How to renew my UK licence?

I had a crash with another two months ago, driving licence lost, DVLA find me £80 for driving without it. It was a plastic licence that was three years old. Can I apply for another? I think they know I had the crash. No-one hurt in the accident.

DAVID BRIDGEHOUSE (FAILSWORTH, MANCHESTER)

Mar 2020 Filed under: driving licence

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Expert answer

Hi David,

OK, slightly tricky territory here, and it depends on where you live — in Northern Ireland or in the rest of the UK, as there are two different procedures for replacing a lost licence, you can find more details here: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/replacing-your-driving-licence and here: https://www.gov.uk/apply-online-to-replace-a-driving-licence. The bigger problem might be your insurance when it comes to sorting out this accident. Unless you can show that you had applied for a replacement licence before the accident took place, the fact that you were driving without a current licence that could be shown to a police officer within seven days might affect how your insurer views the claim.

Neil Briscoe - Complete Car Advisor
@neilmbriscoe