Dvla code!

[Pavilion1983]

Just did a bit of a Google, is this code confusion coming from the fact DVLA have stopped supplying the counterpart of the licence and to show points etc you have to either download a copy or supply a dvla code to share your licence with a third party?
A little section from the AA website :
Photocard paper counterpart
The paper counterpart to the photocard licence is being abolished from 8 June 2015 and information about penalty points will only be held on DVLA's driver record.

Anticipating that some car hire companies overseas may not immediately be aware of this change, the AA recommends that you retain your paper counterpart if you intend hiring a car abroad rather than following DVLA advice and destroying it on 8 June.

Additionally you should:

Print your own driving licence record from DVLA's website - you'll need to know your driving licence number, national insurance number and your home address post code.
Obtain a CODE from the DVLA's 'share driving licence' service that you can pass to a third party (employer, hire car company). The code will be valid for 21 days and will give them one-off access to your online driving licence record to verify the printed copy.
Check with the hire company before travel if you can as requirements may vary.
Other ways to apply »

Just wondered if this is where the confusion lies?

[PPM]

Originally Posted by Pavilion1983

Just did a bit of a Google, is this code confusion coming from the fact DVLA have stopped supplying the counterpart of the licence and to show points etc you have to either download a copy or supply a dvla code to share your licence with a third party?
A little section from the AA website :
Photocard paper counterpart
The paper counterpart to the photocard licence is being abolished from 8 June 2015 and information about penalty points will only be held on DVLA's driver record.

Anticipating that some car hire companies overseas may not immediately be aware of this change, the AA recommends that you retain your paper counterpart if you intend hiring a car abroad rather than following DVLA advice and destroying it on 8 June.

Additionally you should:

Print your own driving licence record from DVLA's website - you'll need to know your driving licence number, national insurance number and your home address post code.
Obtain a CODE from the DVLA's 'share driving licence' service that you can pass to a third party (employer, hire car company). The code will be valid for 21 days and will give them one-off access to your online driving licence record to verify the printed copy.
Check with the hire company before travel if you can as requirements may vary.
Other ways to apply »

Just wondered if this is where the confusion lies?

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That's just one of the places that causes confusion, pity that it's all wrong now for hiring in the USA. Even some rental companies in the UK don't ask for it (Avis for one).
As for retaining the paper part of the DL, it's just a worthless bit of paper that means nothing now. You could have been banned on the 9th June last year, but the paper part would not show this.

[Guest]

Originally Posted by duncanb

Of course you don't need a code in Europe or anywhere else in world it's for UK only and for UK license holders a small Google search or any other search engine for that matter tells you this and explains why could and have done on here but heyho nowt as daft as folks.

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Again we were told by several travel companies we would need one especially as .we were loaded for being over 70yrs. This last bit is peculiar
only to Cyprus, Malta and Southern Ireland though. Told DH the Dibb says no!

[theDude5b]

I heard about this on the radio back when the UK abolished the counterpart. They said that in the US you would require the code from the DVLA website that was a temporary code and only lasted something like 49 hours.

Is this just nonsense then? Has anyone experienced any difficulties picking up a hire car in Disney? We are going to be doing it next week.

[Greyfriars]

Originally Posted by theDude5b

I heard about this on the radio back when the UK abolished the counterpart. They said that in the US you would require the code from the DVLA website that was a temporary code and only lasted something like 49 hours.

Is this just nonsense then? Has anyone experienced any difficulties picking up a hire car in Disney? We are going to be doing it next week.

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YES! this is complete and utter nonsense, hundreds of us have been to the USA since and can assure you the hire clerks do not even know what the code is! All the major hire companies have issued statements that the code is not needed.

[Cabbie]

Originally Posted by theDude5b

I heard about this on the radio back when the UK abolished the counterpart. They said that in the US you would require the code from the DVLA website that was a temporary code and only lasted something like 49 hours.

Is this just nonsense then? Has anyone experienced any difficulties picking up a hire car in Disney? We are going to be doing it next week.

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Definitely don't need one, thousands of people have been since this was introduced (myself included) and no reported problems. In fact if you offered them the code I bet they wouldn't know anything about it

-Steve

[Pavilion1983]

Thanks for the advice guys, I knew I would get a sensible answer here

Thanks again

[BucksBugsy]

Originally Posted by theDude5b

I heard about this on the radio back when the UK abolished the counterpart. They said that in the US you would require the code from the DVLA website that was a temporary code and only lasted something like 49 hours.

Is this just nonsense then? Has anyone experienced any difficulties picking up a hire car in Disney? We are going to be doing it next week.

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To be fair it wasn't nonsense a while back - when the counterpart was abolished this was the processed.

But it seems that it fell at the first hurdle. As someone else said on another of these posts the only place this has any relevance is the UK

If it puts your mind at rest get a code but I've yet to read anyone on here needing one.

[toonarmani]

Originally Posted by mick

You absolutely don't need a DVLA code to hire in the USA

Nor do you need the paper part of your D/L (now obsolete) nor do you need an International Driving Permit (if your D/L is in English)

Mick

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Only for those with a physical card driving licence. For those with a paper driving licence, this will be required.

[jennaba]

I was also told by Thomson that we needed the code! And I was panicking over it cause I've never heard of it before!