Barry38 Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 My current domestic driving licence which allows me to drive my motorhome up to 3500 kg without an additional medical, runs out on the 24th of May as my 76th birthday is on the 25th. I applied for a new licence as directed by the DVLA on the 12th of March correctly filling in the D46 form and included my current photo licence in my postal return. I have heard nothing since and unfortunately the Swansea office is not currently able to take telephone enquiries OR emails that require an answer due to the current crisis. Has anyone else found themselves in the same position or is it simply a case of 'lost in the post' ? I am hoping that we will be motorhoming again before too long but, will I be able to drive legally after the 25th of May whilst my application is being processed ? I should state that I have no medical issues to declare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbo Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 Suggest you send them an email with details of posting so they can confirm whether or not they've received it. As far as I know, the up to 3500kg driving licence can be done online anyway, using a photo booth pic linked to DVLA. I've just renewed my 10 year passport online with new photo - it took about 3 weeks. Edit: just noticed your comment about DVLA not responding to questions via email. You are not asking for a response to a question....just confirmation of them receiving the documents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayc Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 "It may take longer than usual for you to get your licence because of coronavirus (COVID-19)." Why not try to renew on line and see what happens? "I am hoping that we will be motorhoming again before too long but, will I be able to drive legally after the 25th of May whilst my application is being processed ? I should state that I have no medical issues to declare." The short answer is Yes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Mitch Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 I returned my licence for a change of address on 6th April and have heard nothing. I applied by post and have now considered declaring the licence lost and requesting a new one. I have tried online but I'm finding it difficult to open the required areas. I have also held back in case further communication is simply clogging up the outstanding cases in the DVLA even more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Duck Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 Always send anything to the DVLA 'Signed For'. Whilst they only sign for the whole bag of post it's in rather than each individual item, you'll get proof they've got it and you'll also have proof of posting. FD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwj Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 Hi. I live in Northern Ireland and I received a driving licence renewal notice with an attachment advising that dva are not accepting paper applications due to coronavirus. If you go onto government, renew-your-driving -licence this should easily let you renew your licence. I have renewed both my own and a friends and it was very straightforward. The main difficulty is getting a good clear photo of yourself. Take a head and shoulder photo and dva will crop to size. They then give you an acceptance code and your licence should arrive in 3 weeks. If you are still having difficulty, go to https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/renew-your-driving-licence and this should give you guidance. I hope this helps. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted May 20, 2020 Share Posted May 20, 2020 Advice about renewing a UK driving-licence is here https://www.gov.uk/renew-driving-licence There is a driving-licence application tracking capability https://www.gov.uk/track-your-driving-licence-application but it is only usable when the application has been made on-line and the applicant received a confimatory email that included the required Application Reference Number. (I’m also wary that the system can be trusted at present. Also, even if the system reports that a licence has been issued, it does not say when the the licence was dispatched to the applicant.) Otherwise (except for special cases) https://live.email-dvla.service.gov.uk/w2c/en_gb/forms/CriticalWorkerHomeVehicles?_ga=2.212598036.1853304594.1589803496-677774658.1587455989 the DVLA seems to be incommunicado. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HymerVan Posted May 20, 2020 Share Posted May 20, 2020 Although I want to retain my C1 entitlement (which means I will reapply with a D4 etc when possible) for now I recently used the online system to do an "ordinary" renewal. Because I have a recent passport (the system can lift your passport photo off government records) I did not need to submit a photo. My new licence was received two days after applying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwj Posted May 20, 2020 Share Posted May 20, 2020 I applied for my licence renewal online last Friday morning and it arrived in the post this morning. If you get an application reference you know it's being processed. Admittedly this is the Northern Ireland site Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted May 20, 2020 Share Posted May 20, 2020 Mad Mitch - 2020-05-19 12:07 PM I returned my licence for a change of address on 6th April and have heard nothing. I applied by post and have now considered declaring the licence lost and requesting a new one. I have tried online but I'm finding it difficult to open the required areas. I have also held back in case further communication is simply clogging up the outstanding cases in the DVLA even more. On this webpage https://www.gov.uk/change-address-driving-licence/apply-by-post the DVLA warns It may take longer than 3 weeks for you to get your new licence because of coronavirus (COVID-19). Straightforward on-line driving-licence applications still seem to be being processed by the DVLA quite rapidly, but there appears to be potential for long delays if an application had been sent by post and/or ‘medical issues’ may be involved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 If you have proof of DVLA receiving the application i.e. you sent it 'signed for' then the following would apply, but I would check with insurance as well. