Driving licence changes: Motorists reminded paper licence not needed from June

Motorists are being reminded that if they are planning to hire a car abroad this summer they’ll need to plan ahread. From the 8 June the paper part of their driving licences is no longer be needed. Motorists will now have to log

Motorists are being reminded that if they are planning to hire a car abroad this summer they’ll need to plan ahread.

From the 8 June the paper part of their driving licences is no longer be needed. Motorists will now have to log onto the DVLA web site to check their driving record as paper licences are to be abolished. The paper part will have no validity after that date and motorists at free to destroy them .

The only exception are older style paper driving licences issued before 1998, but most drivers will be affected by the change as they possess a plastic card licence as well as the paper counterpart.

Motorists hiring vehicles or travelling abroad need to be aware of the changes and plan for them . Hire companies will no longer deal with the paper counterpart licence but will  access a driver’s record online and will need to be provided with advance permission to do this. Motorists will need to obtain a code from DVLA valid for a few days which will allow hirers to make checks. Drivers stopped by police abroad or caught speeding may face difficulties until the system is properly up and running. Motorists do need to plan for such eventualities.

The paper counterpart was introduced to display driving licence details that could not be included on the photocard. These details include some vehicle categories you are entitled to drive and any endorsement/penalty points.

It means that DVLA will no longer issue paper counterparts and when motorists apply to renew or to notify address or name changes they will be issued with a card only.

Motorists convicted of road traffic offences leading to penalty points will have them recorded electronically. The paper counterpart was used to record all endorsements, but that will now come to an end. The courts will electronically notify DVLA and the record updated. Drivers retain the photocard.

It will make it much easier for insurers to check accurate records and to avoid fraud. Details can be checked by anyone online, by telephone or by post. Drivers can do this themselves using a View Driving Licence service, whereas others will need permission to check. This can be done by using a Share Driving Licence service. It will need to be set up before hiring