DVLA Online Services you can use

As a member of the Motor Industry and also a prominent cherished number plate dealer we also like to keep our customers up to date with changes that happen within the Motor Industry.

I have listed below a range of services that you can do online which saves you time and is instant. These services are all provided by the DVLA Swansea.

Driving Licences

• Apply for your provisional driving licence.
• Change the address on your driving licence.
• Renew your driving licence.
• Renew your driving licence if you’re 70 or over.
• Replace a lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed driving licence.
• Change the photo on your driving licence.
• Exchange your paper driving licence for a photocard licence.

You can also view various driving licence information including:
• the address on your record
• the date your driving licence will run out
• the types of vehicle your driving licence allows you to drive
• any penalty points or disqualifications on your record.
The service is FREE, easy to use and is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

If you need to prove the status of your licence and/or details of any endorsements to third parties
visit www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence and follow the ‘Share Your Licence’ instructions.
The ‘Share Your Licence’ service will be available spring 2015 and should be used by both paper and photocard licence holders.

Drivers applying online will see the fee for a provisional driving licence fall from £50 to £34 and online renewals after 10 years fall from £20 to £14. The fee for driver tachograph cards will fall
from £38 to £32. For first licence paper applications the fee will fall by £7 to £43 and paper applications for renewing licences after 10 years will fall by £3 to £17.
The reduction in driving licence fees is the first phase in the DVLA review of its fees. The second phase will involve a comprehensive review of the DVLA’s funding and will focus on the way
services are delivered to customers as we introduce further digital services.

DVLA introduced a new style photocard driving licence from February 2014.

Holders of valid driving licences will not need to replace their current driving licence. The old driving licence format is still valid and DVLA will update them gradually as they are renewed and
replaced.
What’s changed?
The new card has a refreshed design incorporating a host of improved security features to keep the driving licence secure. The latest security features will also help in the fight against fraud.

Vehicle Registration Document V5C

You’ll usually have to register a vehicle as soon as you’ve:
• bought it
• built it
• rebuilt or altered it
• imported it.
If you buy a brand new vehicle, the dealer will usually take care of all the necessary arrangements to register it to you.
You should have a vehicle registration certificate (known as the V5C) if you are the registered keeper of a vehicle. DVLA do not capture information about the owner. This will only apply to the person who takes responsibility for the vehicle and taxes it.
What is the V5C?
Since August 2010, all V5C’s DVLA have issued will have a new look. Most new V5Cs are now red but some older ones may not be – to check the V5C is the latest issued use the DVLA enquiry service.

The V5C is a certificate that is issued when a vehicle is registered with DVLA. DVLA send the V5C to the registered keeper, normally the person responsible for registering and taxing the vehicle. This may not be the owner of the vehicle. The information it shows includes:  the vehicle registration number, the vehicle keeper’s name and address, other important information about the vehicle (make,model, VIN number and previous keeper’)

The V5C is not proof of ownership as DVLA records keepers and not owners. While the V5C does not prove ownership you shouldn’t buy a vehicle without one.

Buying a Used Vehicle

Buying a used vehicle is a serious business and while there is no guarantee that you won’t be a victim of vehicle crime, knowing your consumer rights will help. This service provides advice on
what to ask the seller, about the vehicle registration certificate (V5C) and the identity of the vehicle. Some things to consider:
• inspect the vehicle carefully
• check the validity of the V5C at www.gov.uk/get-vehicle-information-from-dvla
The ultimate message is:
If in doubt, trust your instincts. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Don’t be pressured to buy – there’s always another vehicle.

Tax Disc Changes

From 1 October 2014 DVLA stopped issuing paper tax discs and you no longer have to display it on a vehicle windscreen. DVLA hold a digital record of taxed and untaxed vehicles and do not need you to have a paper disc as proof you have paid vehicle tax.

You will still need to get tax to drive or keep a vehicle on the road and DVLA will still send you a renewal reminder when your tax is due for renewal.                                                                                 This applies to all vehicle types including those that you do not have to pay tax for. When you buy a vehicle, the tax will no longer be transferred with the vehicle. You must tax it before you can use the vehicle on the road.
You can tax the vehicle using the New Keeper Supplement (V5C/2) part of the vehicle registration certificate (V5C) online or by phone – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, if you do not have a V5C in your name. Alternatively, the option of licensing at the Post Office Ltd remains, for those who prefer to visit a Post Office® branch.
When you buy a vehicle from a dealer, the dealer will automatically tax it when you register your details with DVLA. If you sell a vehicle after 1 October and you have notified DVLA, they will automatically give a refund for any full calendar months left on the vehicle tax to the registered keeper.

DVLA’s online vehicle tax service allows customers to buy vehicle tax 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, online or by automated phone.

Around 3 weeks before your tax runs out, you should get a reminder (V11) from DVLA, unless you have a Direct Debit in place and do not notify DVLA of changes. Use this to tax your vehicle online or by automated phone. The service is quick, easy and saves a great deal of time and effort. Motor insurance policies are no longer checked when you tax your vehicle, saving you further time. You don’t have to buy vehicle tax if you don’t use or keep your vehicle on a public road (e.g. you keep it in a garage, on a drive or on private land). You must make a SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification)  instead. A SORN will remain in force until DVLA is notified that a vehicle is taxed, sold, scrapped or exported.

Stay insured. Stay legal.
By law the registered keeper of a vehicle must keep it insured. If it is not insured then a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) must be made. If there is still tax on the vehicle when a SORN is
made, the registered keeper will automatically receive a refund of any full calendar months remaining.
DVLA compares its record with details of vehicles on the Motor Insurance Database to identify uninsured vehicles. If a vehicle does not have insurance or is being kept off road and
a SORN has not been made, the registered keeper could face:
• a £100 fixed penalty
• a court prosecution. If convicted, the offence carries a maximum penalty of £1000
• the vehicle being clamped and impounded by DVLA or seized by police.
Check if your vehicle is insured at www.askMID.com
It is an offence to keep a taxed vehicle without insurance – if you’re the registered keeper, you could get fined.

Motorists do not need to provide evidence of their motor insurance when they:
• tax online or by phone
• register and tax through a motor dealer
• tax at a Post Office® branch.
• register and tax through the post to DVLA
Motorists still need to ensure they have a valid insurance policy, but DVLA will not check this when you tax a vehicle.