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/695575/inf188x6-can-i-drive-while-my-application-is-with-dvla.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ham Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 I sent my renewal application and medical forms in on the 17th of March 2020. the DVLA are only taking emails for essential drivers like hgv. there appears no route to find out if your application is there, if you do email you get a standard reply Thank you for your enquiry received on 19/5/2020. Your case reference number is 0258****3. We appreciate you contacting us with regards to your driving licence. In line with the government’s advice we have a very limited number of staff on-site who are only dealing with applications from those who are directly involved in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately as you do not fall into this category we are unable to progress your query today. Please be aware due to the changing situation and reduced workforce, it is likely there will be delays in processing applications in the days and weeks ahead. You can get information and advice on GOV.UK and our online services are running as normal. If you are unable to use the online service or need further advice, please do not hesitate to contact us once our full service has been resumed. For more information and to stay up to date, please visit www.gov.uk/guidance/dvla-coronavirus-covid-19-update. We appreciate your understanding during this difficult time. Best Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 On 28 March 2020 I applied on-line for renewal of my driving licence that would expire on 17 June, and I declared an eye-related condition that had been diagnosed in 2018 but does not affect my eyesight. I received a confirmatory email that provided an application reference number. On 17 April I received a letter (dated 09 April) from the DVLA Medical Group requesting completion and return of various forms relating to my eye condition and, on 17 April I posted those forms 1st class to the DVLA. As has been observed above, when posting material to the DVLA there will always be uncertainty over whether the stuff reaches them and is being dealt with. Time passed but, as I had received no follow-up missive from the DVLA saying “You didn’t send the forms back so we are revoking your licence”, I assumed they had got the forms. About a week ago I noticed that entering my application reference number into the on-line driving licence application tracking feature indicated that my licence had been renewed. Not being sure if that was indeed the case I phoned the DVLA Medical Group and - after a 5 minute wait - was told that my new licence had been issued the previous day but it might take 2 weeks for it to reach me. Anyway, the new licence arrived this morning. I managed to make telephone contact with the DVLA Medical Group because the letter sent me had the appropriate phone number on it, but - for ‘routine’ driving licence-related matters - emails are not being dealt with and I don’t think telephone enquiries are either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwj Posted May 27, 2020 Share Posted May 27, 2020 Northern Ireland dva has now extend driving licences due for renewal, valid for a further 7 months until the end of 2020. Other parts of the UK might follow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roccobay Posted February 25, 2021 Share Posted February 25, 2021 Personally, I applied for my renewal online a few days ago. It's easy enough if you already have a valid passport. They use your photo from that. Took me about 5 minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ocsid Posted February 25, 2021 Share Posted February 25, 2021 Applied online on 19th of this month and it arrived yesterday the 24th, 5 days turn round even with a weekend in between. Impressed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorkist Posted February 25, 2021 Share Posted February 25, 2021 My licence was due last December when I learned it was extended for a year from the Gov website. Decided to apply for it a couple of weeks ago to see what happened, applied on a Monday, received it on the Thursday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted February 25, 2021 Share Posted February 25, 2021 This forum thread commeced on19 MAY 2020 and activity ceased 8 days later. At that time the DVLA was under considerable pressure. There were long delays regarding postal driving licence applications (which was what the thread was primarily about) and this current gov-uk link https://www.gov.uk/change-address-driving-licence/apply-by-post continues to carry the following warning "It’s taking longer than usual to process applications sent by post because of coronavirus (COVID-19).” In May 2020 straightforward on-line driving licence applications were being processed in a matter of days, so it’s hardly surprising that this is still the case in February 2021. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted February 25, 2021 Share Posted February 25, 2021 My new driving licence arrived today - it was due last June - but they needed to check with the Doctor! I did have a mass produced letter from DVLA last May saying there was a delay adn not to worry and advising that as long as I was medically OK to drive I was OK but it was nice to actually hold my new licence and I note that it is for three years from now rather than last June which as we age is always a bonus! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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