The driving licence mistake that could cost students £1,000

Thousands of students make their way back to university this month with hoards of youngsters attending Freshers Weeks.
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But, one thing students don’t want to be spending their precious student loan on is a pesky driving licence fine.

If you’re a student heading to university for the first time or you’ve changed your university house then you need to let the DVLA know.

This means that you must change your address on your driving licence, even if you’re not actually taking a car to university.

Driving Licence - Credit: John Stillwell/PA WireDriving Licence - Credit: John Stillwell/PA Wire
Driving Licence - Credit: John Stillwell/PA Wire

The DVLA states that you must keep the details on your licence and logbook up to date even if you’re just living at a house temporarily.

You can also still drive while you wait for your new documents to be sent to you.

It does not cost any money to change your address with the DVLA but you can be fined up to £1,000 if you don’t tell them when your address changes.

You need: - your Government Gateway ID - if you don’t have one, you’ll get an ID as part of your application - your driving licence - your driving licence number, National Insurance number and passport number if you know them - to be a resident of Great Britain - to give the addresses you’ve lived at in the last 3 years - to not be banned from driving.

A DVLA spokesperson said: “Drivers are required by law to let the DVLA know if they change their name or address,” said a DVLA spokesperson.

“The DVLA then issue a new licence for free.

“Keeping DVLA informed ensures that drivers can be notified promptly with important information affecting them such as reminders when their licence is due for renewal.

“If a driver fails to notify the DVLA of changes they could face a fine of up to £1000.”