I'm not sure about what expires in the two years you're thinking of
I believe under the current regime it's your theory pass which is valid for two years. In other words, after you pass the theory test you have two years in which to pass the practical test, otherwise you would have to sit the theory test again.
also- you don't have to have your UK licence on you when driving. if you're stopped by the police, you have a certain amount of days to show it in person at a police station.
Sort of. It's a commonly held belief that you aren't required to have any documents with you when driving, but that's not
quite the full legal story.
There is no law which specifically states that you must carry license, proof of insurance, etc. with you at all times, but there is legislation which makes it an offense not to be able to produce such documents upon demand to a police officer or other authorized official.
So basically, it's legal to drive without them, but as soon as you are asked to show them, then technically you are committing an offense if you can't produce them on the spot. However, the legislation goes on to say that it shall be a defense to such a charge if you produce the documents at a nominated police station within the specified period of time.
So
technically you have committed an offense by not being able to produce the documents upon demand, but
in practice nothing will be done about it so long as you turn up at the station with them before the due date. That's what has traditionally been relied upon for decades and which gives rise to the general "no need to carry" view.
However.....
Things have changed slightly in the last couple of years with regard to insurance, since the police have been given powers to seize vehicles from uninsured drivers on the spot. They are only allowed to seize a car if they have "reasonable cause to believe" that the driver is uninsured, and the Home Office has made it clear that simply not being able to produce proof of insurance is
not sufficient cause for a seizure. Unfortunately, some maverick officers, or even entire forces, have adopted a policy where if the driver/car doesn't show on the insurance database and the person cannot produce a certificate on the spot, then they impound the car. Given that the database is completely unreliable and often not up to date, that's not good.
So given the renegade police acting beyond their authority and an unreliable database, it's rapidly becoming a good idea to make sure you have your insurance certificate with you even if you don't carry anything else.
