over 10 years old and as of 30/05/2011 it is illegal to drive with it until I get an up to date photograph at a cost of £20. It warns me that I could face a fine of up to £1,000 and my insurance will be invalidated. What about the millions who have never bothered to replace their old paper licence for the photocard type.
I think it's just a scam by the Government to make money out of the public.
Anyone else had this situation and has anyone any opinions?

[ChuckFickens]

It was clearly documented on all the forms you filled out when you got the first photo license that it would need to be replaced after ten years (just as the photos on passports have needed for ever) not reading or remembering what you've read isn't the governments fault.

And the millions who still have a paper license don't need to do anything, but if their license has to go back to the DVLA for any other reason they will need to update to a photo license.

[Sooper]

I recently had to change my licence from the old paper one due to moving homes and i was quite surprised that i didnt have to supply a photo as they were able to use the one from my passport. It was a very simple process and was completed in under a week, i was suitably impressed, for once!

[Old_Geezer]

Like if you need a licence you could negotiate what is written on it anyway.
I have no idea what the cost of producing a licence is, but yes, I'm inclined to consider it a scam too. Not to mention an ID card by the back door. After all you don't need a photo for your TV licence or your marriage licence, etc..

[DB_7]

Had mine last week just another money making scheme to hit the motorist but you have to do it :-(

[redman41]

Have recently renewed my Plastic Card Driving licence, the whole process took just 7 days. However my Photo is fairly recent and did not need a replacement.

[ChuckFickens]

that 83pence a week is such a massive money making scam!

[ChuckFickens]

83pence a month even

[Old_Geezer]

Hmmm 0.83 * 12 * 21,000,000 = £209,160,000 pa.
They can send it my way if they don't want it.

[DB_7]

multiply that by the however many drivers it soons mounts up. 38 million or something daft x £20 = quite a big money maker

[samak]

Count yourselves lucky !
In Australia, a country with a population one-third of the UK, there are State driving licences and driving laws instead of Australia-wide laws. I bought a car in Queensland which was registered as a Queensland car and I had a Queensland driving licence.
Then I moved to Melbourne in Victoria and had to re-register my car there, get new Victorian number plates and a Victorian driving licence.
2 years later I moved back to Queensland, had to get an MOT for the car, re-register it in Queensland with new number plates (not the same as the first pair)
and exchange my Victorian driving licence back to a Queensland licence.
Of course there were plenty of charges for all these changes...

[samak]

And we had to live for 3 months in a paper bag in a septic tank...

OK, maybe that bit's not true.

[Safiya]

LOL at samak

I had my paper licence for years, I only decided to change it when I needed photo ID and didn't have any.

[R1Geezer]

looooxury, mine's on papirus, mate!

[AlBags]

Stupid DVLA.
They have screwed a lot of people over on this one.

[pink-kittens]

surely this " It warns me that I could face a fine of up to £1,000 and my insurance will be invalidated" will have answered this " it is illegal to drive with it until I get an up to date photograph at a cost of £20"?

Simples

[kinell]

a paper bag ? you were lucky.....

we used to get up in morning half an hour before we went to bed and lick road clean with tongue, then work down mill for 25 hours a day for tuppence every four years and when we got home our dad would slice us in half with breadknife..........