It has now been confirmed by Ministers that from 8 June 2015, DVLA will no longer issue the paper counterpart to the photocard driving licence.
For paper licences issued before 1990 the next time the name, home address or licence is updated only a photo card will be issued.
Penalty points (endorsements)
From 8 June 2015 new penalty points (endorsements) will only be recorded electronically, and will not be printed or written on either photocard licences or paper driving licences. From this date, if an offence is committed any applicable fine will still need to be paid and the licence submitted to the court. The way the court deals with the paperwork will change.
For photocard licences, the court will retain the paper counterpart and only return the photocard.
For paper licences, the court will return it but they won’t have written or printed the offence details on it.
This means that from 8 June 2015 neither the photocard driving licence nor the paper licence will provide an accurate account of any driving endorsements. Instead, this information will be held on DVLA’s driver record, and can be viewed online, by phone or post.
Check online The DVLA have introduced two new developments. The first is called ‘View My Licence’. This facility is designed for the licence holder only and replaces the information that was available to view on the counterpart. Access is granted only to the licence holder; this service is not designed for use by businesses.
The second development is called ‘Share my Record’ and allows any licence holder to create a “one off” licence check code to share their driving record with a third party, e.g. their employer or a car hire company. This code is unique and valid for 72 hours. This means that an employer can access an individual’s record online to ensure that the driver satisfies all legal and company requirements.
Check by post or phone
Businesses can still contact the DVLA for a check, at a cost of £5 per check, or use the call centre service which is payable using a premium rate number. In both cases, the driver’s permission is required.