by constructaquote - 16 June 2016
As of the 8th of June 2015, the paper counterpart licence will be abolished which means that we will use a different method when we need to check your licence details.
From this date, the paper counterpart licence will have no legal presence within the UK and we will therefore no longer ask you to send us a copy as proof of your driving history. Instead, we will use a new method.
Please note that paper licences issued before the introduction of the photocard licence in 1998, will still be valid and will still have a legal presence after the 8th of June 2015.
The DVLA began its digital transition when it abolished the tax disc. It has since introduced a more digitally savvy method of logging driving history; much like vehicle tax this will now be done online.
When you need to provide evidence of your driving history, this will be done through the View My Licence online tool.
This service is the DVLA’s digital alternative to the counterpart licence and where your driving history will be logged. You can view your driving licence anytime by visiting GOV.UK.
Most organisations that require proof of your driving history, such as insurers, brokers and car hire companies will request that you use the DVLA’s online tool.
There are two steps to this process; one for you, the driver and the other for the organisation needing proof of your driving history.
You, as the driver have full control over who can view your driving history online.
When you login to View My Licence you need enter your driving licence number, your National Insurance number and your postcode.
Once you’ve completed the this task you will then have two options:
– You can either download a PDF of your licence and send it directly to the organisations, however some organisations will limit how long this proof is accepted after the download date. For example, we will only accept a PDF if it has been downloaded within a 14 day period.
– Or you can click the ‘Share your Licence Information’ tab which will generate a unique one-time code that you need to forward to the organisation along with the last 8 characters of your driving licence. This code will expire after a 72 hour period.
If the information on your licence appears to be incorrect, you should contact the DVLA as soon as possible.
The organisation will not be able to access your licence via the View My Licence function as this will breach the Data Protection Act.
The only time an organisation is permitted to view your licence is by using the unique code and the last 8 characters of your licence.
In rare instances, your licence information may be suppressed meaning that neither you or the organisation will be able to access your licence.
Should this happen, you will need to contact the DVLA on 0300 790 6802 and provide authorisation for us to be able to check your licence via telephone
Drivers with the old-style paper licence (issued before 1998) can also use the View My Licence service.
After you have given us the one-time use access code in conjunction with the last 8 digits of your licence number we will then be able to access your online driving history.
What we will then be able to do is match the information on the licence to the policy details that we have on file.
In the event that the information held by us is incorrect, we will amend the details in order to prevent any potential claim being rejected*.
* Claims may be rejected if incorrect information is held on our records. For any other exclusions or endorsements, refer to the policy wording.
This guide is part of our series related to van and vehicle insurance, for more guides, or to get a quote, head over to our van insurance section.
by Charlotte Houghton - 7 October 2020
by constructaquote - 6 October 2020
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