Driving Licence Abroad - paper counterpart obsolete 8th June

[schmalex]

Maybe I've been living under a rock, but I didn't realise that the paper counterpart piece of the UK driving licence becomes obsolete on 8th June.

As a consequence, when hiring a car abroad after this date, it is necessary to log on to the View My Driving Licence page of the DVLA website and download a code that confirms how many endorsements are on your licence. However, not all hire companies will request this info (in the same way that not all hire companies request the paper counterpart currently)

News linky below...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-32481382

[Kenty]

I have hired cars in NZ and OZ several times over the last two years and not been asked for the paper part, be interesting to know if anyone has been and where!

[HD Adam]

I have hired cars in the USA for the last 10 years and never been asked for the counterpart.

[C0ffin D0dger]

From what they were saying on the radio it's all a bit of a fk up (surprise surprise!). If you're hiring a car overseas take the paper counterpart, a print out of the info from the web site, and the code to avoid all risk of getting your hire refused. Also the code is only valid for something like 72 hours so if you're away for a longer time and only hiring a car for some of your holiday you'll need to get on the Internet while you're away.

Also seems like they've pretty much failed to publicise any of this.

[Halmyre]

I've never been asked for the counterpart in Europe, the US or Australia. Hire companies couldn't care less that I might have an SP30 on my licence, whatever that is. It sounds like the UK needlessly adding embuggerance to the system, which makes me wonder (dons tinfoil hat) what the real need for it might be.

[krunchkin]

Yep. To agree with other posters - I've hired cars in Europe, USA, Asia and Australia and the only place I've ever been asked for the paper bit is in the UK

[krunchkin]

Yep. To agree with other posters - I've hired cars in Europe, USA, Asia and Australia and the only place I've ever been asked for the paper bit is in the UK

[HD Adam]

The vast majority of other countries don't have a paper counterpart to the DL and so the employees of hire car places wouldn't even guess at their existence.

[Truckosaurus]

I have once been asked for the counterpart at the car hire desk at Las Vegas airport, but that's a place with a large number of British visitors. I'm sure that it will only take a couple of people saying "the counterpart is no longer needed" to make them forget about it.

[HarryFlatters]

I've hired a car from Marseille airport in each of the last 5 or 6 years and I've had to produce my paper counterpart each time.

I do think that there is some journalistic hyperbole in play here so I will wait to pass judgement when I arrive in France on the 28th July

[Sharted]

Before grumbling about this have a go yourself, you'll need driving licence number/Ni number/postcode and about 30 seconds free time.

https://www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence

Piece of piss!

[schmalex]

I wasn't grumbling - merely pointing out that I wasn't aware of the change.

However, I logged on to the site, but can't see where this supposed code is located...

[krallicious]

Outside of the UK, I have never been asked for the counterpart.

[mcgandalf]

Does this only apply to driving licence renewals, or if you hold a valid paper counterpart will it continue to be valid until changes are needed (e.g. you receive an endorsement), upon which point it won't be replaced and you'll have to log in using the code?

[Rosscow]

Sharted said:

Before grumbling about this have a go yourself, you'll need driving licence number/Ni number/postcode and about 30 seconds free time.

https://www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence

Piece of piss!

Due to a technical problem, the website is not currently working

[Truckosaurus]

mcgandalf said:

... if you hold a valid paper counterpart will it continue to be valid ...

Nope. Under the old system you would have to send the counterpart back to have more points added, now they won't ever ask for it back so it won't be proof of anything.

[LeapingDeere]

I was once asked for the paper counterpart once in Dubai 6 years ago. Returned few times since and wasn't asked for it.

Reiterating everyone else hired cars Europe, North/South America, Aus, Korea (south) & Sri Lanka was never asked for counterpart.

[PurpleTurtle]

Whilst I have hired cars all over the world (showing the counterpart on maybe half of those occasions) and don't object to printing off my details in principle, this bit pisses me off:

Anyone wanting to hire a car abroad could need a code to show convictions for offences like speeding. To obtain it, motorists will have to log on to the DVLA website beforehand. But the code is only valid for 72 hours, so anyone wanting to hire a car more than three days into their trip may need to generate a new code while they are abroad

What kind of bureacrat decides that 3 days is a reasonably workable time period for this kind of thing? Last time I was in the US I did a bit of hopping about by plane and car, not knowing exactly where I was going to be a few days ahead, so my rental plans were what you might call 'fluid'. Although it was possible in most hotels, it is inconvenient to always have to have a bloody bit of paper within a poxy three day lifespan. What if I was further off the beaten track?

This kind of horsest is probably dreamt up by idiots who think a package holiday to the sun for a fixed two weeks in August is the only foreign motoring that anyone ever does. Cocks.

Edited by PurpleTurtle on Tuesday 5th May 14:28

[ecs]

All you need to do is phone up for the code - hardly the end of the world.

[schmalex]

What gets me is that when you log on to the site to retrieve the code that you need, there is no obvious code anywhere to be seen!