From today (08 June 2015), the paper counterpart of the UK driver’s licence will be abolished by the DVLA and details of our driving restrictions and penalties stored electronically.
For those of us who plan to hire a car, in the UK and abroad, we are now required to to grant the car hire company access to our stored data through a simple two-step procedure on the DVLA’s ‘Share Driving Licence’ portal. The new procedure is quick and easy to follow (instructions below), generating a synopsis of your licence and a unique eight digit check code for your rental company to use.
This procedure must be completed no more than three days before each rental period.
Website to visit: https://www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence
Instructions:
Click on ‘view now’.
Enter your driving licence number, National Insurance number and your postcode.
Click on share your licence information.
A unique, one-time code will be generated. This code will need to be provided to the car rental company along with your photocard licence.
You can also save and download the summary of your driving licence produced. This document can be saved on your smartphone for ease of access.
Repeat the above process for all drivers.
Important: If you do not have a driving licence with a photocard, you do not need to follow this procedure.
Whilst some of our car rental partners have confirmed that they will not require the check code, we feel that it is important for all drivers to complete this procedure for peace of mind.
A video explaining the change can be viewed here.
