Renewing driving license online

you might want to revise that plan....after trying it out. The good news is you can continue to drive on the old one (assuming you aren't barred) providing you have submitted the application. 

I still have no idea why I am persona non grata with DVLA though. Now I've got to go to an appropriate post office - the one that was in the centre of a town of 80,000 people is no longer significant enough to have a service for identity checks. Thankfully, in 8 days time I have an appointment next door to a suitable post office. 

Oh, unless you have better luck than me, you'll also find that the promise of a downloadable form is a false one. You use the links, there is not obvious download button, you fill in your details and then it tells you they will now post one to you. 

I have got to the bottom of why (apparently) this is so. Which reading archie 's post should come as no surprise. 

I tried 3 times. I then wondered whether it was because of issues with my NI number. Backstory: I recently was informed of a security breach on my HMRC self assessment account. And the account was going to be deleted, and a new UTR issued. I wondered whether this might be the reason.

So off on the telephone to HMRC, who assured me that my NI number was the same and that I could now create a new online account. So I did. Which required me .... wait for it.....to go through a new identity verification system. Pretty swish actually. Still needed drivers license, passport and NI. But included downloading an app from gov.uk, which cross checks with your browser login, gets you to take a snap of the photo page, and use NFC to read the biometric chip, pulls up your passport ID photo from server, then scans your face and verifies that you are that person: a bit older and a bit uglier, but still that person. So I passed the HMRC identify verification (which of course included using my passport, drivers license number).

Now of course I'm thinking I may have smashed this: HM gov is now happy that my DL, Passport, address, and me the actual person are all one and the same. So back to DVLA, go through the process again, and lo and behold "We are unable to verify your identity". 

So two different parts of government using different mechanisms for doing identity verification. One of which is so useless as to hardly be worth it. Where is Jacob Rin-Tin-Ole Biscuit-Barrel Rees-Mogg, Minister for Government Efficiency, when you need him ? 

Single National Identity Card anyone ? 

BTW,  DVLA have now told me its because my middle name is not on my passport, but is on my driving license. This is despite the online form having an explicit question of "is your middle name on your identify document". And yes my 3 different attempts included trying with or without middle name as I had just a teeny weeny sneaky suspicion that... But I mean it's hardly a particularly difficult issue for a bit of software to resolve is it.




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This must be a recent problem as I renewed mine last March 2023 on-line with no problems whatsoever