DVLA Scam

LeeUK · 19 Apr 2021 at 18:15

My photocard licence is due for renewal and I've received a letter in the post to go online and renew it by allowing them access to my passport.

I do this but the renewal fails, turns out DVLA can no longer access signatures from passports. Why do the DVLA not say this and why do they carry on sending letters out telling people to renew online with their passport when you can't?

Is this a scam to get you to pay the higher manual renewal/post office charge?

Bear · 19 Apr 2021 at 18:41

Did you go through the official Government Gateway? As I renewed my licence many years ago by them using my passport for the photo

LeeUK · 19 Apr 2021 at 18:45

Bear · 19 Apr 2021 at 19:05

LeeUK said:
Yes

It maybe a problem with the system. Last week I tried to log in to look at how many years I might have left to get my state pension. As I haven’t logged in for ages, my old login details wouldn’t work and it said I had to re-register. I put in my passport and drivers licence details in as proof of ID and it said it was wrong, which obviously it wasn’t, I tried 3 times so I presumed the system wasn’t working properly.

dlockers · 19 Apr 2021 at 19:22

Ah yes, I can just imagine the board meeting now. "Chaps, any good ideas to get more money despite the fact we are all salaried employees at the bottom of the rung?", "Yes I do fella, let's write off the millions invested in linking up the DVLA with the passport department (ya know, the thing we did because everyone moans why all the systems aren't integrated and exclaim that they already told us this elsewhere!) and start watching the cash roll in from manual forms sent through the post!"

Brilliant. The greatest minds worked that one up.

LeeUK · 19 Apr 2021 at 19:27

dLockers said:
Ah yes, I can just imagine the board meeting now. "Chaps, any good ideas to get more money despite the fact we are all salaried employees at the bottom of the rung?", "Yes I do fella, let's write off the millions invested in linking up the DVLA with the passport department (ya know, the thing we did because everyone moans why all the systems aren't integrated and exclaim that they already told us this elsewhere!) and start watching the cash roll in from manual forms sent through the post!"

Brilliant. The greatest minds worked that one up.

It's true though. If you have a passport issued since around 2019 the DVLA can't access the photo and signature from it.

dlockers · 19 Apr 2021 at 19:36

LeeUK said:
It's true though. If you have a passport issued since around 2019 the DVLA can't access the photo and signature from it.

Where did you get that information from? Presumably it sheds a bit more light on why as opposed to it being a scam.

LeeUK · 19 Apr 2021 at 19:40

dLockers said:
Where did you get that information from? Presumably it sheds a bit more light on why as opposed to it being a scam.

I say it's a scam as they are not telling the public about this fact and have done nothing in the 2 years to re-code their systems to be able to access the info.

Rilot · 19 Apr 2021 at 19:42

Odd, I renewed my license about 2 weeks ago and did it all online, giving them my passport details as you describe.
It was fast and easy.

koolpc · 19 Apr 2021 at 19:45

Rilot said:
Odd, I renewed my license about 2 weeks ago and did it all online, giving them my passport details as you describe.
It was fast and easy.

Me too, about 5 weeks ago.

LeeUK · 19 Apr 2021 at 20:21

Rilot said:
Odd, I renewed my license about 2 weeks ago and did it all online, giving them my passport details as you describe.
It was fast and easy.

koolpc said:
Me too, about 5 weeks ago.

OK, but when was your passport last issued? It's a problem with passports from the last couple of years. Is your photo and signature on the same page?

Simon0001 · 19 Apr 2021 at 20:26

There's a lot of phish sites when it comes to this. Just say you passed before the photocard was required and stick to your guns. It's just a taxi on youngsters. 10 every 10 yrs for a piece of plastic with your picture on. I hadn't even opened my license and it expired whilst sat in an envelope. That's how irrelevant they are. Just another tax

resurgam · 19 Apr 2021 at 21:00

I renewed my licence a year ago with a passport that's still under 2 years old now - photo and signature on different pages. Which site are you going to? I'd be surprised if this was deliberate seeing as they are trying to do more stuff online.

LeeUK · 20 Apr 2021 at 07:02

The official gov.uk site.

Dup · 20 Apr 2021 at 09:57

I have this letter but don't have a passport so unfortunately have to go to the Post Office to do it. Not ideal during a pandemic but hey ho, I guess I would have had to anyway.

You can post it via the D1 form if you cant get to a post office but it's still a £17 charge and you need to send a new photo with it.

Don't know why they can't just have an app or site that can use your phone camera. Would suit the vast majority and they would only need to digitally approve it. Much less paperwork and fannying about.

happy_2008 · 20 Apr 2021 at 14:25

I done this not too long ago without any problems. I also did this for my in-laws and one failed due to the passport name and drivers licence being slightly different.

LeeUK · 20 Apr 2021 at 17:01

Diffidently not working, just tried again....

VaderDSL · 20 Apr 2021 at 17:09

Same as others in here, renewed my license online in January using the passport that was renewed the previous year. Photo and signature on different pages. You sure you have a valid passport? Not expired etc has it?

LeeUK · 20 Apr 2021 at 17:19

Passport was only issued in 2019.

LeeUK · 20 Apr 2021 at 17:42

Just phoned them up but all they did was fob me off with an email with a link back to the exact same page.