CAVEAT - this is only for those who are due a D4 medical renewal and have not had any licence issued by DVLA after October 2012
For those who are due a D4 medical renewal there is a weird EU thing where the issue of the new style driving licence automatically extends the LGV & PCV expiry for 5 years FROM THE DATE THE NEW LICENCE IS ISSUED and not 5 years from the current expiry date
This can be done by simply changing the current photo on the licence even if it has not yet reached its expiry date
From November 2017 this will not be possible as everyone should by then have a new style driving licence
I did mine by using the easy Post Office driving licence photo renewal service where they take the photo for only an extra nominal amount =
You’ll need £21.50 in total. The DVLA Driving Licence Expiry fee is £17 and our renewal service fee is £4.50
To find out if you have a PO handy to you for this service try this - postoffice.co.uk/branch-finder - put in your location and tick the DVLA Photocard Renewal box
The POs that offer this service will have the D798 photo renewal form
The photo can also be changed using the online DVLA service where they take the new photo from a current valid passport gov.uk/renew-photo-driving-licence
Medical worries in not doing a D4
Many have voiced genuine concerns over this but its easy to remedy
Take the free NHS health check
Ask GP if they think there are any driving health issues
Get free eye check - plenty of offers these days from various opticians THIS POST further later in this thread is worth a read before posting in regards to being medically fit
Many on this site including me have already benefitted from doing this
I know I have posted this before but it was some time ago
I did mine by using the easy Post Office driving licence photo renewal service where they take the photo for only an extra nominal amount =
You’ll need £21.50 in total. The DVLA Driving Licence Expiry fee is £17 and our renewal service fee is £4.50
To find out if you have a PO handy to you for this service try this - postoffice.co.uk/branch-finder - put in your location and tick the DVLA Photocard Renewal box
The POs that offer this service will have the D798 photo renewal form
Just like to add that my main Post Office would NOT let me do this without the actual photo renewal form from the DVLA (which of course I didn’t have as it wasn’t due) so be sure as to check first and in good time before your medical is due whether or not your P.O. is run by complete numpties who have no idea what is or isn’t permitted as indeed mine was
Because of this I’d left it to late to then go the snail mail route (I also have no Passport so couldn’t use the online service) and thus had to pay out for the actual D4 medical (which tbf wasn’t a bad experience and at least now I know my BP is spot on and I’m not diabetic )
Oh and ROG £21:50 + £4:50 = £26 and seeing as you can get your D4 medical in many instances for around £50 it isn’t “free” as you stipulate but in fact half price
Edit: re-read the price bit - £17 + £4:50 = £21:50 so it’s just under two thirds off then
Wonder what the families of the 6 people killed by the Glasgow bin lorry would think if they heard you could dodge a medical so easily Go and see your GP,pay the money and get a medical,find any health issues,get help for them and hopefully live happily ever after
GOG47:
Wonder what the families of the 6 people killed by the Glasgow bin lorry would think if they heard you could dodge a medical so easily Go and see your GP,pay the money and get a medical,find any health issues,get help for them and hopefully live happily ever after
I seriously doubt that many will get their regular GP to do the HGV medical as some charge a fortune for that service like £90.00+
GOG47:
Wonder what the families of the 6 people killed by the Glasgow bin lorry would think if they heard you could dodge a medical so easily Go and see your GP,pay the money and get a medical,find any health issues,get help for them and hopefully live happily ever after
The Glasgow bin lorry driver lied about his medical history - Anyone can lie about their history during a DVLA “medical” (actually a box-ticking exercise that you have to pay for…).
Go get yourself a proper medical examination (not the Mickey-Mouse DVLA version). A NHS “Well Man” check-up is free from most GP surgeries and covers the same bases.
GOG47:
Wonder what the families of the 6 people killed by the Glasgow bin lorry would think if they heard you could dodge a medical so easily Go and see your GP,pay the money and get a medical,find any health issues,get help for them and hopefully live happily ever after
The Glasgow bin lorry driver lied about his medical history - Anyone can lie about their history during a DVLA “medical” (actually a box-ticking exercise that you have to pay for…).
