How the hell do i renew my driving licence?

[QuestionableMouse]

I moved house recently and even though I set up a redirect, not all of my post has been reaching me. I've just realised my driving licence photo is out of date as well as neesing to update my address. I'm assuming the letter is in the redirect limbo so don't have it. Tried to update it online with no luck because "computer says no" basically (aka it tells me it can't be done but not why- i suspect it's because I don't have a passport!)

Tried the local post office that does them to be told they can't help and I need to do it online.

Is it worth ringing them? What else can I try? I'm incredibly frustrated with the entire thing!

I had the same issues with trying to renew it online. I eventually had to travel to find a Post Office that could actually do it for me.

Was a total faff though.

I had a passport so it wasn’t that for me, it just wouldn’t not let me do it online 😡

I have the same situation so I'm watching with interest!
It was easier before they made everything go online!

Just tried again and got this- one was trying to change the photo, one was trying to renew! I really want it done!

Can't you do it via post?

You can't do it online if you don't have a passport

Finding a post office to get the forms to do it by post was such a hassle for me. So I’ve ended up renewing my passport and then hopefully I’ll be able to renew my license- I’ve no need for a passport at the moment so I was pretty annoyed at spending the additional £80 unnecessary. Also to do it by post you need a chequebook. I haven’t had a chequebook for about a decade!! No advice but just to say I empathise - the whole thing is so stupid!

go onto the post office website and find the nearest one that deals with driving licenses and pop in, I think it was £21 rather than the £14 online but they do the photo and send everything electronically so it can't get lost in DVLA post room hell, mine was back in 3 days so it was worth the extra cost for me

That screenshot above does say "cheque or postal order", so you could have just gone to the post office to get a postal order!

That's crazy you had to get a passport to renew your driving license as you couldn't get the correct form at a post office.

I don't drive or have a passport and dread when says I need photo id. Why does the government assume everyone has a driving licence or passport.

also an FYI if you have a passport that you had to sign then you can't do it online either, apparently there's some quirk of new passports not being digital or some nonsense- it wouldn't let me renew online despite my passport being valid and the helpline weren't very... helpful but told me the above!

If the public hadn't made such a fuss about the proposed national ID card, we wouldn't need to have either a passport or photo driving licence!

But none near me do the forms or process them, more making the point that most people don’t have a chequebook these days either - all a bit archaic!

Go to the post office... They get your pic taken in their photobooth and do everything for you. DH was in and out of there within 7-8 minutes a few months ago when he had his done.

I did.

They told me the service was unavailable and I'd have to do it online.

I'd go back to post office and show them this from there website

Take D798 form to over 1,100 post office branches, if you don't have a form but still need to renew, bring along your old licence and we can still update your address/photo

also an FYI if you have a passport that you had to sign then you can't do it online either, apparently there's some quirk of new passports not being digital or some nonsense

I got a new passport last September and successfully renewed my driving licence online in May, with no problem, so this doesn’t apply to everyone with a new passport!

Op…in terms of a reminder letter, I never received one, although I did renew online 3wks before new one expired (as I wanted to make sure it arrived for a holiday abroad) so maybe that was why.

You may have to go to a main post office in the town centre rather than a smaller sub post office if you want to do it there op.

Your post office clerk was incorrect. I've just changed my photo and name at the same time and I had to fill in a paper form and send it off with a £17 cheque. Suggest you go back and ask for a paper application for driving licence

This is going to sound insane, but are you sure you went to a post office? Many local postoffices may display the sign that they are a post office, but they kind of aren't - they are really places to post stuff! It needs to be a full service post office, and many places now have the "post office franchise in the local supermarket /shop type thing". They don't count for some services like this.

https://contact.dvla.gov.uk/order-dvla-forms you can order the D1 form for applying by post or pick one up from a post office with stock

Dh never got a letter when his was due to expire so he didn't realise. Eventually got a "second" (although definitely didn't get the first) letter from the DVLA which said he could take it to the post office but according to the post office, it didn't have the barcode they needed on it so they couldn't process it for him. He filled in the basic form, got a postal order for the fee and got the new one back two weeks later.

Mine has just expired. I havent had a letter from the DVLA so I'm waiting for my new passport to come back and then I'm going to try using that.

I had to do mine at a post office as my address had an error in the post code so couldn't do it online. Really easy but not all post offices do it.

I know what you mean, but yes, it was a proper post office - I even checked online first!

New passports should be fine.
Dh renewed his driving licence last week, using his new passport. It was all fine and his licence card arrived today, a few days later.