Insurance requires a copy of driving licence by law

[MBBlat]

My mother is trying to put me and my sister as named drivers on her car, they are now insisting on a copy of the photo-card and counterpart. Two questions:

1) Call centre numpty stated that this was legal requirement. Strange since no other insurance has ever asked this.

2) I thought that the paper counterparts were now defunct, and the DVLA has said that they should be shredded?

As for the numptness of the call centre guy, he questioned my mothers job as retired since her email had the name of a well known upmarket supermarket in it, such supermarket having acted as ISP for a number of years, my mother is one of their customers.

[LoonR1]

There is no such law

There is now no such thing as a paper counterpart

Tell him to sort out his BS

[Slidingpillar]

MBBlat said:

1) Call centre numpty stated that this was legal requirement. Strange since no other insurance has ever asked this.

And there you have the answer. I believe some insurers want it although I've never been asked.

MBBlat said:

2) I thought that the paper counterparts were now defunct, and the DVLA has said that they should be shredded?

They are, and DVLA have said just that.

Suggest you go for a proper insurance company, not one that employs call centre gibbons (my apologies to any passing gibbons).

[LoonR1]

There's a good chance that most (if not all) insurers wil soon start asking for your driving licence number and permission to confirm points online. Refusal is likely to lead to a much higher premium / refusal to quote for obvious reasons.

[anonymous-user]

LoonR1 said:

There's a good chance that most (if not all) insurers wil soon start asking for your driving licence number and permission to confirm points online. Refusal is likely to lead to a much higher premium / refusal to quote for obvious reasons.

We have already started on a lot of our stuff. I think as soon as they can sort the I.T. out it will almost blanket.

So judging by a lot of Insurance I.T. projects that will be about 2050!

[GC8]

LoonR1 said:

There's a good chance that most (if not all) insurers wil soon start asking for your driving licence number and permission to confirm points online. Refusal is likely to lead to a much higher premium / refusal to quote for obvious reasons.

Wont they require your NI number in order to do this, or is there a direct channel available to them?

[anonymous-user]

GC8 said:

Wont they require your NI number in order to do this, or is there a direct channel available to them?

there's a new portal for the DVLA.

[btcc123]

A few months ago when I bought my 17 year old son a car and insured it in his name with myself and my wife as named drivers his insurance company asked for photocopies of all of our card and paper parts of the licence.

I provided this without an issue but have never been asked for this before with any insurance.

[TankRizzo]

GC8 said:

Wont they require your NI number in order to do this, or is there a direct channel available to them?

If it's the same way we are working (fleet industry, driver management) you'll either have to generate a code to share your licence details, or (at the moment) sign and send back a mandate to check your licence. Could be different for insurance companies though - the DVLA are steaming ahead with their new ADD platform after years of inaction.

[lee_fr200]

Our insurance has asked for our driving licences so we gave them the details they also wanted a picture of the counterpart sending showing no points which we did

I guess you would only refuse if you have something to hide

[GC8]

They can ask; they can require you to provide, but stating that it is the law is unprofessional and incorrect and that is the issue here.

As with many things, this is the staff and lack of training in their call centre, rather than the insurance company itself.

[sim72]

A couple of months back we insured our camper van with Performance Direct (yes, I know the apparent lack of logic there, they were the best quote for a modified van).

They required photos of both our licences, and the counterparts (this was just before the counterparts became defunct).

[MBBlat]

GC8 said:

They can ask; they can require you to provide, but stating that it is the law is unprofessional and incorrect and that is the issue here.

As with many things, this is the staff and lack of training in their call centre, rather than the insurance company itself.

I thought that was the case, from my mothers account he seemed particularly clueless.
Nothing to hide, no points - just need to find where I stashed the counterpart.
The insurance was taken out in April, cancellation fees = the entire premium, so cant cancel, but I strongly doubt the same company will be used on renewal.

[Red Devil]

lee_fr200 said:

Our insurance has asked for our driving licences so we gave them the details they also wanted a picture of the counterpart sending showing no points which we did

If the request was after 8th June it was a particularly stupid one considering the counterpart was abolished (except for Northern Ireland) w.e.f. that date. Even more so, given the DVLA advice is to destroy it. If you hadn't kept yours you would have been unable to comply. What then?

lee_fr200 said:

I guess you would only refuse if you have something to hide

There is a subtle difference between a refusal and being unable to do something.

[B'stard Child]

Red Devil said:

lee_fr200 said:

Our insurance has asked for our driving licences so we gave them the details they also wanted a picture of the counterpart sending showing no points which we did

If the request was after 8th June it was a particularly stupid one considering the counterpart was abolished (except for Northern Ireland) w.e.f. that date. Even more so, given the DVLA advice is to destroy it. If you hadn't kept yours you would have been unable to comply. What then?

lee_fr200 said:

I guess you would only refuse if you have something to hide

There is a subtle difference between a refusal and being unable to do something.

What would they do if Mother only had old style DL - no photocard and no counterpart

[Red Devil]

Insurers are interested in two things entitlements and, more particularly, endorsements. Paper only DLs have the latter recorded on them, so sending a copy would fulfil both demands as far as the information is concerned.

The reason for introducing the counterpart was because it's difficult to permananetly record endorsements on a piece of plastic so that you can see them simply by looking at it.

[ging84]

do they care about entitlements?
i thought lack of valid drivers license was of the reasons they could refuse a 3rd party claim

[LoonR1]

ging84 said:

do they care about entitlements?
i thought lack of valid drivers license was of the reasons they could refuse a 3rd party claim

It's nowhere near as easy as that

[Rick101]

I had one company asking for a scan of front and REAR of counterpart.

I checked with them several times snd they were insistent they wanted a copy if the rear of the document for both gf and my counterparts.

Cheap though.

[grumpyscot]

I went to add my sister and me on to my Dad's policy - they simply took a note (over the phone) of the driver numbers on our licenses and said they check via computer. As I already had a policy with them they confirmed the cross-check.