Go get yourself a proper medical examination (not the Mickey-Mouse DVLA version). A NHS “Well Man” check-up is free from most GP surgeries and covers the same bases.
Could not agree with you more.after all its for your own benefit and piece of mind,not just the DVLA
So Rog, you of all people reckon it’s ok to fiddle a medical. And don’t come back with an argument against that because there isn’t one. It doesn’t matter how many pieces of paper you’ve got to say your a driving instructor god, it’s a sense of responsibility that you need.
peterm:
So Rog, you of all people reckon it’s ok to fiddle a medical. And don’t come back with an argument against that because there isn’t one. It doesn’t matter how many pieces of paper you’ve got to say your a driving instructor god, it’s a sense of responsibility that you need.
ERR … I di not make up the rules - the EU/DVLA did
Did you also read that a free alternative which is more in depth was also mentioned ?
I’m 43 years old, my digicard expires in December. Does this mean when I get it back I’ll have until I’m 48 before needed a medical or is it just if you update your photo ■■
ROG: CAVEAT - this is only for those who are due a D4 medical renewal and have not had any licence issued by DVLA after October 2012
For those who are due a D4 medical renewal there is a weird EU thing where the issue of the new style driving licence automatically extends the LGV & PCV expiry for 5 years FROM THE DATE THE NEW LICENCE IS ISSUED and not 5 years from the current expiry date
This can be done by simply changing the current photo on the licence even if it has not yet reached its expiry date
From November 2017 this will not be possible as everyone should by then have a new style driving licence
I did mine by using the easy Post Office driving licence photo renewal service where they take the photo for only an extra nominal amount =
You’ll need £21.50 in total. The DVLA Driving Licence Expiry fee is £17 and our renewal service fee is £4.50
To find out if you have a PO handy to you for this service try this - postoffice.co.uk/branch-finder - put in your location and tick the DVLA Photocard Renewal box
The POs that offer this service will have the D798 photo renewal form
The photo can also be changed using the online DVLA service where they take the new photo from a current valid passport gov.uk/renew-photo-driving-licence
Medical worries in not doing a D4
Many have voiced genuine concerns over this but its easy to remedy
Take the free NHS health check
Ask GP if they think there are any driving health issues
Get free eye check - plenty of offers these days from various opticians THIS POST further later in this thread is worth a read before posting in regards to being medically fit
Many on this site including me have already benefitted from doing this
I know I have posted this before but it was some time ago
You can’t apply online if your name or title has changed or if you have a 5-year bus or lorry licence.
The link you posted to renew online, we who have a lorry or bus licence can’t apply online using our passport photo’s according to the text written on that web page, which quoted in my previous post,
You have said in your post
The photo can also be changed using the online DVLA service where they take the new photo from a current valid passport gov.uk/renew-photo-driving-licence
The online web site says we can’t do this online
You can’t apply online if your name or title has changed or you have a 5-year bus or lorry licence.
Unless you where to apply for another licence saying that you had lost your old one Replace a lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed driving licence - GOV.UK No exception for lorry and bus drivers there, although the DVLA are making another £6.00 as replacing a lost licence online costs £20.00 but renewing your photo online costs £14.00 ,
So IMO DVLA are discriminating against professional drivers by doing this, they have prevented us from paying a lower price , again we are cash cow, booking government
So the next more time consuming option is via the post office, Some of their photo booths do produce poor photo’s So £17.00 plus cost of photo’s and postage
peterm:
So Rog, you of all people reckon it’s ok to fiddle a medical. And don’t come back with an argument against that because there isn’t one. It doesn’t matter how many pieces of paper you’ve got to say your a driving instructor god, it’s a sense of responsibility that you need.
ERR … I di not make up the rules - the EU/DVLA did
Did you also read that a free alternative which is more in depth was also mentioned ?
