I had mine registered to my old address for 6 years, so I've got until 2016 to use this one

There is a clue on the photo licence

Right next to your mugshot there are valid from and to dates.

Aye, daft lad, and how often do you look at that, then? My licence lives in a tin box in the spare room though and never sees the light of day. If I had seen that when I got it (and probably I will have done) then I will have assumed I would have got a reminder in a decade. and still put it in the tin box. I would assume that somewhere between 0% - 2% of the population would put a reminder in their perennial diary system just in case.

Seems to me a recipe for millions not renewing it and that seems to be borne out by Sainsbury's figures. But if you are more anal in such matters than everyone else then good for you

So if you've had a licence more than 14 years you must only be required to have a photo licence when obliged to change it for some reason. As far as I'm aware paper licences are still legal.

Indeed, very few do (including me, I got lucky with a reminder last year).
But the fact that the licence bears an expiry date makes it one's own responsibility, so we can't claim it's not our fault for not renewing.

Yes we can, as it is obviously not reasonable to expect millions of people all to diary forward something 10 years in the future, the majority of whom will never use or ever have used any sort of reminder or diary system.

The driving licence is the "real" licence. The "photo ID" licence is an additional requirement, but does not replace, and cannot be used "instead of" the paper licence.

Just checked and I've got a year left on mine. I'm sure I'd have missed the renewal date and I've only got as long as I have because I changed it last time I moved house. You would think that reminders would be sent out though.

I know it would be my problem, but was the fact that photo licences have an expiry date ever publicised? I don't remember seeing it, and my licence as a licence runs to 2036 anyway

Not hard to forget really is it? Though I carry mine with me.

Thats how I understood it. My mum still has the original paper license that she had when she moved into her house in 1976 and she's never had reason to change it. Thats the one she produces for ID and has never had a problem.

Me too ... just to prove I'm over 18 when I'm in the pub.

I have a paper one and I have never had a plastic one with a photo which might scare the horses under my bonnet.
I'll get one when someone writes to me or I commit a misdemeanor and have to have it endorsed and only then if they tell me to.

Who cares?
What's a grand to a rich lad like me?
I'd plead senility and get off with a slapped wrist anyway.


I clearly didn't realise I needed a plastic one as well, I just thought they would wait and let us old 'uns die off and the problem would sort itself.

It is, mine needs to be renewed every 3 years as I'm a T1 Diabetic.
Mine needs to be done in November.