Weasel,

So are the old paper licenses no longer valid, is it compulsory to get a plastic one now or do I only have to change it because the address is wrong?

I couldn't get a clear answer to that, its a huge grey area. As per lady at DVLA, paper licences are still technically valid up to the expiry date, but at the same time you cannot use them to drive in UK once you've been overseas for 6 months. After you've been resident in UK again for 6 months you are able to exchange a paper one for a photo ID plastic one, and its only at that stage that you'll be able to amend details such as address, name etc. I know there are contradictions there, and DVLA themselves pointed that out to me, but as things stand at the moment, that's their position. If you had a plastic licence when you left UK, and you return to the same residential address, then there's probably no problem. Bureaucracy gone mad.

7B

Thanks, I had never heard of the 6 month rule and have been blithely driving away using my licence that says it expires in 16 years time.
This could be a serious arse to be honest being as we are likely to end up in Cornwall where there is 1 bus a week that takes the rest of that week to get to Truro.
Interesting, one of I suspect many changes that have completely passed us by in 16 years.

Update on this.....

Falconeasydriver was right, very straight forward.
Moved family back home last month. DVLA was very helpful. Filled in the forms and got a new license for her in a couple of weeks.
And it was a breath of fresh air not providing 5 copies of passport with 10 other supporting documents and no objection letters and all that.


TI74

Good to hear...

Just wait till you want to hire a car....;)

Lol :p

The car leased already, no dramas....

Murdoch, the test is valid until you are 70 however, the licence is only valid for 10 years.
Renewed mine a few years ago and it was a minor bollock ache but succeeded in the end.