ANY alternative to mailing documents to Swansea?

Everybody,

I'm running into a problem making application for my Provisional Driving LicenCe here in the UK.  

Short of taking vacation days and driving to Swansea, has anyone here found a way to avoid having to lose access to their passport when making their driving licence application?  The post office here in Oxford just told me that EVEN if I use a return Special Delivery envelope, I should count on my passport being out of my hands for 3 to 4 weeks.  I travel for my job and just cannot do that.  There's no time in our training schedule that I wouldn't be travelling outside the UK during a 4-week period.

I had gone to the post office thinking that I could pay them for "Special Services" (I think that's what it's called?), which means they would verify my identify on the spot and keep me from losing my documents.  I had taken everything with me today, but apparently that only works if you have a British passport.

The lady at the post office suggested I try the Oxford office of the UK's equivalent of the Department of Motor Vehicles (what we called it in Texas), and I'll do that later in the week.  But in the meantime, I wondered if any of you might have dealt with this same issue?

Thanks...

Janet

Janet, what I did was go to my nearest DVLA office and they checked my documents there and then sent the application to Swansea for me.  Check the DVLA website to see where your closest office is.  

elle got it in one lol!  They'll check your paperwork and send it off, but you'll get to keep your important documents (which is nice).  
wench

There's a thread about this very thing over on the AmExpats board.  

http://www.americanexpats.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Driving;action=display;num=1058873944

In short, the Premium service, where you could take your identity documents to your nearest DVLA and they would verify your identity w/o having to send you docs to Swansea, has been terminated.  Too many problems with people bringing in false documents, or something like that.  Bummer, I know - I'm glad we got our Provisionals in June when they still had the Premium service!

Stephanie

Thanks to all of you for your help....although, of course, that last item is NOT the news I wanted to hear.  I does match what's currently on the web site, though, because the Premium Service is not mentioned at all.

Sounds like I'm off to Swansea!

Thanks again for the help!

Janet