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<p>Drivers whose licence expired between 1 February and 31 December 2020 have had
their entitlement to drive in the UK automatically extended for 11 months. The extension
started from the date the licence was due to expire. Drivers whose entitlement expires
on or after 1 January 2021, are advised to renew their driving licence as normal.</p><p>The
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s (DVLA) online services have been available throughout
the pandemic and are the quickest and easiest way to renew a driving licence. There
are no delays in successful online applications and customers should receive their
driving licence within a few days.</p><p>However, many people still choose or have
to make a paper application for a driving licence. The DVLA receives around 60,000
items of mail every day which must be dealt with in person. Ongoing industrial action
by members of the Public and Commercial Services union, along with fewer operational
staff being on site to allow for social distancing in line with Welsh Government requirements
and an increased demand for its services has led to delays in dealing with paper applications.
The DVLA has leased an additional building to accommodate more operational staff.</p><p>The
number of paper applications awaiting processing fluctuates daily as driving licences
are issued and new applications received. Currently, paper applications are likely
to take six to ten weeks to process. There may be additional delays in processing
more complex transactions, for example, if medical investigations are needed as part
of a driving licence application. The latest information on turnaround times for paper
driving licence applications can be found <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/dvla-coronavirus-covid-19-update"
target="_blank">here</a>.</p>
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