• Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.
  • We seem to be having technical difficulties with new user accounts. If you are trying to register please check your Spam or Junk folder for your confirmation email. If you still haven't received a confirmation email, please reach out to our support inbox: support.forum@diabetes.org.uk

RENEWING SHORT TERM MEDICAL DRIVING LICENCE

W

Wotisname

Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
My current licence runs out 30/06/25 paper forms arrived in the post 10 th April , covering letter explaining paper applications taking longer to process, use our quick and easy online service, ( no need for me to send a new photo this time ) Applied online 12th April new licence issued 24th April . Does exactly what it says on the tin . 😉
 
Our son tried to renew his 5-year licence online last year but unfortunately it didn't allow him to do it for his particular medical condition, so he had no option but to fill out the forms. It took so long that his licence expired and he was driving under Section 88 for 3 weeks before his new licence arrived. The delay was due to the DVLA having to write to his Consultant about his fitness to drive and waiting for a reply. Hopefully your experience means something's changed and next time he can do it online.
 
I recently had to renew my license for two reasons: it was due to expire and the photo was too old.
While a passport can be renewed online by uploading a photo, the DVLA have not caught up with such modern technology. They need a physical Photo Booth photo. So, despite renewing online for the last two times which took less than a week each time, this year, I had to resort to snail mail and a nail biting wait. Thankfully, it took less than a month arriving before my last one ran out so I had no need for Section 88.
It seems to be a bit of a lottery where odds are higher if you can do it online.
 
As long as your passport photo is less than 10 years old, and your passport is still valid, you can tell DVLA to use your passport photo. Is what I've done for years and expect my husband will too now he only gets a 3 year licence too - over 70 and kept his C1.
 
helli said:
While a passport can be renewed online by uploading a photo, the DVLA have not caught up with such modern technology. They need a physical Photo Booth photo
Click to expand...
No they don’t, I just told them to use my passport photo
 
JJay said:
I wasn’t given that option last year, even though my passport photo was less than 12 months old.
Click to expand...
Me neither even though my passport was also less than a year old, no mention was made of it. They requested a new photo and diab1.
As I mentioned this was provided by snail mail and a new license was provided within a month. It was easier than arguing the toss about using my passport photo and responding with an online diab1.
Maybe the issues was that dvla cannot cope with two things at once?
 
Last edited:
I renewed online. It was easy and I used the passport photo. I think that it said that it could be used if it was still an accurate reflection of your appearance. As much as passport photos ever are, it was. However, as I am over 70, the online renewal will not cover category C1(medium sized vehicles) and D1(minibus) entitlements. As I haven't driven a van over 3.5kg for a good many years, I decided not to enter the labyrinth of paper applications.
 
Last edited:
JJay said:
I wasn’t given that option last year, even though my passport photo was less than 12 months old.
Click to expand...
You must have done it wrong or missed it then. Check the website it’s there, and has been for a while as my licence photo needed changing more than a year ago
 
Lucyr said:
You must have done it wrong or missed it then. Check the website it’s there, and has been for a while as my licence photo needed changing more than a year ago
Click to expand...
Er, no. As a known pedant and wife of a solicitor I am used to reading everything very carefully!

I was sent the full package of paper forms and told that a new photo had to be supplied. There was no option either to renew online or to use my passport photo. It might have been something to do with the fact that I had turned 70 since the last renewal, I don’t know. Anyway, all forms completed and licence issued within a fortnight.

People may have different experiences to you but that doesn’t make them “wrong”!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top