Getting photos certified for provisional licence??

I'm going mad here... if I hadn't read the threads here though, I wouldn't have had a clue, so thanks everyone.

However, I'm getting conflicting reports: If I've been here less than 2 years, do I have to go to the DVLA to get our photos certified? Anything I need to know, as I will have to get a sitter and my husband will have to take off from work in order to go to Wimbledon to do this... I want to make sure that once we're there with our photos and documents that we can mail the application off.

Another thing, like everyone else, I'm worried about giving up my passport. My mom is ill and I'm leaving 5 weeks to see her and may have to go a bit sooner. At any rate, I can't change our plane tickets. Also, my husband travels very frequently for work. There's no great time for either of us to be sans passport... Please reassure me that it won't be more than 3 weeks?

Also, how long does it usually take to get a licence? I hope to get the provisional licence back before I leave next month and then I can take the theory test, but if I start lessons and take the driving test in May, what's the best I can hope for? Our one year is up May 1st, sigh.

thanks....


oops-- I see I posted this to the wrong forum. Well, if anyone is reading this, I am going to the DVLA on Thursday (soonest I can go) and very nervous, because less than 5 weeks later, we are all flying to the U.S. Is it crazy of me to mail my passport off?

Hi agathon,

Unfortunately, there is no way to get around the passport issue. You've got to send it in. I got mine back in less than a week and it seems that others here all had there's back within a week. They usually mail it back to you before you get your provisional license in the mail.

If you go in to the DVLA to get your picture certified they will mail off your application and documents for you and give you a receipt with a number to call if you don't receive your documents back when you are expecting them. I had no trouble with this at all.

As for lessons, it's all going to depend on you (how many bad habits you need to get rid of, how quickly you pick up on things, etc.). You can look for an instructor who will speed the process up for you by giving you several lessons a week. I'm taking lessons right now and all I'm really doing is relearning how to do manuvers correctly (turn in the road, reverse parking, reverse around a corner) and the handbrake/clutch control thing which is easy to get down. Then it's just some driving around with my instructor on the different types of roads they have here. I'll be taking my exam next month.

There was recently quite a lengthy discussion about some of these things - this might help!

http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=21563.0

Thank you for the replies. I think I will go to the DVLA to get the photos verified, even if the rules are ambiguous. Also, on other posters' advice, I will get special delivery envelopes prepaid as well to speed up the process.

I've been lurking on the board for over a year, and I appreciate all the helpful posts.