Car hire confusion reigns as DVLA scraps paper counterpart driving licence
Holidaymakers wishing to hire a car abroad using their green counterpart driving licence are in for a shock from this morning after the DVLA ceased usage of the document, which now carries no legal weight.
Instead drivers seeking to rent a vehicle must present a payslip and national insurance number in order to obtain a temporary code, valid for just 72 hours, which rental companies can use to access driver records.
Previously such records and details of any offences committed were recorded on the paper counterpart.
Defending the new rules on BBC Radio 4’s Today show DVLA chief executive Oliver Morley said: “It's very, very cheap to just do a quick check online to get the code.
“One of the things about the national insurance number is it's anywhere you're paid or you need to pay the governent. It's on a pension slip or a payslip, it's pretty easy to get hold of.”
The DVLA is advising motorists to destroy their paper licenses from today.