How do I check my driving licence details and share them?
Where your endorsements and entitlements actually live now the paper counterpart is gone, how to generate a check code for a hire company or employer, and what to do at 70.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 15 min
- Read
- 5 min
Short answer
The paper counterpart was abolished in 2015, so the plastic card no longer shows your penalty points — they are held on DVLA's record and viewed online through the View Driving Licence service with your licence number, National Insurance number and postcode. To let a hire company or an employer see them, generate a check code from the same service; it is valid for a limited period and for a single viewing, so generate it close to when it is needed.
Two things changed and a lot of people missed both. The first is that the paper counterpart, which used to carry the endorsements, was abolished in June 2015 — if you still have one it has no legal status and hire companies will not accept it. The second is that the plastic photocard itself has an expiry date, usually ten years, which is separate from your entitlement to drive and separate again from the medical renewal at 70. People routinely discover an expired photocard at an airport hire desk, which is an expensive way to find out.
Step by step
- Use the View Driving Licence service to see your record.You need your driving licence number, your National Insurance number and the postcode on the licence. It shows your entitlements, your endorsements and points, and the dates everything expires. It is free and it is the only authoritative view.
- Check the photocard expiry, which is not the same as your entitlement.The photocard is typically valid for ten years and must be renewed with a new photograph. Driving with an expired photocard can attract a fine even though your entitlement to drive continues. The date is on the front of the card.
- Generate a check code when someone needs to see your record.The same service produces a code that lets a third party — a car hire company, an employer, an agency — view your endorsements once, within a limited validity period. Generate it shortly before it is needed rather than weeks ahead.
- Take the right things to a hire desk.The photocard itself, and the check code, plus whatever identification the hire company specifies. Overseas hire companies increasingly ask for the check code too. The old paper counterpart is worthless and will not be accepted.
- Keep your address up to date.Changing the address on your licence is free and can be done online, and it is a legal requirement to keep it current. It also matters practically: a notice of intended prosecution sent to an old address does not stop the clock.
- Understand the position at 70.A driving licence must be renewed at 70 and every three years afterwards. It is free, it is done online or by post, and it involves a self-declaration of fitness to drive rather than an automatic medical examination. There is no upper age limit on driving in the UK and no requirement to retake the test.
- Renew before it expires, not after.DVLA sends a reminder before the 70th birthday and before each subsequent renewal. You can apply in the months before the expiry date. Driving on an expired licence is an offence and can affect insurance validity.
- Check whether your entitlements are changing.At 70, the higher categories such as lorries and buses require a medical report to be retained. Some categories that older licences carried automatically, such as certain minibus and towing entitlements, are treated differently at renewal. Look at the entitlement list on the online record rather than assuming.
Common mistakes
- Keeping the old paper counterpart and expecting it to be accepted — It was abolished in 2015 and has no legal status. Hire companies and employers require the online check code, and turning up with a paper counterpart wastes the trip.
- Confusing the photocard expiry with the entitlement — They are separate. Your entitlement to drive a car normally runs to 70; the plastic card expires roughly every ten years and needs renewing with a new photograph regardless.
If it doesn't work
Hire company will not accept your licence
Cause: No check code, or an expired photocard — Fix: Generate a code from the View Driving Licence service on your phone at the desk if you have signal. If the photocard itself has expired, no code will help and you will not be able to hire.
Online service will not recognise your details
Cause: Address mismatch, or a name change not registered — Fix: The postcode must match the one held on the licence, which is the old one if you have moved without telling DVLA. Update the address first.
Points on your record you did not expect
Cause: An endorsement from a fixed penalty you had forgotten, or an administrative error — Fix: Contact DVLA if you believe it is wrong. Points have a defined life and you can see the removal date on the record.
Check code expired before the hire company used it
Cause: The code has a short validity — Fix: Generate a new one. They are free and unlimited, so there is no reason to hoard one.
Turning 70 and no reminder has arrived
Cause: Address not updated, or the reminder was missed — Fix: Do not wait for it. Apply online through GOV.UK in the months before your birthday. Renewal at 70 is free.
Questions people ask
Do I have to retake my test at 70?
No. Renewal at 70 is a free administrative process with a self-declaration about fitness to drive and eyesight. There is no test and no automatic medical, though DVLA can require medical evidence if a condition is declared or reported.
How do I check someone else's licence?
You cannot see it directly. They generate a check code from their own account and give it to you, and you enter it along with the last eight characters of their licence number on the GOV.UK service. That is the designed route for employers and hire companies.
Does a fine for an expired photocard affect my insurance?
The fine itself is a fixed penalty rather than an endorsement. The bigger practical risk is that an insurer may query a claim if the licence documentation was not in order, so it is not worth the saving in effort.