What to do if you are one of two million drivers warned by DVLA who passed test before 2015

The Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) have issued a warning to the two million drivers who passed their test before 2015.

And if you’re one of them, there’s something you need to do.

Unless you’re getting up to all sorts on the roads, it’s more likely you get more use out of your driving license on a night out or at the supermarket tills than when you’re in your car.

But if you were to get pulled up and asked to show your license, you could end up with a fine that has nothing to do with your actual driving.

That’s because of those tiny little numbers detailing the expiry date.

In case you’ve completely blanked this out, every driver’s license has a 10-year length on it, so if you got your shiny little card before 2015 then it’s about to run out. Or, worse – it’s already expired.

There's a 10-year expiry date. (Getty Stock)

And MoneySavingExpert.com reckons there’s a whopping two million whipping around the UK with an out-of-date licence right now. So, if you’re now having a sudden panic that yours has expired, here’s what you need to do.

The DVLA explains that you ‘must renew a photocard licence every 10 years’ and you should have had a reminder before the expiry date hit. This applies to both full driving license and provisional driving licenses.

If you go onto the government’s website and apply for a renewal online, it costs just £14. You’ll need either a ‘driver and vehicles account’, a UK passport or the document you used to set up your online immigration status - if applicable.

And if you don’t have any of that, you’ll have to go and do your application at a Post Office or by post.

The same goes if your name or title has changed since you got your license as you can’t do it online with that either.

It applies to both full and provisional driving licenses. (Getty Stock)

To do this online renewal, you need to be a resident of Great Britain and not be disqualified from driving.

You’ll also need to make sure you’ve got those documents mentioned earlier to hand as well as your current driving licence, National Insurance number and the addresses of where you’ve lived over the last three years.

When you get a new licence, you have to send off your old one to the DVLA and your new one should arrive within a week of an online application.

To apply at a Post Office, you’ll need your photocard licence if you have it and to pay a £21.50 fee. Ideally you also need your reminder letter and if you don’t, you must have your licence.

To do it by post, you need a ‘D1 pack’ of forms to complete and send off with a recent printed passport-style photo, your current licence and a cheque or postal order for £17.

If applying by post or at a Post Office, your new licence should arrive within three weeks.

Find more details at www.gov.uk/renew-driving-licence.