Online licence renewal - photo requirements?

Alun

I'm planning on renewing my driving licence online, and am in the process of getting my verified MyGovId account, but I can find no other information online about how the process works, specifically in relation to the photo.

I have to renew my UK passport at the same time, and doing it online. For that I can simply take a photo myself and send it in online as long as it adheres to certain standards, so can I do the same for my driving licence, or is there some kind of method for taking verified digital photos at a photographer or what?

cantdecide

You would have to be invited to renew and only certain eligible categories of drivers qualify, such as drivers who have to renew their licence annually (for medical reasons for example). If you have been invited to do this, they will use last year's photo, taken at the centre.

Alun

Are you sure? If you go to ndls.ie there's a big splash banner telling me that I can renew online ...

cantdecide

Well my knowledge could be out of date for sure. Have you attempted to apply online?

Alun

cantdecide wrote: »

Well my knowledge could be out of date for sure. Have you attempted to apply online?

Not yet, don't have my PSC yet, plus I have to wait another couple of months as you can't renew until 3 months before it expires, so I can't get past the first hurdle which is logging in with a verified MyGovId.

Posy

I renewed my learner permit online- they just put the last year's photo on it.

Alun

Posy wrote: »

I renewed my learner permit online- they just put the last year's photo on it.

The thing is though that I currently have one of the old fashioned pink paper licences, so I assume they don't have a digital version of my photo online. Possibly when I get my PSC, I suppose they could "re-use" the photo that gets taken for that?

The annoying thing is that there's no other information available on the website about what the online renewal procedure entails, and under what circumstances it's possible to renew online or not.

LorelaiG

They will use the photo from your PSC card in that case.

coylemj

LorelaiG wrote: »

They will use the photo from your PSC card in that case.

+1 Alun, wait until you get the PSC card, then do the renewal. I renewed my old pink licence to the new format, did it all online and they used the photo from my PSC card.

Leave it to about a week before the old licence expires so there isn't too much of an overlap, the new licence will start on the date they produce the new licence and you'll have it within 2-3 days of applying.

Alun

Thanks coylemj, that was what I thought would happen, good to hear they're so quick with them too!