£1000 fine. Check your driving licence.

[Keith Clements]

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Check your driving licence NOW or risk a £1,000 fine

There are three big checks to do on your driving licence. Dig yours out NOW and ensure you do 'em all, or you could be stung with a £1,000 fine.

1.Check the photocard driving licence expiry date

Photocard licences replaced paper licences in 1998, and must be renewed every 10 years. A whopping two million photocards will need to be renewed by March 2016, according to the DVLA.

Driving licence photos must be replaced every 10 years (no matter how young you look!)

It's easy to forget, but a quick check now could save you a fine of up to £1,000 if your photocard's expired. It's an annoying £14 to renew (£17 if you renew by post), but that's a far better option.

There are a few dates printed on the photocard, but the one you need's the photo expiry date printed on section 4b on the front of the card. If you really can't find your photocard, see how to renew below.

How to renew if your licence has expired
How much does it cost?
My photocard's already expired, will I be fined if I renew it?
Why does the photocard expire every 10 years?
Paper driving licences have been scrapped for licences issued post 1998
If you only have a paper licence...
Beware unofficial driving licence websites


2.Check your correct address is on it

Over 2.6 million motorists hadn't updated their driving licence with their current address in June 2013, according to insurer Direct Line. It sounds bonkers, but forget to update your address and you risk a £1,000 fine if stopped by the police - so check now to make sure it's correct.

If your address isn't accurate, or if you've moved since you registered, it's free to update and you can do this as many times as needed - click below for how.

How to update your address
Will my photocard's expiry be renewed if I update my address?

3.Check your name is correct if you've changed it

The third check is to make sure your name is correct on your driving licence, particularly if you've changed it since getting married.

Last year Direct Line found 3% of married women had an out-of-date name on their licence, which bizarrely could also incur a £1,000 fine. So if you think you could be affected, check now.

How to update your name
Will my photocard's expiry be renewed if I update my name?