Renewing Driving Licence at Age 70

[GeoffL]

Jan and I need to retain our C1 entitlement when we renew our licences and I'm scratching my head because it isn't obvious whether we need to complete just a D2 form or both the D2 and the D46P forms. The D46P says that you have to apply to renew C1 using form D2 but neither form says whether the D2 replaces or is in addition to the D46P. I'm hoping that someone who's already renewed at 70 and retained their C1 can comment on whether just the D2 or both forms are needed.

 

[rugbyken]

i renewed mine a couple of years ago with DforDrivers they carried out the medical supplied the form & filled in the relavant parts for me , got to do it again this year

 

[GeoffL]

i renewed mine a couple of years ago with DforDrivers they carried out the medical supplied the form & filled in the relavant parts for me , got to do it again this year

Thanks for the response. D4Drivers conducted Jan's medical and completed the D4 medical form. However, we still need to apply to renew her licence by sending off the required application form(s) accompanied by the completed D4; and neither the D46P (vehicles under 3.5 tonnes) nor the D2 (HGVs etc.) say whether the D2 is additional to, or replaces, the D46P.

 

[Jescreet]

hope your not in a hurry, I took my medical early January and sent off all forms and still waiting for my new licence to come back. I have been advised from the DVLA that they needed to check with my doctor to see if I was ok to drive, even though I passed the D4 medical, they said they have a backlog due to Covid. My licence ran out in March but they said its ok to continue driving as long as the renewal has been sent.

 

[GeoffL]

hope your not in a hurry, I took my medical early January and sent off all forms and still waiting for my new licence to come back. I have been advised from the DVLA that they needed to check with my doctor to see if I was ok to drive, even though I passed the D4 medical, they said they have a backlog due to Covid. My licence ran out in March but they said its ok to continue driving as long as the renewal has been sent.

Thanks for that. Did you need to send off just the D2 and D4 forms, or did you have to send off the D46P that they send to all drivers approaching their 70th birthday as well?

 

[Jescreet]

Im sure I was only required to send in D2 and D4

 

[Lemut]

Hi All,

Does anyone know how long before your licence ends you can get your medical done? Or to put it another way, how long is the medical form valid for?

Thanks guys.

Graham

 

[GeoffL]

Hi All,

Does anyone know how long before your licence ends you can get your medical done? Or to put it another way, how long is the medical form valid for?

Thanks guys.

Graham

The D4 form itself says it's valid for 4 months from the date of examination.

 

[Lemut]

Thanks GeoffL

 

[moonshadow]

Martin sent off D4 & D2. Don’t hold your breath his licence expired October 2020! After much chasing just heard he needs to do treadmill test…and so it goes on! Good thing I have a licence when we went away I had to hire the car!

 

[Trotter]

Martin sent off D4 & D2. Don’t hold your breath his licence expired October 2020! After much chasing just heard he needs to do treadmill test…and so it goes on! Good thing I have a licence when we went away I had to hire the car!

Get him in training. A couple of marathons should do the trick.
Oh! I don’t mean those rebranded as Snickers.

 

[Okta]

D2 and D4 needed not D46P. Can apply 90 days before old license expires but best to do it within the first few weeks so that there are more than 56 days left on the old license. This more than 56 days remaining means you do not need to supply a new photo and makes the DVLA processing easier. Get proof of delivery to DVLA.

 

[GeoffL]

D2 and D4 needed not D46P. Can apply 90 days before old license expires but best to do it within the first few weeks so that there are more than 56 days left on the old license. This more than 56 days remaining means you do not need to supply a new photo and makes the DVLA processing easier. Get proof of delivery to DVLA.

Thanks -- unfortunately, we're still on paper licences and so need to provide photos anyway. We'll get the D2 and D4 off today and pray.

 

[moonshadow]

D2 and D4 needed not D46P. Can apply 90 days before old license expires but best to do it within the first few weeks so that there are more than 56 days left on the old license. This more than 56 days remaining means you do not need to supply a new photo and makes the DVLA processing easier. Get proof of delivery to DVLA.

You can still drive whilst dvla have your licence, Martin has been doing so since Oct 2020!

 

[Trotter]

You can continue until you’re told otherwise by the DVLA or a health professional.

 

[GeoffL]

You can still drive whilst dvla have your licence, Martin has been doing so since Oct 2020!