You’re sounding like a politician. You’re advocating that people skate around the medical by changing a photograph. Don’t go telling me that ‘them’s the rules’; it’s just like politicians raking loads of taxpayers money in because ‘them’s the rules’. What you’re saying is that if you change that picture, you can miss a medical altogether, which means there’s no need to lie like the Glasgow bin driver. Not the sort of thing I’d expect to hear from a driving instructor.
peterm:
So Rog, you of all people reckon it’s ok to fiddle a medical. And don’t come back with an argument against that because there isn’t one. It doesn’t matter how many pieces of paper you’ve got to say your a driving instructor god, it’s a sense of responsibility that you need.
ERR … I di not make up the rules - the EU/DVLA did
Did you also read that a free alternative which is more in depth was also mentioned ?
You’re sounding like a politician. You’re advocating that people skate around the medical by changing a photograph. Don’t go telling me that ‘them’s the rules’; it’s just like politicians raking loads of taxpayers money in because ‘them’s the rules’. What you’re saying is that if you change that picture, you can miss a medical altogether, which means there’s no need to lie like the Glasgow bin driver. Not the sort of thing I’d expect to hear from a driving instructor.
Please go back to the first post and read again about the better medical alternative which is FREE then comments about missing a medical will be put into context
Yes, believe it or not I did read the first post and stand by what I said. It’s a loophole that you shouldn’t be making well known because there are people out there that put keeping their licence more important than anything or anyone else, so if they can get more years on their licence without having a medical which could discover something that could be dangerous, they will. Refer once again to Glasgow ! It’s very well trying to cover your arse by saying refer to the first post where you mentioned a free medical, but instead of that, why did you not simply point out that you can get a free medical without including the bit about the photo’ ?
peterm:
Yes, believe it or not I did read the first post and stand by what I said. It’s a loophole that you shouldn’t be making well known because there are people out there that put keeping their licence more important than anything or anyone else, so if they can get more years on their licence without having a medical which could discover something that could be dangerous, they will. Refer once again to Glasgow ! It’s very well trying to cover your arse by saying refer to the first post where you mentioned a free medical, but instead of that, why did you not simply point out that you can get a free medical without including the bit about the photo’ ?
OH please !! - the Glasgow driver KNOWINGLY LIED and no amount of medical would have stopped that so PLEASE STOP STOP STOP going on about that incident as it has nothing to do with this
Well I applied for mine online on Sunday night as I have a passport. Cost £14 and it arrived in the post this morning. Am booked into my GP for a “Well Man” checkup next week and going to have an eye test as I’ve not had one since my HGV provisional medical over 20 years ago and my next HGV medical isn’t due for another 12 months.
As for the Glasgow bin man, he had a valid HGV medical. He was 58 so would have had one at most 3 years ago. Shows how good they are really doesn’t it? If anyone doesn’t do this photo license thing and wants to fiddle a medical when its normally due they can anyway by just making sure they don’t have one in the same GP practice that they’re registered at.
GOG47:
Wonder what the families of the 6 people killed by the Glasgow bin lorry would think if they heard you could dodge a medical so easily Go and see your GP,pay the money and get a medical,find any health issues,get help for them and hopefully live happily ever after
The Glasgow bin lorry driver lied about his medical history - Anyone can lie about their history during a DVLA “medical” (actually a box-ticking exercise that you have to pay for…).
Go get yourself a proper medical examination (not the Mickey-Mouse DVLA version). A NHS “Well Man” check-up is free from most GP surgeries and covers the same bases.
I think this is the best point to make at this stage.
Mine is due next month, my photo renewal is not. I’m not prepared to gamble £25 notes on “maybe I’ll get 5 years without a medical here” when I can just shop around for a £50 actual medical (urged to be with my own GP by the surgery’s former practice manager - my mum…
I’m gonna defer to Mum’s superior inside information, which is pretty much what Raymondo says in red above…
)
Go and see your GP,pay the money and get a medical,find any health issues,get help for them and hopefully live happily ever after 
