{"id":3106,"date":"2020-06-25T11:37:05","date_gmt":"2020-06-25T10:37:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.booktheorytesttoday.com\/blog\/?p=3106"},"modified":"2020-06-25T11:37:06","modified_gmt":"2020-06-25T10:37:06","slug":"driving-licence-photocard-extension","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.booktheorytesttoday.com\/blog\/driving-licence-photocard-extension\/","title":{"rendered":"Driving Licence Photocard Validity Extended for Motorists"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The government has announced that driving licence photocard validity will be extended by 7 months for motorists whose licence expires between 1 February and 31 August 2020. This enables drivers to continue making necessary journeys without worrying about having to get a new photograph to renew their licence.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under normal circumstances, a driving licence photocard must be renewed every 10 years, while bus and lorry drivers must update their licence every 5 years. However, new EU regulations mean that licences expiring between 1 February and 31 August will be automatically extended 7 months after the date of expiry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reminder will be sent to renew driving photocard licence<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A reminder will be sent to motorists notifying them that they will need to renew their licence once the 7-month extension expires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chief executive of the DVLA, Julie Lennard, said: \u201cThis extension will make it easier for drivers who need to update their photocard licence with a new photograph. This means if they have a valid licence, drivers will be able to continue to make essential journeys.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe extension is automatic so drivers do not need to do anything and will be sent a reminder to renew their photocard before the extension ends.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UK driver testing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

News that driving licence photocard validity will be extended automatically comes as thousands of learner drivers anxiously wait for practical driving exams and theory tests<\/a> to resume.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government expects driving lessons to be able to restart from 4 July, while theory test centres<\/a> are set to reopen and practical tests are also set to resume.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The DVSA anticipates a huge backlog in both theory tests and practical exams with most test centres closed to all except keyworkers since 20 March.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Figures are set to be published by the government in September and they are likely to show the biggest waiting list for a theory test and practical exam<\/a> ever!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Problems for some test candidates<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For many test candidates, the coronavirus pandemic has caused huge problems. Cancellations and rearranged tests have been an issue for many learner drivers, especially in rural areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

17-year-old Ela Owen, who lives in Llanrwst in Conwy, Wales explained that her test had been cancelled in March and rearranged for 28 July.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said she was \u2018disappointed\u2019 when the first test was cancelled and there remains \u2018uncertainty\u2019 around whether she will be able to sit the rearranged test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ela said: \u201cWe don’t live in a city so there\u2019s not as many buses or trains to get to places, so needing a car in a rural area is quite important to have that independence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ela\u2019s case is just one of thousands across the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Book a theory test or practical test ASAP <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re ready to book a theory test or practical driving exam, now\u2019s the time. <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re here to help take care of your booking on your behalf, giving you access to a series of benefits and resources. <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To find out more, explore our website and contact us<\/a> to get your test booked as quickly as possible.<\/strong><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The government has announced that driving licence photocard validity will be extended by 7 months for motorists whose licence expires between 1 February and 31 August 2020. This enables drivers to continue making necessary journeys without worrying about having to get a new photograph to renew their licence. Under normal circumstances, a driving licence photocard […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3107,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[129,83,78],"class_list":["post-3106","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-driving-licence","tag-driving-theory-test","tag-practical-driving-test"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.booktheorytesttoday.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3106","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.booktheorytesttoday.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.booktheorytesttoday.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booktheorytesttoday.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booktheorytesttoday.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3106"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.booktheorytesttoday.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3106\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3110,"href":"https:\/\/www.booktheorytesttoday.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3106\/revisions\/3110"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booktheorytesttoday.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3107"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.booktheorytesttoday.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3106"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booktheorytesttoday.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3106"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booktheorytesttoday.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3106"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}