Car hire warnings following changes to UK driving licences

Motorists are being warned that they could face problems when hiring a car abroad following changes to UK driving licences.

What are the changes being made to UK driving licences?

The DVLA plans to scrap the paper part of the UK driving licence, which contains details of driving convictions, and transfer this information to a database. From June 8th UK drivers will not be obliged to carry the paper part of their driving licence as up to date details of convictions can only be checked online, by phone or by post.

How will these changes affect me when I hire a car abroad?

When you hire a car most companies need see the paper part of your driving licence to check if you have any driving convictions. From 8th June the paper part of your driving licence will not be updated, so car hire firms may not accept it as proof of convictions and may refuse to hire you a car.

What can I do to prevent any issues when collecting a hire car?

You will have to register with the DVLA website before travelling.
By entering your driving licence number you will obtain a code to allow the car hire firm to gain access to your records.
This code was originally only valid for 72 hours but after pressure from motoring organisations this has been extended to 3 weeks.
There will be the facility for drivers to download a printable copy of their driving record but it is not clear yet whether this will be accepted by car hire firms.

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Car hire warnings following changes to UK driving licences – time period extended