When moving into a new home, especially after getting married, it’s important to update your address on all key documents, including your driving licence.
Neglecting to do so could lead to penalties, so be sure to make these updates promptly.
A fine of up to £1,000 may be enforced if it’s flagged up when you’re stopped by traffic cops, hire a car or commit a driving offence abroad.
Previous estimates by Direct Line suggest as many as seven per cent of licences have incorrect information including wrong addresses on them, while three per cent of women are still using maiden names.
If all these cases were enforced, it’d rake in a near £3billion windfall for the courts.
You can still drive while you’re waiting for your new licence.
Drivers have been reporting waiting for extended periods of time to hear back from the Government agency about their driving licence status.
The DVLA has also been warning drivers to expect delays of up to 10 weeks for paper driving licence applications.
Applications for driving licence renewals are being processed with a wait of more than 10 weeks.
Other applications have a similar waiting time, including a driving licence renewal for those over 70 and drivers looking to change their name or address on their licence.
The DVLA said that under most circumstances you can drive.
They said: “We are receiving a high volume of inquiries about driving while your driving licence application is with DVLA. If your application has been sent to DVLA, you may be able to continue to drive while we are processing your application.
This applies to most types of application.
In order to keep your driving licence, vehicle log book and tax up-to-date, you must register any changes of address to the DVLA.
This not only includes permanent addresses, but also if you’re moving temporarily to university.
Likewise, if you get married or you take another name, it’s important you let the DVLA know, in order to avoid a hefty fine.
You can do so by filling out a short online application form.
It doesn’t cost anything to amend your address.
