I picked up some info. today relating to the abolition of the driving licence paper counterpart as from early 2015. The information previously on the counterpart (convictions/penalty points, provisional entitlements) are available on-line and by post or telephone. Not sure if this has been mentioned already on here. I’ll check for a link.
Here it is:
Before you destroy it or push to the back of a draw take a photo of it then in forty or fifty years time you can come onto Trucknetuk and say anybody remember these and get a whole new thread going,…… just a thought.
Ossie
Whenever I hire a car on holiday, usually Cyprus, they alway insist on seeing the counterpart as that is the only way they can check for points. Outside UK the hire companies do not have access to DVLA to check…
hiring a car in the UK they also want to see the counterpart
Driver-Once-More:
hiring a car in the UK they also want to see the counterpart
They will check it online - system coming into force
Cyprus hire will have to change their policy or get the driver to access their online records
In the last few years I have been to OZ, NZ USA and Spain.
Had hire cars in all of them and always made sure I had photo licence, paper counterpart and International Driving Permit as per the various car hire websites.
Only ever been asked for the photo licence card and credit card at the hire desk. The guy in OZ had never seen an IDP before.
Tyneside
Driver-Once-More:
hiring a car in the UK they also want to see the counterpart
They can already phone the DVLA and check if you only have the photocard. Although most hire companies will charge for this, Europcar charge £10.
KCLeblanc:
Driver-Once-More:
hiring a car in the UK they also want to see the counterpartThey can already phone the DVLA and check if you only have the photocard. Although most hire companies will charge for this, Europcar charge £10.
No need anymore because the hirer can simply access their own details online and show them
ROG:
No need anymore because the hirer can simply access their own details online and show them
So now I have to take a computer on holiday with me?
The car hire company I always use is next door to the villa we always stay in and I know for sure they do not have a computer of any kind, everything is hand written by the Cheap and Cheerful car hire company!
(I will just print my licence details before I leave home)
IMHO The DVLA should make the counterpart, or something similar, available online so we could print our own copy!
You know, just because they are abolishing the paper counterpart doesn’t mean you have to destroy it, you can actually keep it for when you go abroad if needed…
neilp1982:
You know, just because they are abolishing the paper counterpart doesn’t mean you have to destroy it, you can actually keep it for when you go abroad if needed…
That’s ok if your licence does not expire before you go abroad, I have to renew mine next February and will not be issued with a counterpart, the current one will have expired so no use to me at all.
Martin:
ROG:
No need anymore because the hirer can simply access their own details online and show themSo now I have to take a computer on holiday with me?
The car hire company I always use is next door to the villa we always stay in and I know for sure they do not have a computer of any kind, everything is hand written by the Cheap and Cheerful car hire company!
(I will just print my licence details before I leave home)
IMHO The DVLA should make the counterpart, or something similar, available online so we could print our own copy!
You could always access your own records online then take a screenshot of those details and print it
It doesn’t seem to make any sense being that there doesn’t seem to be any rule concerning the old paper licences not being valid after 2015. 
Carryfast:
It doesn’t seem to make any sense being that there doesn’t seem to be any rule concerning the old paper licences not being valid after 2015.
Old paper ones will become obsolete over time by natural progression and I image when it gets to stage when very few are left those remaining will be made to get photocard ones
ROG:
Carryfast:
It doesn’t seem to make any sense being that there doesn’t seem to be any rule concerning the old paper licences not being valid after 2015.Old paper ones will become obsolete over time by natural progression and I image when it gets to stage when very few are left those remaining will be made to get photocard ones
That would probably be the case in the case of LGV licences because they need to be renewed more often but where it’s just the ordinary car licence that would only leave the latter possibility at some point in time.But there doesn’t seem to be any information so far saying that they’ll need to be returned before their expiry date.
Carryfast:
ROG:
Carryfast:
It doesn’t seem to make any sense being that there doesn’t seem to be any rule concerning the old paper licences not being valid after 2015.Old paper ones will become obsolete over time by natural progression and I image when it gets to stage when very few are left those remaining will be made to get photocard ones
That would probably be the case in the case of LGV licences because they need to be renewed more often but where it’s just the ordinary car licence that would only leave the latter possibility at some point in time.But there doesn’t seem to be any information so far saying that they’ll need to be returned before their expiry date.
gov.uk/government/news/driv … ce-changes
If you have an old style paper driving licence issued before the photocard was introduced in 1998, this change won’t affect you, and you should keep your licence.
Martin:
neilp1982:
You know, just because they are abolishing the paper counterpart doesn’t mean you have to destroy it, you can actually keep it for when you go abroad if needed…That’s ok if your licence does not expire before you go abroad, I have to renew mine next February and will not be issued with a counterpart, the current one will have expired so no use to me at all.
Have just checked me paper bit. The only date on it is the expiry date of provisional, i.e. 70th birthday. So renew the plastic bit and keep the paper bit
I’m all for it. If they could make 1 card for everything I’d jump at the chance of having one.
Imagine your passport, work id card, driving licence, DCPC, tacho, fuel card, bank card, supermarket loyalty card all on one card.
I’m not worried about losing it as I’ve never lost any cards yet and if you did lose it, only 1 call to cancel it and arrange replacement.
when they get rid of the paper part and a car hire company wants to check how many points you got on your license
just show em your CPC card ,that proves what a good safe driver you are