At last, the dreaded, easily-lost, paper part of the driving licence is finally being sent to the scrap-heap in the sky. We’ve got the facts here, the things you need to know:

As of June 8th 2015 the paper counterpart ceased to be issued by the DVLA.

If you renew your licence or change your address you will receive only a new type photocard.

If you only have a paper counterpart ( if your licence was issued before 1998 ) you should keep it. It is still valid.

If you currently have both a paper counterpart and a photo ID from the paper counterpart will not fulfill any use apart from being used to change your address with the DVLA. But, this can also be done on the internet without the counterpart.

Your endorsements and penalties will be recorded direct onto the police computer systems. They will not be marked physically anywhere.

When you come to hire a car with us you will simply give us your photocard driving licence AND be sure to have note of what your National Insurance Number is, then we will bring up your record on a computer to see your current and past endorsements/points.

You can save some time by getting the code we require from you ahead of time. Follow the instructions here:

https://www.viewdrivingrecord.service.gov.uk/driving-record/licence-number

So no more “I’m sorry but i’ve lost my paper part” problems and issues to get in the way of a good, honest car or van hire. Excellent.