AIUI, you can only drive in UK and then only for up to 12 months after DVLA receive your renewal application. So Martin may have been driving unlawfully since October 2021 or maybe before

Here's a clicky link to the DVLA leaflet "Can I driver while my application is with DVLA". (PDF)

However, my other concern is that we need to drive in Australia, where entitlement under section 88 doesn't apply. We won't even be able to 'convert' our UK licences to Aussie ones as we have to send them to DVLA with the renewal application and so we can't show them to VicRoads. (Pity, because we could then drive under Aussie licences in the UK while waiting for DVLA to get their act together!)

 

[moonshadow]

AIUI, you can only drive in UK and then only for up to 12 months after DVLA receive your renewal application. So Martin may have been driving unlawfully since October 2021 or maybe before

Here's a clicky link to the DVLA leaflet "Can I driver while my application is with DVLA". (PDF)

However, my other concern is that we need to drive in Australia, where entitlement under section 88 doesn't apply. We won't even be able to 'convert' our UK licences to Aussie ones as we have to send them to DVLA with the renewal application and so we can't show them to VicRoads. (Pity, because we could then drive under Aussie licences in the UK while waiting for DVLA to get their act together!)

I don’t think he is, it’s not as black and white as that in his case

 

[GeoffL]

I don’t think he is, it’s not as black and white as that in his case

I truly hope that you are correct. However, having examined Section 88 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, I note: Paragraph 1(a)(1) says that the driver must have held a suitable licence; and Paragraph 2(a) says the entitlement does not extend beyond the expiry date or date of revocation of that licence. Paragraph 2(b) provides the 12 month 'grace' and says, "in a case where a licence is not in fact so granted, beyond the expiration of the period of one year or such shorter period as may be prescribed, beginning on the date of the application or (as the case may be) the revocation or surrender [...]".
The legislation is at https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/52/section/88 IANAL, so perhaps others might like to check and comment?

AFAICT, it is Section 88 that provides the continued entitlement to drive while DVLA process your renewal application (at least, that's what their leaflet cites). I understand from an article in the Times that several truck and bus drivers can no longer work because of the DVLA backlog since they still haven't received their renewed licences despite waiting more than a year.

 

[moonshadow]

I truly hope that you are correct. However, having examined Section 88 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, I note: Paragraph 1(a)(1) says that the driver must have held a suitable licence; and Paragraph 2(a) says the entitlement does not extend beyond the expiry date or date of revocation of that licence. Paragraph 2(b) provides the 12 month 'grace' and says, "in a case where a licence is not in fact so granted, beyond the expiration of the period of one year or such shorter period as may be prescribed, beginning on the date of the application or (as the case may be) the revocation or surrender [...]".
The legislation is at https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/52/section/88 IANAL, so perhaps others might like to check and comment?

AFAICT, it is Section 88 that provides the continued entitlement to drive while DVLA process your renewal application (at least, that's what their leaflet cites). I understand from an article in the Times that several truck and bus drivers can no longer work because of the DVLA backlog since they still haven't received their renewed licences despite waiting more than a year.

I think if you take into account the 9 month extension from October 2020, because of Covid, he’s ok until July this year I just wanted to make the point that the whole process with D2 & D4 is taking a ridiculous length of time. My passport renewal on the other hand came back in 2 weeks!

 

[GeoffL]

I think if you take into account the 9 month extension from October 2020, because of Covid, he’s ok until July this year I just wanted to make the point that the whole process with D2 & D4 is taking a ridiculous length of time. My passport renewal on the other hand came back in 2 weeks!

That's really good to hear. FWIW, I didn't know about the extension. I did a quick search and the original 9 month extension seems to have been extended further to 11 months. So if your licence expired between 1 February and the end of 2020, it was automatically extended for 11 months from the original expiry date. So that means the extension would have extended Martin's licence to September 2021. However, the 12 month 'grace' under section 88 is from the date the renewal application was made and not from the date the old licence expired.
I agree about the ridiculous time taken. As noted above, people are losing their jobs because of the DVLA backlog. The powers that be should have extended the 'grace' period for as long as it takes DVLA to deal with the renewal IMO.

Expired driving licences automatically extended by 11 months

Photocard licences or entitlement to drive that expires between 1 February and 31 December 2020 have been extended for 11 months from the date of expiry.

www.gov.uk