Vocal Voices

I've just spent most of the afternoon applying to renew my driving licence. Not that I'm ever
likely to do any driving now, but my passport has long expired, and one sometimes requires a
means of identification for other purposes. But what a blasted performance it has been. First
of all I tried to do it on line, but when I got to the penultimate page I lost it all because I had
taken too long. So, after a period of using some naughty words I hadn't used for many years, I
decided to do it by Snail Mail. That wasn't quite so bad, once I had worked my way through a
minefield of questions. Why do they have to make these things so damned complicated? I now
feel that that if there is any more hassle I shall tell them where to stick the blasted licence.

Sorry you had so much trouble. I had none, done on line in a couple of minutes and the new card came in about three days. And I have never taken a driving test.

Just done mine on line. Took very little time and am now waiting for new card.

Aggers wrote: but when I got to the penultimate page I lost it all because I had taken too long.

That is one of my absolute pet hates Aggers; too many sites have too short a time to complete the forms. What happens if you're dyslexic and need more time, slow internet, generally just not able to do things as fast as the computer wants? gggrrrrrrrrrrrrrr on your behalf and I too would have used some choice words

Fingers crossed it's all OK now and you get your new licence very soon

Thanks, Meriad.

I'm glad it's just not me.

Aggers, if you think the driving license forms are a nightmare today, try a passport renewal....

However you do have a bonus with a valid passport because they cross link the photo. Once that is set up, the whole process is pretty quick and easy. It's on the first time that causes all the hassle.

I know why the do the time-out and it revolves around security and it is a very valid concern. However irritating it may be.

Also the whole mess with the EU makes harmonisation of driving license data a small nightmare. Something the UK never needed to have but is an absolute requirement with 28 different systems in play.

For consolation, now you have a picture driving license, you could renew in about 10 minutes easily. I know it's no consolation...

These things are a pain Aggers, I hope it will all go through smoothly for you

I have to agree about the passport Suff, five years ago I applied for my first ever full passport, having travelled in the past all over Europe on the now defunct British Visitors passport, and I got called in for an interview. It was rather nerve wracking, stern questions about my past life fired at me from someone behind a large computer screen..............

I get a new driving licence every three years. We get a reminder through the post and just check the details, sign it and send it back.
The new one soon comes in the post.
Renewed our passports in 2007 just before a price increase. The renewal date was put forward by six months as we still had that time on the old ones before they should have been renewed.
May not have to do it again.
I have been completing forms online when they have dis-appeared. Very frustrating.

Where do you keep these documents?
We have a small fire resistant safe which contains our wills, passports, driving licences and foreign money.

Here the drivers license renewal requires an eye test, so no chance of doing it online, still, there's plenty of places to go to to get it done.

My FIL tried to renew his passport online last week, I spent 2 hours, before I had to go, and he then spent another day before he gave up. We got stuck with the photo and getting it the six and shape it wanted, and even when it was, it still wasn't accepted. So now he's going to go to the pharmacy and get the forms and his photo taken. We secretly hope he never gets round to it, he really shouldn't travel on his own.

Kaz I doubt that I'll have to do the whole interview thing but they'd better not. I can be somewhat obdurate when my Britishness is being called into question. I'm likely to answer questions with things like "So where did you sever this country and for how long" and "Where were your grandparents during WWII? Mine were being shot at in Africa and on the high seas".....

Can you imagine how difficult it is to get a passport for me now? I have to have a form signed by a british citizen, from an approved list, who has known me well for several years and is not family....

I always have the photograph signed and witnessed because you never know if the jobsworth on the other side of the desk decides that you passport is "damaged" or not. As I travel a lot and I have to carry it with me every day over here, mine gets a tad battered. That happened to a friend of mine and when he became loud in his protestation that they were just victimising him, he was summarily thrown out by security.

Then there is the whole "issued from the UK" business now. I travel between weekly and fortnightly. Yet the minimum time for the passport is 14 days with a high courier cost (in the £80 range), for the delivery. Also I won't have it delivered to the apartment where I work, I'll need it delivered to home.

I always book the one day appointment in London and I pay the travel, the lost days work and the penalty at the passport office to do so.

Driving license is a snap after that.....