Question re: Provisional Driver's License

Thanks Paul.  I appreciate you looking into these things.   

E-mail sent to DVLA 10 a.m. on June 6.   
Auto response received saying I will have a reply within 3 working days.
Now 4 p.m. on June 13 and still nothing.

In other words, DVLA is working as normal......     

DH and I went to the DVLA in Nottingham yesterday to apply for our Driving licences.  I have to say, we expected a nightmare (think DMV...) but it was actually a very pleasant experience.  They were so helpful and did go out of their way to help us.

In the end, we exchanged our Canadian Driving licences for an automatic licence.  So we now have legal licences in the UK.   Phew.  And then, they checked our passports in the office so we wouldn't have to send them through the post.  Double phew. 

dumb us, we bought a manual car so we still have to take the manual test but at least now, we don't have to take the theory and hazard perception test.  And no matter what, we can legally drive, at least an automatic car, in the UK.

Also, the clerks gave us the special Driving licence wallets that they supposedly don't give out anymore.  Excellent customer service at the DVLA in Nottingham.

And BTW..  they thought the whole thing about not  recognising American licences is bunk - and the checking of the passport thing.  if they can do it for a  Canadian, then why not for an American?

And yes Paul, other than these two people we dealt with yesterday, the DVLA is less than forthcoming with information.  Quite unhelpful, as a matter of fact.

I guess the Nottingham office must have a couple of people with common sense instead of the usual Swansea drones. 

I actually sent another e-mail to DVLA just after the first about license renewal.  I'd just received the renewal notice for my camper, and it now states that when producing proof of insurance that they will not accept a certificate which covers you for the vehicle in question under the "driving other vehicles clause."  They've slipped this in on the website too:

http://www.dvla.gov.uk/vehicles/howdoi_licence.htm

Note: The third party cover included on a comprehensive insurance policy that allows you to drive a vehicle not belonging to you cannot be used as evidence of valid insurance at vehicle licensing.

I've requested a reference to the applicable legislation which allows them to enforce any such restriction.  Oh boy, this should be interesting.........   

Maybe they need someone who is actually competant to write their damn website.  The language is soooo confusing and they refer to things that are nowhere to be found.  I hate that website.  It is sooo unhelpful. 

And BTW..  they thought the whole thing about not  recognising American licences is bunk - and the checking of the passport thing.  if they can do it for a  Canadian, then why not for an American?

They don't do it for all countries (exchange licenses) - just certain ones.  I don't know why not America though.  When I went to DVLA in Wimbledon they told me they could verify my photo but they had to send the passport off and were not able to check it themselves.  Maybe it's different for Canadians?

Yes, it is different for US.  The reason they don't recognise US licences is that each licence is issued by the state in which it was earned and they say they can't keep track of all the different regulations.  That is why.  With Canada, they have some kind of agreement.  Maybe it has something to do with it being a Commonwealth country,  I don't know. 

So, if the US unified all of its driving laws under one umbrella, then they may consider licence exchange.  Dumb, dumb, dumb!

I hate that website.  It is sooo unhelpful. 

Have you had the "pleasure" of trying to speak to a human being in Swansea?    You have to wade through multi-level menus and then sit on hold for 15 minutes until somebody is available.   And as if that's not bad enough, they now expect everyone to call on an 0870 number which is going to cost most people considerably more than a normal long-distance call to 01792.    I gave up contacting DVLA by telephone a long time ago -- It's not worth the trouble, and you can never be sure that anything you're told verbally is correct anyway.  You can speak to a different clerk a week later and be told something quite contradictory.   Get it in writing!

Yes, it is different for US.  The reason they don't recognise US licences is that each licence is issued by the state in which it was earned and they say they can't keep track of all the different regulations. 

For an organization which thrives on thousands of petty regulations, you wouldn't think it would be that much of a problem.  They have to keep track of the now 25 different EU countries' different rules. 

Last time I read anything about it, I think France had exchange agreements with two or three states.  (Don't quote me on this, but I think one was South Carolina; I can't remember the others.)  So if you had a license from one of those states, you could get a French license, then DVLA would be forced to exchange a French license for a U.K. one under EU rules.   

Re Canadian licenses, surely DVLA has already had to deal with 12 different provincial/territorial systems for exchanges in the past?  (Now 13 with Nunavut.)   

An old friend of the family actually had problems some years ago.  She moved out to Ontario in the late 1940s and has lived there ever since, but has never taken Canadian citizenship and has never held a U.K. driver's license.   Apparently she was told that she was not allowed to drive on her Canadian license while visiting the U.K. -- Something about the 12-month allowance for foreign licenses not applying to British citizens. 

