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  New licences are valid from the renewal date, not from the expiry date of existing licences. To ensure the DVLA has received their applications, some motorists are sending them by recorded delivery, or using Post Office services. Licences can be renewed online at any time before the extension ends. The DVLA has warned drivers to expect a wait of six to 10 weeks – or longer if applicants have a medical condition that requires information from GPs. As long as it's still valid and your circumstances haven't changed, you can carry on using it. If you have a short-term medical licence, you’ll need to renew it by the expiry date.

It is suggested that you apply at least eight to twelve weeks before your licence expires. This is to allow adequate time for all of your checks to be completed and for the licensing authority to make a decision on your application. The DVLA licence check service has not been updated to include any extension given to a driving licence - so will only show the original date the licence was to expire. If your licence expires after 31 December 2020 you will need to apply to have it renewed as normal.

Renew your driving licence online with DVLA if you have a valid UK passport. The DVLA said the combination of industrial action and ongoing social distancing requirements has led to "continuing delays with paper applications".  change of address driving licence  must renew a photocard licence if you're aged under 70 every ten years - you’ll receive a reminder before your current licence ends. The DVLA extended driving licences which expired between February 1 and December 31, 2020 for 11 months at the height of Covid restrictions last year. New driver licences become valid from the date that each application gets approved.

You must send your old photocard licence to DVLA when you get your new licence. You’ll be told the address to use when you finish the application. Your new licence will be valid from the date your application is approved, not from the expiry date of your current licence. If you had a licence and it has expired, you will have to make a new application.

You will not lose time from your licence if you renew earlier than twelve weeks. Your new licence will start from the expiry date of your existing licence. However there are reports of some motorists waiting up to five months to receive their documents, according to Wales Online. You would not have needed to pay the £14 online or £17 postal fee for your extension - or the fee charged by photo booths. Domestic police forces and hire companies etc. will be aware of this, but foreign authorities using the service are likely to class the licence as expired. This is why you must update your licence before travelling abroad.

The assessment will involve an hour’s drive in your own car, at a time and place convenient to you. A qualified driver who is registered with RoSPA will accompany you during the assessment. Afterwards, you will be given a confidential verbal and written report and a certificate of completion.

A customer of a ‘checking’ firm, ukapplydrivinglicence.co.uk paid £50 to renew his licence, but soon realised that he could have paid less. When he tried to contact the firm to stop the service and get a refund, the supposed phone number belonged to the DVLA and its ‘24/7’ online contact form didn’t work. On Google, eight ads appeared for the search ‘renew driving licence at 70’. All adverts dominated top search results and charged £50 for renewal for those aged over 70 – even though it’s free from the DVLA. "Our online services have not been impacted by the pandemic and continue to run without any delays. The majority of transactions can be done online." The agency is now processing licence renewals from applicants submitted 10 weeks ago, on June 9.