BMW R1200RT/R1250RT Forum

My friends planning to get back into bikes after a 30 year break. Been and put a deposit on new Royal Enfield Continental (he likes that sort of thing) and just happened to check his photo license when arranging insurance. He finds that there's no motorcycle entitlement on the back, can only think that it came off when he changed addresses a few years ago.


Phoned DVLA who didn't think seem to think it's their problem, he passed his test in 1978 and records don't go back that far. Might be somewhere on a microfiche or might not. Best advice they could offer was that he'll have to retake his test. By way of reassurance they mentioned that he wasn't the first person this had happened to.


Probably best to photocopy your license before you send it off for any changes because the onus of proof lies with you if they mess up.

Thanks for the heads up.  Just checked mine.... phew!  DVLA lost one our sons' licence a few years back.  Right old kerfuffle, but eventually they 'found' it. 

DVLA messed up few years ago and lost motorcycle entitlements for lots of people, it was on watchdog i think. Even serving police traffic officers had to retake test. If remember correctly they were particularly fussey about what prove you had photo no good. Keep test certificate or old driving licence.

You have to take a test to ride a motorcycle?

Dont worry Sim I think your age exempt.

Hi

I came back to motorcycling after around 35 years 2 years ago. I believe I did my bike test around 1979/80.
When I resumed biking the insurance company asked for a copy of my licence which was in order so luckily I have not encountered the same problem.
It seems unfair that you may now have to undergo the test procedures all over again.

There was a thread on UKGSER with a chap who had sent his licence back for renewal and the same thing happened, the difference was, he did have a copy of his original licence, but they apparently would still not reinstate his entitlement, so he had to take his test again. Apparently they wanted a copy of his pass certificate. I'd be stuffed if that happened to me, but it seems if its already on your photo license, then it will be there. You can log onto the DVLA and it will show you your licence entitlements, so if its showing there, you will never have an issue.

Casbar wrote: Apparently they wanted a copy of his pass certificate. I'd be stuffed if that happened to me.

How many of us kept a copy of our pass certificate? I'll take a guess, not many.

MikeS wrote:
How many of us kept a copy of our pass certificate? I'll take a guess, not many.

Exactly that's why he had to take his test again. I've checked my entitlement on the DVLA computer and its there, so there should never be an issue. I took a screen shot to keep, just in case.

Having read this I have just checked my licence and see it runs at end of Nov this year. Good thread made me check. Did what Casbar has done and just recorded screen shots of the details on the DVLA site. Don't fancy doing another test. As for having a pass certificate from 1975 you must be joking, that was lost many years ago.

Levisp wrote: Having read this I have just checked my licence and see it runs at end of Nov this year. Good thread made me check. Did what Casbar has done and just recorded screen shots of the details on the DVLA site. Don't fancy doing another test. As for having a pass certificate from 1975 you must be joking, that was lost many years ago.

Think if it's on the DVLA site, most seem to have issues when the entitlements were transferred to the IT system then are using. If its showing on the site, that is where the data comes from to issue a new license.

Casbar wrote: Think if it's on the DVLA site, most seem to have issues when the entitlements were transferred to the IT system then are using. If its showing on the site, that is where the data comes from to issue a new license.

Not sure if you can still get a printout of your entitlement by sending the DVLA £5.00p (its was a few years ago). A4 printouts about 8 pages inc photo's. test date etc..

Happened to me in 2006, lost licence durring house move. had to retake test.

dtw wrote: Happened to me in 2006, lost licence durring house move. had to retake test.

My friend's now having to do the same, no joy with the DVLA. Just done his CBT (or whatever it's called now) and waiting for a date to come through for an intensive bike course so that he can get his full license back.