The whole system is so full of inconsistencies, contradictions, and rules which are unfair and make no sense that it's ridiculous.

I haven't forgotten about the provisional license issue folks -- I'm just still waiting to receive a reply from DVLA despite a reminder and another auto e-mail saying that I will hear within 3 working days.  Yeah, right.......   

I take back every single nice thing I've ever said about the DVLA!!!     We went to the DVLA in Nottingham (an hour trip each way) on June 12 to have our pictures certified and submit our passports.  They encouraged us to submit our Canadian driver's licences so that we could just exchange our licence for a UK one.  Great, we didn't have to send our passports away (good thing too!)  But, the incompetant a**holes have now LOST OUR DRIVING LICENCES!!!!!

So, we have to do it all over again (they're busy the poor dears, with everyone getting their licences before they go on holiday) Now we put back our test dates at least a month, not to mention that I am leaving for Canada in 2 weeks and I will be going without a driver's licence.  Somehow, I don't think they'll accept a receipt from the DVLA. 

I can't book a test date until we have a DL number and they won't give us a number until they have our Driving licences from Canada.


GRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrr!!![smiley=bomb.gif]

Can you get another driver's license in Canada?

Sorry about that MrsPink. It doesn't make me feel any better about them still having my passport after 22 days. I was told today that they are experiencing delays in verifying documents but they can't say how long the delays are.

Why can't the clerks just take copies of the documentation instead of the original? If the DWP can take a copy of the passport and still issue a NI number, why can't the DVLA?

That is a VERY good question Tanis.  Why can't someone other than Swansea verify documents?  I am so glad that we didn't send our passports.  I think I'd be panicking about now.  22 Days!!  That is totally unacceptable.  What do they think they're dealing with.  In some cases, a passport is someone's only source of identity.  The DVLA is a nightmare.. 

I'm going to order (at least try) to order new DL from Canada today and have them sent to my parents.  That way, hopefully, I'll have a DL while I'm there.  It's not the end of the world if I can't drive, but it certainly limits my independence. I was just planning on parking myself on my sister's hammock anyway and letting everyone else shuttle the kids about.  I don't need to do anything while I'm there.  Growing up there was enough, plus I really don't need to spend MORE time with my kids. 

Incompetance just makes me sooooooo angry.   

I take back every single nice thing I've ever said about the DVLA!!!

Oh dear!       Now you see why those of us who have put up with this nonsense from DVLA for years have nothing but contempt for the whole outfit. 

If I were in your position and ended up having to pay fees to obtain a replacement Canadian license, I'd send a strongly worded letter to DVLA demanding recompense for the expense.   You might not get anything and decide it's not worth pursuing for a few dollars, but it's the principle. 

By the way, the DVLC (as it was called until the change to DVLA recently) was set up in Swansea in the 1970s.   Prior to that, all driver and vehicle licensing was handled locally by the county and borough councils.

Edited for typo.

This has got to be the screwiest set up I've ever seen.  What a colossal *bleep*-up this agency is!  How they can possibly think that this is the way to conduct business, I have no idea.  I will take the DMV in California over this mess anyday, at least there, even though the customer service sucked, you still had a reasonable expectation that service would be delivered.  and if I ever had to do business there, I just came prepared to stand in line and wait.  Here, you don't even have a choice about seeing a human - they're all in a void in Swansea!

 I finally received the letter this morning and what was inside, but my drivers licence.  It was determined that they sent the application back (I love this..) out of courteousy.  You see, if you submit a Canadian licence for exchange, then they will give you an automatic licence unless you can prove you did a test on a manual.  So they sent the application back to give us a chance to prove this.  We knew this when we went to the  DVLA to submit our documents and therefore didn't give it a second thought.  How absolutely ridiculous!!!!   At least I'll have my DL for my holiday though, but it puts back my test by at least 6 weeks because I can't send it back until I return from Canada in August.  Which means September sometime until I can drive. (my year expires 14 August and we stupidly bought a manual car.) I thought starting this process in March would give me plenty of time.  Apparently not. 

I thought starting this process in March would give me plenty of time.  Apparently not.

You've heard of EST, CST, MST, PST, and GMT?   Well DVLA works in the Twilight Zone of Swansea Standard Time where time gets all distorted.  You are expected to return forms immediately, or else......   They will reply "in due course," which means any time between now and next April.