UK driving licence paper counterpart to be scrapped

The DVLA will no longer issue the paper counterpart to the photocard driving licence from 8 June 2015, the government has confirmed.

As part of parliament’s Red Tape Challenge initiative, set up to simplify services for drivers in the UK, the paper counterpart will become invalid and should therefore be destroyed after 8 June. This means that any learner drivers who pass their test after this date will only receive the photocard as proof they can drive.

However, the DVLA is not abolishing paper counterparts that were issued before the photocard was introduced in 1998, so drivers holding this type of licence should not destroy theirs.

While the entitlement and status of driving licences won’t change, they will no longer show penalty points, so if motorists want to check their driver record they’ll need to do so via the DVLA either online, by phone or by post.

The changes mean people will only need to be in possession of their photocard when driving, and saves them from having to pay £20 in the event of the paper counterpart being lost, stolen or damaged. Drivers who need to renew their licence or update their details after 8 June will be issued with a photocard only.

This comes after the DVLA launched its View Driving Licence initiative in 2014, a free and easy-to-use service that gives British drivers access to their driving record online at all times. For more information about the updates to the driving licence, visit the government website here.