Some drivers are facing delays and an extra £7.50 charge added to the cost of their licence renewals due to an error on the DVLA website.
The issue is affecting motorists who try to renew their driving licences using passports issued since 2016, reports the Guardian. The DVLA charges drivers £14 for online renewals of their licence using their UK passport as a document to verify their identity.
However, many who have tried to use their passport to make their renewal have been unable to. It has been reported that these individuals receive a pop-up message saying their application cannot continue because their passport is invalid.
Instead, the DVLA is telling drivers who are unable to renew their licence online to complete the process at a participating post office. However, this would add an extra £7.50 to the cost of the renewal.
The DVLA charges £14 for online renewals, while renewals at the Post Office cost £21.50. Drivers also have the option to renew their licences through the post, however, this costs £17, plus postage - and forms need to be picked up at participating Post Offices.
The Guardian reports that the error has been caused by the removal of digital signatures from passports in 2016. The change was introduced in 2017 and designed to speed up online passport applications with the passports now signed by the owner on receipt. Passports without a signature are not valid.
However, the reform has slowed down some online applications for driving licences because the DVLA uses digital signatures held by the passport office on photocard permits. If the passport office does not hold a digital signature then a signed form must be submitted.
Applicants who are affected will need to download and complete a D1 application form which can be requested on GOV.UK, calling the DVLA's contact centre, or by going to a Post Office which offers DVLA services. They will then need to send this to the DVLA. This process will add more time to the renewal process when compared to submitting online.
Applications can be submitted digitally at the post office - however, this does cost extra and is only available in 1,200 Post Office branches in the UK.
The DVLA says that renewed licences usually are received within three weeks - although the department says they can arrive sooner when applying through the post.
The DVLA do reiterate that you are still able to drive whilst your application is being processed unless you have been told by a doctor or optician that you should not drive.
A DVLA spokesperson said: “For the vast majority of drivers choosing to renew their driving licence online we are able to use the digital signature directly from the passport office. For those who do not have a signature on file with the passport office, we are currently working on a solution which will allow them to apply online.”