For love of...any AA Driving Instructors?

[MistySkiesAfterRain]

I have a refresher driving lesson booked for Friday.

Long DVLA saga. Just learned my Driving License expired in 2013. I do not have a copy. I only have my theory certificate which has my Driver number on it.

Should add, License is also registered to an old address.

Do I cancel the lesson while I sort this out with DVLA? I have called AA but its Live Chat only and messaged twice but no reply. Does everyone just tweet companies nowadays for an actual response?!!

Surely you can’t be driving if you don’t have a valid license?

I don't think you can drive even with an instructor because you don't have a current license or provisional one and I think they will ask to see it.

Yeah the instructor will check your provisional on the first lesson. You cannot drive without a valid licence so you will have to cancel until you get a new one

Hang on this isn’t a provisional but a full licence? I would postpone til you get a new one sorted anyway, just to be on the safe side.

I think you need to cancel.
Teens instructor wouldn’t even do a first lesson until they had a copy of their provisional, your licence is expired so I can’t imagine they would take you out if even a learner needs a valid provisional.
What did you ask on the chat? Did you ask a straight “my license has been expired for 8 years will, they still do my lesson?”

If you messaged them the whole story ….lost, previous address since demolished, theory certificate….. they might not be reading clearly between the lines so don’t know how to respond. Did the DVLA say how long a renewed licence would be? I have a friend who had to be seizure free for 12 months before getting their license back-there was an 8 month delay in processing!
Good luck.

Hi, thanks for replies. I found a different chat link that actually had a response, it was outside of the AA account. Not sure why its made so difficult 😂 I have ADHD so this is like my WORST nightmare!

They confirmed that yes I should cancel. At least thats sorted.

I'm surprised it doesn't say in the Account here is what you need to bring to your first lesson, I mean I get that people should know this intuitively but its not very accessible information.

I'm now super confused as I already wrote to the DVLA to say I lost my license and it was registered to an address that was knocked down in 1999. Not realising I DID actually update the address in 2003, which in itself is a miracle! Now need to check what I said in the letter, go back to the portal and work out what to do.

Driving by the summer, seems such a lofty goal now 😂

I'm now super confused as I already wrote to the DVLA to say I lost my license and it was registered to an address that was knocked down in 1999. Not realising I DID actually update the address in 2003, which in itself is a miracle! Now need to check what I said in the letter, go back to the portal and work out what to do.

Just go online and apply for a replacement

According to BSM they check on the government database your driver details. Found that by google, which was what led me to check the government database, which then showed up that its registered to my last address (not the the one before that which is knocked down) and that it expired in 2013. It said somewhere that paper licenses could not expire, but expire it has.

I'm now thinking what I must have done is got a new paper license back when you could choose between paper and photo (probably paper was cheaper) as I knew I was leaving the country (went abroad) so was not going to use it. Then lost it around 2004, possibly it was a lost bag stolen on a night out (oops am responsible adult now) but left the country and then moved city and didn't drive since.

Its so wierd trying to transport yourself back to moments or periods in time and try and remember what happened, like trying to search for old photos and piece them together. It makes me feel slightly sick as it can suddenly feel like no time has passed, then you come back to the present and have to put the memory back in its box otherwise all of the other irrelevant ones come out 😂

I don't remember getting a new physical license, maybe I just changed the address back then.

Thanks @legotruck I'm hopeful it really is this beautifully simple in the end.

I don't remember getting a new physical license, maybe I just changed the address back then

Meant to delete that.

Need to check a few things :
You say you have a theory test certificate, you need a valid privisional licence to sit a theory test so you had one when you did that.
Your theory test pass expires after 2 years.
Either you have forgotten you already replaced your licence or you sat your theory test before your old one expired (in which case the test has expired too).
You need to apply for a new drivers licence at your current address and it sounds like you will need to resit your theory test.
You will have to cancel your lesson.
If your ADHD affects your ability to drive you have to inform the DVSA, you may feel it doesn't in which case don't but you are going to have to get on top of all the organisation stuff like insurance and MOTs etc as that is part of safe driving.

Sorry i didnt read that properly, realised you are not a learner, ignore my post as it doesn't make sense in that case and possibly seemed a bit harsh, sorry.
DVSA have just sent DS1 his new license, his test was on Friday and it arrived today so they don't seem to be being too slow at the moment.